Budget, budget, budget - oh, and the 'Master Plan' are key topics for the week beginning January 27

Looking ahead to the week beginning January 27, 2025

Yes, the FY 2026 budget and "Master Plan" takes center stage this week. 

Monday begins with a couple of key sessions: 

• School Committee Chair Dave Callaghan amd Vice Chair David McNeill hold a "State of the Schools" session at the Franklin TV studio at 7 PM. https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/reminder-state-of-franklin-schools-jan.html
• The Master Plan Update committee mets at 6:00 PM to finalize their doc and presentation of the "Master Plan" to the Planning Board meeting at 7 PM the same night.  https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01272025-1476

The School District brings the "Superintendent Recommended Budget" forward at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Jan 28.  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-for_01254023424.html

The Town Council Capital Budget subcommittee gets their view on the capital budget approved last week by the Finance Committee  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/franklin-ma-capital-budget-subcommittee.html

The first of six Listening Sessions begins Thursday, January 30 at the Elks Lodge. https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/all-of-us-are-worthy-of-welcome-video.html

Note: only the March 8 session at the Council Chambers is scheduled to enable remote participation. All six sessions will be broadcast to Comcast, Verizon, & YouTube. 

ONLY, the March 8 session will include Zoom to enable a question or comment. If you want to ask a question, make a comment, or suggestion, you need to be there for the other 5 sessions.

https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx

Looking back at the week that was 

(January 20 - 26, 2025)

The Town of Franklin updated its webpage (breaking all prior links). If you set up an account, you can enable more notifications for specific topics (i.e meeting agendas, etc.) than previously. I did so and they are working well.

The School Committe and the Town Council both met at the same time on Wednesday, Jan 22. While Chris broadcast and recorded the Council meeting, I was upstairs in the training room recording the audio for the School's budget workshop. 

School Committee budget workshop recap & audio (exclusive) ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/school-committee-gets-preview-in.html

Town Council Quarterbacking session condenses the meeting ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/tom-mercer-condenses-jan-22-2025-town.html

Town Council video & audio links ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/town-council-meeting-of-jan-22-2025.html

Budget, budget, budget - oh, and the 'Master Plan' are key topics for the week beginning January 27

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For all the meetings and cultural eventss, check out the calendars, or visit Franklin Matters where each day, that day's events on posted on the top of the page

• Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
• Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

Subscribe for the daily dose of information ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

Subscribe for the weekly dose of information -> 

https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html

Watch out Franklin; with a break for the holiday Monday, here comes the week of January 20 !!!

Looking ahead to the week beginning January 20

Monday, the Martin Luther King Jr holiday shortens the week but not the work. Note, there is no scheduled delay in the pick up of trash/recycling for this week.

School Committee has a total of 3 sessions scheduled, one for negotiation, one Subcommittee for community relations (planning for the Legislative forum Feb 24), and a budget workshop Wednesday to work through the FY 2026 budget

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/school-committee-has-2-meetings-1.html

Town Council meets on Wednesday to discuss a victualers alcohol license for Mirchi, get an update on Maple Hill & Schmidt’s farm, a public hearing on electric signs, and an executive session on contract negotiating strategy

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-for.html

Cultural Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, Conservation Commission meets on Thursday. Agenda for these can be found on the Town calendar https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

Board of Assessors meet on Tuesday at a new date/time. Their meetings are 95% in executive session so not worth the effort to try and attend in person.

Looking back at the week that was

Planning Board met on Monday - video replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V5ziNTztWM

School Committee met on Tuesday - recap, audio & video links -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/school-committee-recognizes-fhs_17.html

Finance & Master Plan Update committees both met on Weds

FinCom recap, audio & video links -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/finance-committee-approves-recommended_0799398139.html

Master Plan meeting video -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98wFbUo0ugE

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Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

Subscribe for the daily dose of information ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

Subscribe for the weekly dose of information -> 

https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html

Watch out Franklin; with a break for the holiday Monday, here comes the week of January 20 !!!

Look out Franklin, here comes the week of January 13, 2025

Planning Board meets Monday discussing a proposed sign bylaw change among its agenda items

School Committee meets Tuesday with their capital budget and high school updates among their agenda items

Finance Committee meets on Wednesday for what should be a good session covering the capital budget, opioid settlement funds, and the hold harmless issue with school funding via Chapter 70

Master Plan Update Committee also meets Wednesday reportedly with the Planning Board to finalize the master plan document.

Franklin Q&A sessions are planned for Monday, the 13th at the Library and Wednesday, the 15th at the Senior Center. Both session are hybrid

You can also join Representative Roy and Town Officials for coffee and "office hour" at the Senior Center at 8:30 AM

There are the usual cultural events and activities check out the calendar for details. Ben Book Month continues with activities at the Library and Historical Museum.   https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

*** Looking back over the prior week

The key takeaways were 2 items from the Town Council meeting on January 8

1 - the update on Franklin Ridge Senior housing and likely ground breaking this summer  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LANyOIzMoh71lWdxwZh_jHssfi9B7BIb/view?usp=drive_link

2 - the update that the Town of Franklin sits at 10.86% for 40b. Which is good. Additional details on the approximate 1,000 housing units permitted or in the process, of which about 400 are "Affordable". Yes, capital A "affordable" which is not the same as little a "affordable"  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LA_DOFBow3fTLMXUNUGf-mOpjG6uqAd7/view?usp=drive_link

Audio, video and recap of the meeting -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/town-council-gets-updates-on-franklin_0626938403.html

Visit Franklin Matters for additional details including the daily Franklin TV and Franklin Public Radio schedule -> www.franklin.news

Look out Franklin, here comes the week of January 13, 2025

Franklin MAtters Weekly resumes after a long hiatus

Yes, dear neighbor, back in the early days of my reporting journey I had experimented with a weekly summary. At the time, the effort for the gain was more than I could afford time wise so it stopped.

Spin forward to the present day, my reporting and audio 'machine' is well oiled, having retired from the corporate payday (in 2019), I have the time for a resumption of the weekly summary.

As you may be aware, Franklin TV, Radio, and Franklin Matters conducted a survey of how and where folks get their news. The results closed out at the end of December 2024. The results were sobering but not unsurprising given the current circumstances of news and social media.

Inside the data, there seems to be a glimmer of hope in that rather than the daily dose of what's happening, some folks may be interested in a weekly version.

So here we go. 

You can join us to subscribe to both the daily and weekly, or just one or the other, or NOT, and continue to visit the regular page or come to the weekly page to see what is happening.

Your Choice

We are here to "amplify the public good." 

Our ears (and inbox) is also open for feedback, questions, suggestions. You can email me at sgsherlock @ franklinmatters dot org

Franklin MAtters Weekly resumes after a long hiatus