Thread by @FranklinMatters

Full house here in Council Chambers, all department heads and a bunch of others for the first of two budget hearings. #tc0524 agenda doc to follow along franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/…

Moment of silence in memory of Nick Gaspar #1nickstrong18 as meeting opens

First public hearing declared open #tc0524 TA Jamie Hellen acknowledges strong language in the budget doc, not meant to be disparaging but to layout the factors, need to look at the sustainability, starting 5th year as TA committed to working with schools to address ...

the structural deficit that the schools face. Slide show highlighting the revenue and cost drivers #tc0524

On a $150m budget, it's hard to do 'cliff notes' but he tries hard to do that. Less new growth due to uncertainty and higher interest rates... Slide does show the sunsetting of the debt overrides for schools

There are other charts behind the assumptions driving the local receipts (hotel tax, excuse taxes, etc.) to show the details on where and how these flow

Can't expect more from the state, the Student Opportunity Act was good and our representatives made sure to keep us whole and give us a couple of options for reimbursements

Franklin TV is working to address the tech difficulties with the broadcast.

88% of school budget is salary and benefits

Examples of fixed costs highlighted here in this slide, credit to health plan cost management

The key increase driving the schools request is salary/benefits at 2.9m of the 3.3m request

Increases to the town side 4 more police added to staff, offset by overtime budget. Could use more officers to avoid forced overtime #tc0524

Fleet manager added to maintain the 200+ vehicles across town and school operations

Demand for service far outweighs our ability to find what we can, our quality of life is great, a great value for what we pay. Debt and interest being sucked up by other projects

Municipal aggregation new rate will be 15% and likely still a good savings vs National grid when it's rate comes in Nov 2023

Need to come together to solve the issue, need to sacrifice something to get the good for the benefit of all

Tv broadcast issues should be resolved.
Chair Mercer comments on the need for the town wide balanced budget. The budget process can be the most difficult thing to do each year, can't lose sight of what happens, need to be grateful for what we have

Repeating need to work together, need to establish a OneFranklin mentality.
Denise Spencer, SchCmte Chair, reiterating the need to advocate for the schools, no simple task for this or any year.
Chair Mercer outlines process of budget doc and holds for comment, ?s

Chair Mercer outlines that the Council only authorizes the amount for the schools, the School committee has full responsibility for the details on how it is spent

Photo of the budget doc shown, link to doc franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/…

Multiple holds being made for a number of the departments, stay tuned for the specific questions, comments, etc for those line items

* Town council increase of $4k to cover increases in MMA membership and conference expenses
* Town Administration thank you for this work, it is a lot of work, there is no fat; there is one vacant job; it is a half year funding for the proposed Arts&Culture Director

Cormier-Ledger adds to support the A&C position as a member of the listening tour; Hamblen for every dollar spent you can get $7 back so this is part of the revenue increase planning we are doing to help

* Comptroller - can you expand upon the restructuring here? Among the departments without a deputy lead, it is just the head and department staff, other projects can't get done as all the time is spent on the day to day processing
HR paperwork is still manual, not digital

* treasurer collector, addressed with prior question
* 164, election, registration - two elections, annual town and Tri-County, Tri-County will get reimbursed but we need to front the money and then get it back
Town a larger election, and half for the Tri-County (shorter time)

Bins - one each for each precinct (9) and with election, advance opening and advance deposit, got a deal for buying in bulk

* Facilities an initiative to actually save money by composting food waste at the schools, started with Keller Sullivan, Remington Jefferson earlier this year, Horace Mann and Oak St just came on last week; so the three complexes are working on this. Taking weight out of trash

Video from Ch 12 in December touring the program at Keller Sullivan
LEDs reduced light expense, 100% covered with LEDs, adding charging stations at FHS after school gets out.
Vendors are reaching out for solar and maybe in the parking lot, future options

Future expense will be additional maintenance for all the buildings, gradually getting to the point of need, Remington Jefferson ready, then others along the line a couple of years apart.
With a 4yr rate, we can maintain a budget (without significant increases in usage)

Could the $100k for DT operational coverage be allocated elsewhere? An item for the subcommittee to look at, to let the public it would need to come up to ADA access standards and that is a lot of bucks

* police department was budgeted for 54 officers in 2000 and only got to 54 last year, we are running 1 officer over the minimum per shift, never had more than 1 over the minimum, hired 36 over the last 6 years only at full staff for 2 periods about 4 weeks each

Fiscal year 2022 officers were ordered for 1500 hours, it is almost another week ordered to work, hiring less than needed and filling with OT is not sustainable, these four help us get to 2 over per shift for most of the time

If you hire someone and send to the academy, it is a full year for that one to get ready to go online, others would have to cover via OT.
Potential savings in OT with the additional officers, need to try and calculate it for the next budget year (assuming funded this year)

The Town is not less people, less traffic, or less call volume than 20 years ago ... The four now is the best help for the coverage of the shifts. Discussion around the staffing; think of the 4th, every officer needs to be here that weekend for coverage!!

Reference to the FinCom presentation franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/…

After these 4 there could be times to send someone to the academy as the schedule would be easier to manage at 2 over, but not now. Transfers that about 3 months to get online, new folks take a full year

* Fire Dept, Chief McLaughlin, provides update on call volume and mutual aid, over 5120 calls in FY 2022, first time, this year on pace to exceed. How will the 2 new folks help the trend? 2 at the main station would help to provide coverage for a 3rd ambulance over 4 days

Mon-Fri 7 to 5 PM is the peak time, to add a full 3rd ambulance would require 8 more folks to fully staff over all shifts. Mutual aid 250 calls last year; undersized in comparison to other community fire services
Frongillo underlines that these 2 dept have clearly stated ...

how they are understaffed, this is key... We require paramedic as a qualification, we want to keep that level.
* Inspection - Gus Brown we have a part-time spot in the budget, hoping to get a regional arrangement with Norfolk County but haven't heard yet...

Likely fee increases due to weights, measures overtime as we transition to this, there are nuances to it and the State has been helpful

* Public Schools how does the schools compare to other communities? Using the per pupil we are generally less
Schools are usually pitched as a burden, visioning what would we do if we had the vision? 24 non-renewals and 10 involuntary transfers get us to the allocation

Spread across the three levels; elementary, middle, and high. would affect class size as well as recruiting new staff, refer to FPS FinCom budget presentation franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/…

Possible fee increase for athletics and activities are in the discussion stage at this time.
Inflation at 4% and 8% and only able to increase revenue 2.5% creates the systemic issue; focus on new growth, and or an override are options. We need to have the discussion

Frongillo : three fears - Avg increase of 3% per year with a revenue of only 2.5, added 4% for salary for 3 years (needed for teachers, yes) but how do we pay for it? At some point we just need to increase the pot!
Vision prepared with the portrait of the graduate.

Discussion on the support for schools, it is a good district but prop 2.5 assumed to be a reflection of the avg rate of inflation, yet we have seen 4% in the past 40+years hence a 1.5% deficit over that time.

Dellorco all on board for figuring it out, no problem with putting on the ballot, what is the number we go with. Pellegri, these are very hard times. She is bothered by the prior agreement of 2.5 as a plan and then settling for 4% was "money taken away from the students"

Transportation bids, yes in 5 year contract, have others interested but get only 1 bid; lunches are free, state funded , saves approx $60/week for a family with 3 kiddos. Limited sports where they are mo cut, i.e. all can participate. Constantly evaluating the programs

"Doing what we can with what we have is a dangerous way to go" - Giguere
"It is good to see you all here, where are you the other 51 weeks of the year" - Cormier-Ledger

Given the time (after 11 PM) we will finish with public comments on the school budget and continue the other departments for their budget hearing on Thursday

First up some young students speaking for the arts program, jazz band & other clubs, chorus, drama, etc... Learn teamwork, work together

FHS Senior speaking for chorus, had 3 teachers in 4 years, COVID didn't help, finally in a good place, music does make us better students scientifically tested, good for health and happiness as well as learning

Quick reminder on the Town Council doesn't get to determine the details of the schools budget. the school committee controls the details of the schools budget. (Apparently the music program among the targeted cuts to help balance the budget)

"guard the dreams and vision"
S Cousin speaks for the school budget, one of the wealthy communities and yet low support. "The time is way overdue to stand up for our students and schools and give them the support they need"

D Ryan good analogy of the course corrections performed and required of the lunar module. This is what we have been doing, making little course corrections, and what we need to do is more than that.

D Grady, FEA president, the miracle is in front of us, the children are our future. The students deserve more, some teachers received pink slips, four already got hired elsewhere.
Franklin is no longer the key place for educators to be.

O'Sullivan wasn't expecting this tonight, you as a council need to watch this and see how you behave with the other departments heads. We are in the wealthy percent but we pay in the bottom percent. Teachers got an avg 1.8 percent increase over the last 18 years

S Cass, hadn't planned to speak, we do need more money. Go from here and get three other people to pass a real override, not a bandaid. We do reach a tipping point and we are there.

B Jones, 8th gr middle school student, hoping to get to FHS and continue the programs, not find them cut, kids are scared that things they love is going away

Fabiano, we are all passionate as it is almost midnight and we are all still here. We don't have the money, the community needs to come together to find solutions to this problem.

Chair Mercer has a question on what the FY 23 ending revolving account balance would be? $8m. What would the balance be at the end of FY 24? Open (currently to be answered) will take time to develop the strategic plan on what the # should be

Need to continue this public hearing, the first one, and then go into the second one Thursday at 7 PM. Motion and second, passes 9-0
Motion to adjourn, passes 9-0
That's all for tonight catch you next time

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