Finance Committee
Regular MeetingFranklin, MA · May 6, 2024
Minutes
Finance Committee
Meeting Minutes
May 6, 2024
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Minutes of the Finance Committee Meeting Monday, May 6, 2024
A meeting of the Finance Committee was held Wednesday evening, May 6, 2024, at the
Municipal Building, 2nd Floor, Council Chambers, 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA.
Members Present
- George Conley, Chair
- Natalie Riley, Vice Chair
- Nicole Corbosiero, Clerk
- Heather Sansoucy
- William Batchelor
- Chuna Keophannga
- Michael Hamilton
- Lauren Nagel
1. Call to Order
2. Public Comments
[NONE]
3. Approval of Minutes
a. April 17, 2024
SUMMARY: No minutes were included in the packet for approval. Chair Conley suggests
moving approval of the April 17, 2024 minutes to the next meeting on Wednesday.
4. "A Citizens Pledge to the Residents of Franklin"
a. Pledge document
b. Town Administrator/Superintendent of Schools Slideshow
SUMMARY: Town Administrator Hellen presents the "Citizens Pledge to the Residents of
Franklin" document that was unanimously approved by the Town Council last week. He
emphasizes the importance of unity for a successful override passage. The Finance
Committee has the option to discuss and approve the Pledge, though it is not a legal
requirement. The Town Administrator gave a long slideshow presentation on this topic with
the Superintendent last week. Town Administrator Hellen is happy to answer any questions
but wants to avoid a long discussion as there are other agenda items to get to.
Vice Chair Natalie Riley asks about the impact of the override on the budget as they go
through line items. Town Administrator Hellen explains the budget he put out represents
various stakeholders and departments and feels it is still the best budget, understanding the
School Department has asked for a 13% increase for various reasons. He recommends the
Finance Committee look at the budget as presented and dig into issues for or against. There
is little new spending in his proposed budget.
Town Administrator Hellen explains that if the override passes, account 300 would go up by
6 points and funds would have to be put in Facilities and School accounts. If it fails, they will
have to do a budget review two weeks later to determine cuts and adjustments. The June
26th Town Council meeting will be a decision day after the override vote to revise the
budget before the new fiscal year starts. The School budget approved April 9th also did not
include the health insurance reduction negotiated, so their numbers have to be adjusted as
well based on override results.
Committee Member Heather Sansoucy thanks everyone involved for the hard work putting
the Pledge together. She asks about the 5-year plan mentioned and the 60-40 split ending in
FY30, wondering if there will be longer-term 10-year planning. Town Administrator Hellen
says he would like to give a 5-10 year financial forecast but they haven't had the staff
capacity to think that strategically and collaboratively for that long, beyond a few years. The
capital plan is well baked out 5-10 years. Getting a Budget/Fiscal Analyst will help free up
his time for longer range planning. The 5-year timeframe was chosen to give taxpayers
assurance this would be a one-time override ask.
Committee Member Chuna Keophannga notes some public reaction to language about
"living within means" in Section 6d of the Pledge, with some interpreting that as implying
Franklin has been living lavishly. She suggests considering the phrasing there when sharing
the document widely. Town Administrator Hellen agrees there are differing public opinions
on spending and the phrase was intended to set expectations with taxpayers feeling
overwhelmed by rising costs that the town needs to start living within Prop 2 1/2 revenues
at some point.
VOTE(S):
Subject: Motion to approve the override pledge as presented
Mover: William Batchelor
Second: George Conley
Result: Passed
Details of the vote: Roll call vote
George Conley - Yes
Natalie Riley - Yes
Heather Sansoucy - Yes
William Batchelor - Yes
Chuna Keophannga - Yes
Michael Hamilton - Yes
Lauren Nagel - Yes
Nicole Corbosiero - Yes
5. FY25 Town Administrator Operating Budget Hearing:
FY25 Town Administrator Budget Materials website
a. General Government
i. Departments: 111 Town Council, 123 Town Administrator, 131 Finance Committee, 135
Comptroller, 141 Assessors, 147 Treasurer-Collector, 151 Legal, 152 Human Resources, 155
Information Technology, 161 Town Clerk, 164 Elections & Registration, 171 Conservation
Commission, 176 Appeals Board (ZBA), 177 Planning & Growth Management, 184
Agricultural Commission, 192 Public Properties & Buildings, 196 Purchasing & Central
Services.
SUMMARY: Town Council (Dept 111) - No questions or issues raised.
Town Administrator (Dept 123) - Town Administrator Hellen notes the main expenses are
staff. He is grateful to have Deputy Town Administrator Amy Frigulietti on board, noting
many other towns of various sizes have Assistant Town Managers. The rest of the money
relates to professional development, dues and conferences. They have a lean staff of 4
people compared to 6-8 in offices of comparable size communities.
Committee Member Heather Sansoucy asks about the compensation analysis done in
January 2022 and presented in 2023, wondering about plans to use it to rein in salaries not
under union contracts, as this is an area of wiggle room in the budget. Town Administrator
Hellen explains the full comp plan study is on the HR website. This was the first ever done
by the town. They wanted a study reflecting actual salaries and found some positions were
heavily underpaid for a long time. Priorities were the lowest and highest grades as fewer
people want leadership roles these days. The goal is to get positions to midpoints of salary
grades over the next 3-5 years through attrition and new hires. It's challenging to discuss
publicly but Town Administrator Hellen aims to pay people doing great work at the highest
level possible within reason. The comp plan will be updated each July 1 by 2.5% to stay
within the market. HR Director Karen Bratt clarifies the FY24 comp plan is on the website
now, so the FY25 numbers discussed will be 2.5% higher once the new budget is approved
and the FY25 plan posted.
Resident Max Morrongiello asks for context on how the comp plan relates to the budget for
the public watching. Town Administrator Hellen explains institutional knowledge is valued
but not the only factor - it depends on the specific job.
Finance Committee (Dept 131) - Chair Conley asks if some of the $1500 budget could be
used to have someone take detailed notes on the meetings, feeling a lot of important data
comes out that should be captured. Town Administrator Hellen jokingly says that's why he
needs a Deputy Town Administrator, referring to Amy taking notes and running Zoom.
Comptroller (Dept 135) - No major questions. The main driver is staff salaries and $58,000
for the annual audit. Chair Conley asks if school transactions are audited as completely as
the town. Comptroller Chris Sandini confirms the schools are audited proportionally to the
percentage of the budget they represent.
Assessors (Dept 141) - No questions.
Treasurer-Collector (Dept 147) - No questions.
Legal (Dept 151) - Town Administrator Hellen notes an additional $10,000 was added to
legal expenses as it is a collective bargaining year. He hopes not much will be needed as they
have good labor relations and can usually resolve issues without lawyers present, unlike
many other towns and schools.
Human Resources (Dept 152) - Chair Conley asks about the status of getting HR software,
something he has inquired about for 3-4 years. HR Director Karen Bratt explains they were
looking at one product that had procurement issues, so switched to potentially expanding
their Munis payroll system. The Technology Director is working on it along with other major
projects so it has been pushed back but is progressing. The big challenge will be getting old
data entered which is labor intensive. Chair Conley is glad to see payroll being migrated
together between town and schools as it makes sense despite nuances on each side.
Committee Vice Chair Riley confirms the headcount increase of one is an Administrative
Assistant, which makes sense given bandwidth constraints.
Information Technology (Dept 155) - Town Administrator Hellen explains the main cost
driver is an attempted joint town/school hire of a Cybersecurity Specialist in FY24. Unable
to find a candidate at the budgeted salary level, they are trying again this year on just the
Town side but it's unclear if the salary will attract who they want. The IT director will look
at other options like an outside service if needed. The other positions are a Munis
Administrator and Budget/Fiscal Analyst. A School Payroll employee is also moving to this
Town budget as part of a reorganization to put town and school payroll together for
efficiency.
Committee Vice Chair Riley asks besides Munis, what other significant maintenance
contracts are carried. IT Director Rapoza says total licensing in the budget is $435,000.
Google per user licensing was the biggest increase, going from $41,000 to $68,000. Even
suspended accounts still incur an $18 per user archive fee to maintain access to that data,
currently costing around $10,000 per year and growing until they institute a cutoff, likely at
7 years.
Town Clerk (Dept 161) - No questions.
Elections & Registration (Dept 164) - No questions on this "hot topic" given upcoming
election.
Conservation Commission (Dept 171) - Town Administrator Hellen explains this is a brand
new budget, carved out from the Planning Department, though Conservation still works
under Planning. With their first full-time staff member, they are trying to elevate the
conservation function given all the open space in town. In the next 5 years, this budget may
include more initiatives and grant money but no huge cost adjustments are expected yet.
Zoning Board of Appeals (Dept 176) - No questions. Town Administrator Hellen jokes the
ZBA members are residents' "best friends" as they bring in huge fees to the town.
Planning and Growth Management (Dept 177) - No major questions. Town Administrator
Hellen notes the main change is removing the Conservation salary to its own department.
Agricultural Commission (Dept 184) - No questions on this Commission formed 6-7 years
ago with a small $1000 budget.
Public Properties & Buildings (Dept 192) - Chair Conley asks what percentage of the
Facilities budget is spent on Schools vs. General Government in dollars or percentage.
Facilities Director Mike D’Angelo is not present but Deputy Facilities Director Kevin Harn
says it's a very large portion based on the square footage. Town Administrator Hellen
estimates roughly 70-75% as the schools represent 1 million out of 1.3 million total square
feet of Town buildings. In actuality it's even higher as School facility needs are so substantial
they have to focus their resources there over other Town building projects.
Chair Conley assumes utility rates are up across the board so the Facilities budget has to
account for that. Committee Vice Chair Riley questions how electricity is down. Chair Conley
figures the Director budgets based on projected usage. Town Administrator Hellen adds
there are also net metering credits that help, like from a solar farm on Union Street that
allowed converting lights to LED for free.
Resident Max Morrongiello asks about the $200,000 telephone budget, having looked into a
2018 memo about a lease. He calculated the actual landline/service portion was under
$50,000 and requests a further breakdown of the telephone line item. Town Administrator
Hellen refers to IT Director Rapoza. IT Director Rapoza explains landlines are budgeted at
$204,000 for lines in all town buildings. When they looked at potentially moving everyone to
cell phones 5 years ago it wasn't popular. But he agrees that is likely the future trend.
IT Director Rapoza breaks down the other Technology costs, like $435,000 total for various
software licensing, a major increase in Google per user fees from $144 to $240, and around
$10,000 per year for archived accounts of former employees. Desktop phones are still
needed for 911 purposes to pinpoint location. On cell phones, they get free upgrades every
1.5 years under a state contract with Verizon.
Chair Conley raises the lack of Town email addresses for the Finance Committee, as
discussed at a prior seminar, and potential issues with personal emails being subpoenaed.
Town Administrator Hellen says they have considered it but need to figure out a plan to
expand to another 15 appointed boards which takes work. When he worked in Hopkinton,
some boards like the Cultural Council had one shared email/Drive account they could set
permissions on as chairs rotated. Some individuals don't want town email accounts. Chair
Conley agrees but is concerned about exposure of personal accounts.
Purchasing and Central Services (Dept 196) - Town Administrator Hellen explains Central
Services was already in the budget but they have now merged it with Purchasing, moving
the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) position out of the Comptroller budget into its own
department. As the town grows, purchasing efforts will expand. He thanks CPO Pam Vickery
for her hard work, noting she also assists the schools with 30B purchasing of food, supplies
and state bids.
Committee Vice Chair Riley clarifies the comptroller would charge the school purchasing
work back to the schools. Town Administrator Hellen says yes, probably 5%.
Human Services
i. Departments: 510 Board of Health, 535 Disability Commission, 541 Council on Aging, 543
Veterans Services, 535 Disability Commission.
SUMMARY: Board of Health (Dept 510) - Chair Conley asks Health Director Cathy Liberty
how many restaurants and food service establishments get inspected in town. Health
Director Liberty consults her narrative and estimates around 130 food establishments plus
75 convenience stores. Traditionally one person, Ginny McNeal, has done all inspections.
However, they are now part of a Metacomet health alliance with Wrentham and Norfolk. One
inspector from that alliance does 16 Franklin inspections per month, paid for by a state DPH
grant.
Disability Commission (Dept 535) - No questions on this important Commission. Town
Administrator Hellen notes the small budget basically pays for their annual fair.
Council on Aging (Dept 541) - Chair Conley notes the Senior Center Director position is
being advertised again, wondering if pay is the issue for the turnover. Town Administrator
Hellen says definitely not pay. He gives historical context that after long-time director Karen
Alves retired, they have been trying to get the center back on good footing. Karen Alves' 25
years of leadership led to major expansions and a new building, but programs and rooms
were not being fully utilized after.
With the current staff, the center is now vibrant, hopping and well utilized whenever Town
Administrator Hellen visits. The staff does an excellent job with programming, clubs and
rentals that bring in revenue to offset expenses. Last year they budgeted $25,000 for senior
transportation, a cost-share with GATRA to make rides to the center more affordable to
access the social workers, food, etc. The new budget includes a Van Driver and admin
support to coordinate the van and handle the large caseload. Social workers serve all ages,
not just seniors. A new Senior Center van is expected to be delivered in August.
Committee Member Heather Sansoucy asks if there is information sharing between the
town offices and Senior Center on available assistance programs as part of the social work
role. Deputy Town Administrator Amy Frigulietti says the Senior Center got a grant to create
an online resource guide with tax work-off program participants that will include resources
across the town.
Committee Member Heather Sansoucy asks the main communication methods of the Senior
Center. Acting Senior Center Director Sarah Amaral explains their printed newsletter is
mailed to all in-town residents who want it, with a small postage fee for out of town
requests. It is also emailed to a distribution list and posted on the town website.
Veterans Services (Dept 543) - No major questions. Town Administrator Hellen notes the
Town no longer has service agreements with other towns. The budget covers basic
departmental expenses and direct benefits to veterans required by law.
Disability Commission (Dept 535) - Addressed earlier, no further discussion.
Culture & Recreation
i. Departments: 610 Library, 630 Recreation, 690 Historical Museum, 691 Historical
Commission, 693 Arts & Culture, 695 Cultural Council, 696 Cultural District Committee.
SUMMARY: Library (Dept 610) - Chair Conley remarks the Library budget seems steady
year-to-year which is fine. He asks if they are still state certified. Town Administrator Hellen
says they are just slightly over the Municipal Appropriation Requirement (MAR), a 110-year
old statute on minimum library spending. If they took around $75,000 in cuts they might not
meet MAR. They haven't been on the waiver list for 6 years.
Committee Member Lauren Nagel asks if the approximately $200,000 books and
publications line item is for actually buying books and publications. Library Director Felicia
Oti clarifies it is just for print, audio and digital collections - over 50% still goes to physical
books which remain popular.
Committee Member Heather Sansoucy compliments a recent presentation by the Library
Director and Assistant Director, noting the Library is one of the best town assets. Library
Director Oti appreciates the feedback.
Chair Conley raises an issue that the $12-13 million spent on the library renovation and
addition 7-8 years ago doesn't count toward maintaining their state certification. Town
Administrator Hellen calls it an outdated 110-year old statute, noting there are laws they
have to follow to avoid the "dog house" even if residents don't realize it. Many budgets can't
just be cut drastically.
Recreation (Dept 630) - No questions. Chair Conley notes the Recreation Director is present
but if they spend $700-800,000 he will bring in that much revenue if not more - he is net
zero to the budget.
Historical Museum (Dept 690) and Historical Commission (Dept 691) - The Town now has a
full-time Archivist at the Museum. Town Administrator Hellen says this has been discussed
for years, moving from part-time to full-time to support more utilization of the Museum for
events, rentals, longer hours, etc. The Commission provides advice and guidance to the
Archivist on things like exhibits. Their only other role is Demolition Delay hearings which
have no real budget impact other than advertising.
Chair Conley asks the name of the resident who often gives historical presentations,
recalling he found the man in his own family tree. Town Administrator Hellen says it is Joe
Landry.
Arts and Culture (Dept 693) - This is a brand new department. Director Cory Shea was hired
earlier in the year. Town Administrator Hellen explains her part-year salary was in his
budget in FY24 but is now fully reflected here. He sees her as an economic development
position, bringing in visitors to support local businesses and hotels. She will also work on
town-wide marketing ahead of the World Cup and securing state arts grants.
Cultural Council (Dept 695) - This $25,000 budget is the same as last year and goes to
grants, with a state match.
Cultural District Committee (Dept 696) - No major budget impact or discussion.
Debt & Interest -
i. Departments: 710 Debt Service - Principal, 750 Debt Service - Interest.
SUMMARY: Chair Conley asks what debt is falling off the books and what is the total paid
annually. Treasurer/Collector Kerri Bertone says the Horace Mann school is coming off, as
well as Keller Sullivan and various DPW projects. The main remaining debts are the High
School and Police Station. The next likely debts will be $8 million for the Remington
Jefferson remodel and $2 million for the Horace Mann roof in FY 25-26.
Vice Chair Riley clarifies the Remington Jefferson and Horace Mann roof would be regular
borrowing, not debt exclusions, which are a taxpayer vote. Treasurer/Collector Kerri
Bertone confirms. Town Administrator Hellen notes a debt exclusion is a possibility for the
police station in a few years. Most current debts were 20-year notes but he hopes to do 10
years for RJ and HM to minimize long-term interest even though it means higher annual
payments.
Chair Conley asks about the timing of the RJ renovation in the context of School Committee
plans to expand utilization of that building. He doesn't want to see those plans interrupted.
Town Administrator Hellen says the work can be phased over summers and vacations and
planned by the architects and engineers to maintain building use.
Chair Conley notes the Town's borrowing is way below the 3.5% of budget target. Town
Administrator Hellen attributes this to major projects done in the early 2000s. However, in
the 2028-2031 timeframe, the Keller Sullivan and Horace Mann renovations will likely be
needed as those buildings approach 30 years old. The Parmenter and Kennedy schools are
even older and will eventually have larger capital needs to remain viable, as indicated in the
facilities study.
Employee Benefits:
i. Departments: 910 Retirement & Pension, 945 Risk Management (Liability Insurance).
SUMMARY: Town Administrator Hellen explains the benefits budget is broken down into
major categories. The retirement assessment is set by law, they have to pay the bill. It has
come down slightly since the pandemic. Employee health care is up 7.6% which is bad news
but could be much worse if not for the work of the joint town/school Insurance Advisory
Committee (IAC) and moving to high-deductible HSA plans 5-6 years ago. This has saved
both the Town and employees money as 2/3 of employees don't hit the deductible. The
Town contributes a portion of the premium savings to HSAs by law.
The IAC has helped avoid higher increases despite the Town having high loss ratios some
years, with claims nearly equal to premiums. Until employee health improves, these
challenges will continue. Franklin has the lowest employer/employee premium split of any
Norfolk County town at 68/32. Most are 70/30 or higher. Changing this split would increase
town costs. Town Administrator Hellen credits the employee unions for working
collaboratively on health care.
Other budget lines are smaller but based on claims experience or headcounts, such as
retired teacher health insurance, workers comp, OPEB and unemployment. If these costs
were not in the municipal budget they would be in the school budget but are combined due
to the integrated operations.
Committee Member Heather Sansoucy asks if unemployment should be increased in the
event of an override failure and resulting layoffs. Town Administrator Hellen agrees it's an
example of why they can't specify line item cuts yet - that would likely need to increase,
offset by attrition or surpluses in other areas. It's a bottom line budget so some accounts
compensate for others. This will be an area to watch after June based on school projections.
Committee Member Heather Sansoucy asks for clarification on what "other
post-employment benefits (OPEB)" entails. Town Administrator Hellen explains it is largely
health insurance, a huge long-term liability. The town has an OPEB trust and strong
management policies in place that have reduced the liability from $70 to $60 million based
on recent actuarial reports. This applies to both town and school retirees.
Town Administrator Hellen summarizes that if positions are reduced, it could
counterintuitively increase certain costs in unemployment, health insurance or retirement
as others have alluded to recently. Cuts on one side of the budget often pop up on the other
side.
Committee Member Heather Sansoucy feels lots of new positions were added. Town
Administrator Hellen clarifies most were existing positions in the budget moved to separate
cost centers for transparency as roles expanded, not 20 new spots. The only new FY24
position cut was the sustainability coordinator at around $120,000 with benefits.
Committee Member Lauren Nagel and Vice Chair Natalie Riley suggest for future budgets
adding a column specifying if a role is new, fully-loaded for year one, or moved to a new cost
center to clarify common questions. Visual cues on what portion of each cost center serves
schools would also help, even if not precise. Town Administrator Hellen agrees these are
great ideas to work on formatting for future years with the budget director, even if
challenging to specify schools costs that fluctuate. He knows the 100-page budget document
is daunting and will continue trying to illustrate key points better.
6. Future Agenda Items
SUMMARY: Chair Conley suggests waiting on future agenda items until more certainty after
the override vote, likely looking at a revised budget. Town Administrator Hellen concurs
that is the likely main topic.
7. Adjourn
VOTE(S):
Subject: Motion to adjourn
Mover: Natlie Riley
Second: William Batchelor
Result: Passed
Details of the vote: Roll call vote
George Conley - Yes
Natalie Riley - Yes
Heather Sansoucy - Yes
William Batchelor - Yes
Chuna Keophannga - Yes
Michael Hamilton - Yes
Lauren Nagel - Yes
Nicole Corbosiero - Yes
Agenda
Finance Committee Meeting
Agenda & Meeting Packet
Monday, May 6, 2024
7:00 PM
Meeting will be held at the Municipal Building
2nd floor, Council Chambers
355 East Central Street
A NOTE TO RESIDENTS: All citizens are welcome to attend public meetings in person. To view the live meeting
remotely, citizens are encouraged to watch the live stream on the Franklin Town Hall TV YouTube channel or the live
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Agenda
1. Call to Order
2. Public Comments
3. Approval of Minutes
a. April 17, 2024
4. “A Citizens Pledge to the Residents of Franklin”
a. Pledge document
b. Town Administrator/Superintendent of Schools Slideshow
5. FY25 Town Administrator Operating Budget Hearing:
FY25 Town Administrator Budget Materials website
a. General Government -
i. Departments: 111 Town Council, 123 Town Administrator, 131 Finance Committee, 135
Comptroller, 141 Assessors, 147 Treasurer-Collector, 151 Legal, 152 Human Resources,
155 Information Technology, 161 Town Clerk, 164 Elections & Registration, 171
Conservation Commission, 176 Appeals Board (ZBA), 177 Planning & Growth
Management, 184 Agricultural Commission, 192 Public Properties & Buildings, 196
Purchasing & Central Services.
b. Human Services -
i. Departments: 510 Board of Health, 535 Disability Commission, 541 Council on Aging,
543 Veterans Services, 535 Disability Commission.
c. Culture & Recreation -
i. Departments: 610 Library, 630 Recreation, 690 Historical Museum, 691 Historical
Commission, 693 Arts & Culture, 695 Cultural Council, 696 Cultural District Committee.
d. Debt & Interest -
i. Departments: 710 Debt Service - Principal, 750 Debt Service - Interest.
e. Employee Benefits:
i. Departments: 910 Retirement & Pension, 945 Risk Management (Liability Insurance).
6. Future Agenda Items
7. Adjourn
Exhibit 1 - April 26, 2024
An override pledge to the citizens of Franklin
This document shall be adhered to by the Franklin Town Council, Finance Committee, School Committee, and
municipal and school professional staff (“parties”) in the preparation and administration of the Town’s budgets in
Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) and subsequent years in an effort to maintain the level of services currently available to
residents in Franklin, including offering a competitive education program through the Franklin School
Department and to manage taxpayer investments in a fiscally prudent manner.
1. This document is intended to create a unified framework to present to the community for the purposes of
an operational override this Spring. It is intended to present to the public a unified strategy toward budget
management for the parties for the remainder of the decade. All parties recognize the shifting global
political and economic dynamics will require further audibles; however, at this time, all parties agree this
strategy presents the best outlook moving forward to begin to bring greater solvency to the operational
budget.
2. The Town will hold a special one-day election on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 for an operational override
ballot question in the amount of $6.8 million for the purposes of the general obligation costs for both
municipal and school operations.
3. Override funds will be made to last at least five fiscal years, from FY2026 through FY2030. If an
operational override is approved on June 11, 2024, the Town or Schools will not seek additional
operational overrides during the above stated period of time. Project specific “debt exclusions'' related to
town and school facilities projects will remain eligible for ballot iniatives.
4. The Town will not seek reimbursement of one-time monies reallocated to assist in balancing the FY25
budget with the passage of an override; however all parties are aware that $2 million in one-time revenues
also reflects a deeper structural budget deficit in FY26 with the use of one-time revenue sources.
5. If approved on June 11, 2024, the full operational override allotment would be raised and appropriated to
the following accounts for FY25:
a. Account 300 Franklin Public Schools in the amount of $6.3 million for contractual obligations,
special education, school transportation, health insurance costs and to assist in making up for lost
revenue from dissolving grants and federal revenues, as well as restore many services cut in FY23
and FY24.
b. Account 192 Expenses Facilities in the amount of $500,000 for increases to general town and
school facility operating expenses.
6. Beginning in FY26 and ending in FY30, the override amount will be applied to the general fund with the
following stipulations:
a. No less than 60% ($4.08 million) of the full operational override amount shall be allocated to the
School Department.
b. The remaining 40% ($2.720 million) of the full operational override amount shall be reserved for
discretionary spending to allow for flexibility in order to navigate the competing costs drivers in
town and will be subject to appropriation as a part of future deliberation during the annual budget
process. All parties recognize that the competition of future costs include, but are not limited to,
collective bargaining, recurring capital costs, debt and interest for the Remington-Jefferson and
Horace Mann projects, public infrastructure, employee health care and school operating accounts
that see annual increases over 5%, including but not limited to special education and technology,
as well as underfunded school and municipal departments.
c. The parties agree to improve strategy, communication and coordination relative to collective
bargaining, facilities management, policy decisions and other ways to create efficiencies to ensure
additional fiscal cliffs and escalation of costs are mitigated in FY26 and subsequent years.
d. With this general operational override, the parties pledge to begin to establish new expectations
on spending to ensure the Town is able to live within its means through the end of the decade.
7. The Franklin School Committee agrees to vote on recommendations towards a School Comprehensive
Plan on school consolidations and closures on May 14, 2024, which shall include closing the operations
of the Gerald D. Parmenter Elementary School effective July 1, 2025 to provide savings to the Municipal
and School budgets in FY26. The future use of the Parmenter site will be for the purposes of building a
new Police Station, as well as for future municipal and/or school purposes, including a potential new
school in the future. As the Police Station design project begins this year, the Town pledges to begin the
overall design and layout of the 20.5 acre parcel with those facility considerations in mind.
8. The Town and Schools agree to protect reserves as much as possible in an effort to shield the Town’s
AAA bond rating. If there is a budget deficit within these five years, the Schools agree to use surplus
revolving funds as a mechanism to patch any budget deficit prior to making a request for funds to be
expended from the Budget Stabilization Fund, which assists the Town in maintaining its AAA Bond
Rating.
9. The Town Council recognizes its responsibility to fund unfunded mandates and other capital
infrastructure in town. The Council will be required to raise water, trash and recycling and stormwater
rates this legislative session in order to fund the projects that are being required via regulatory
requirements from the state and federal governments, such as water and stormwater, or for inflation based
increases, such as trash and recycling.
10. This agreement will be reviewed by the parties if substantial changes are made to state funding, unfunded
mandates increase to a level of having a financial impact on the Town’s operating budget, or other
extraordinary or unforeseen events occur.
Signatories
Franklin Town Council
School Committee
Finance Committee
Town of Franklin
Override/Pledge Presentation
Town Council
May 1, 2024
Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator
Lucas Giguere, Superintendent of Schools
https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget
A One-Slide Override Proposal Specifics
● Three resolutions tonight:
○ A pledge to the citizens of Franklin on a framework for spending the funds.
○ Declaration of a Special Election June 11, 2024.
○ Sets a ballot question for an $6.8 million override for FY25.
● A $6.8 Million override based on the FY24 Tax Rate*
and home value is $552.82 annually. Assumptions
○ Actual bills will hit in January/April 2025.
○ Estimate bills go out in Summer/Fall 2024. ● $650,377 Avg. Single Family Value
○ December 2024 tax rate = Override + 2.5%
based on FY25 SFH. ● FY24 Tax Rate is $11.79
● FY25 Allotment Schedule: ● FY24 Current Avg Tax Bill $7,667
○ Account 300 FPS = $6,300,000
○ Account 192 PP&B = $500,000 ● Calculate Your Override here on DOR
Override Estimate Calculator
● FY26 through FY30 Allotment Schedule (60%/40%):
○ Account 300 FPS = $4,080,000 ● *FY25 tax will also include 2.5%
○ Various Municipal = $2,720,000
FY26 - Proposed “Pledge to the citizens of Franklin, #1
● Modeled off the Town of Norwood’s successful FY20 Override. Their materials were excellent.
○ Norwood 2020 Override Materials - Town of Norwood Archive.
○ Dozens of overrides in 2024 and 2025 could also show examples (Westford at $6.8 million; Acton at
$6.6 million, Millis at $1.4 million and many, many more).
● Town Administration initiated the document; collaborated with the School Administration.
● Helps spell out and give certainly to the voters on where, and on what, the funds will be spent.
● A Pledge is not a legal requirement. However…
○ Successful overrides have at least a framework, if not very detailed specifics, on spending the funds.
○ Without a spending allocation framework, all revenues resort to the General Fund in FY26.
○ If approved tonight, I anticipate two weeks of staff work to prepare a FAQ, Flyer, Website, and a
spreadsheet, account by account, of where the money is spent in FY25.
● If you expect a June 11th election, final decisions are required to be made tonight.
An override pledge to the citizens of Franklin, #2
1. Section 1. Franklin Town Council, Finance Committee, School Committee.
2. Section 2. Establishes a unified framework for all 3 boards to agree.
3. Section 3. Endorses the special one-day election on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 for an operational override ballot question in the
amount of $6.8 million for the purposes of the general obligation costs for both municipal and school operations.
a. Sets a compromise figure based on professional input, public feedback and statewide historical context.
b. What does this accomplish? A successful override in this amount will:
i. Rebuild the foundation of the school operational budget and to allow them to strategically plan for the future.
ii. Restores Public Property & Buildings (PPB) expense capacity after the last two years of dreaded high inflation.
c. The Town will pay for the election which is estimated at $30,000. How?
i. Cobble together small surplus accounts. It's a manageable number and we’ll do a year-end transfer on June 26th.
4. Section 4. Override funds will be made to last at least five fiscal years, from FY 2026 through FY 2030. Project specific “debt
exclusions'' related to town and school facilities projects will remain eligible for ballot initiatives.
a. EG - This provision seeks to provide assurance to residents on fixed incomes that the Town will not seek additional
overrides during this period.
5. Section 5. The Town will not seek reimbursement of one-time monies reallocated to assist in balancing the FY25 budget;
however all parties are aware that $2 million in one-time revenues also reflects a deeper structural budget deficit in FY26.
a. The savings from the closure of Parmenter and Kennedy in FY26 will cut HALF of the structural one-time revenue
deficit from Municipal Facilities costs savings; with additional significant economies of scale from the Schools,
will cut the ENTIRE structural deficit from one-time revenues in FY26!
Why $6.3 million for FPS in FY25?
Account 300 Franklin Public Schools will see a $6.3 million increase in the following areas:
SCHOOL DEPT HEALTH CARE EXP $623,000
TRANSPORTATION (YELLOW BUS) $107,240
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS $497,000
OUT OF DISTRICT TUITION $2,200,000
SPECIALIZED TRANSPORTATION $288,000
MAINTAIN STAFFING AT CURRENT LEVELS $2,100,000
K-5 CLASS SIZE $375,000
MIDDLE SCHOOL EXTRA-CURRICULAR PROGRAMS $110,000
Why $500,000 For PPB Expenses in FY25?
● Account 192 - Public Property & Buildings (PPB) or “Facilities”.
● Since the pandemic, this the hardest financial hit from inflation of any department.
● FY23 through FY25 has gone up $1 million in expense capacity for basic utilities:
○ water/sewer; gas; propane; electricity; fuel; plumbing, electrical and carpentry parts for repairs; labor and
contractors; stormwater, and so forth, etc.
● Many accounts have been cut or wiped out due to budget stress and request aims to restore those cuts.
● FY23 and FY24 saw Facilities expenses accounts run out of funds in April/May.
● We proposes the following expense accounts:
Account # Purpose Amount
523010 Water $100,000.00
524010 Building Maintenance $150,000.00
524030 Maintenance of Equipment $150,000.00
524090 Heating Service Repairs $50,000.00
524112 Fire system Maintenance $50,000.00
Recent Account 192 PPB Expense History
Fiscal Year Expense Amount Previous FY +/- Notes
FY20 July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020
$4,570,475 N/A March 2020 pandemic.
Actual
FY21 July 1, 2020-June 30,2021
$4,109,949 ($460,526) The pandemic hits.
Actual
FY22 July 1, 2021-June 30,2022
$4,426,236 $316,287 Not back to pre-pandemic levels
Actual
FY23 July 1, 2022-June 30,2023
$4,925,035 $498,799 Inflation hits.
Final
FY24 July 1, 2023-June 30,2024
$5,172,200 $247,165 Inflation continues
Appropriated
FY25 $5,384,040 $211,840 July 1, 2024-June 30,2025
Proposed Future Inflation?
An override pledge to the citizens of Franklin, #3
1. Section 6. Lays out the allocation of funds in FY26 through FY30:
a. 60% ($4.08 million) of the full operational override amount shall be allocated to the FPS (Account 300).
i. This is an 7% increase of the Account 300’s portion of the budget right now (53%)!
ii. A reminder, 53% is Account 300 - 15% are in Municipal accounts.
b. The remaining 40% ($2.720 million) of the full operational override amount shall be reserved for discretionary
spending to allow for flexibility in order to navigate the competing costs drivers in town and will be subject to
appropriation as a part of future deliberation during the annual budget process. All parties recognize that the
competition of future costs include, but are not limited to, collective bargaining, recurring capital costs, debt
and interest for the Remington-Jefferson and Horace Mann projects, public infrastructure, employee health
care and school operating accounts that see annual increases over 5%, including but not limited to special
education and technology, as well as underfunded school and municipal departments.
i. THESE ARE LARGELY SCHOOL COSTS!!!
ii. The cost of service is not necessarily embedded in Account 300!
c. The parties agree to improve strategy, communication and coordination relative to collective bargaining, facilities
management, policy decisions and other ways to create efficiencies to ensure additional fiscal cliffs and escalation
of costs are mitigated in FY26 and subsequent years.
Why 40%?
● Reminder: There is $20.6 million of schools related costs in the municipal side of the budget.
○ This number can fluctuate a great deal each year - most common range is $18-$22 million a year.
● If an override is to pass, a unified community is preferred. When the impression is one dept gets the entire pie, trust and
support dissolves and will jeopardize the passage of an override.
● FY26 Expects to see some major school related costs in the municipal budget accounts.
● Of the 40% discretionary, the schools will likely see a good share of it in the form of municipal accounts, examples given:
○ Facilities PPB $500,000 in FY25
○ Debt & Interest (A $10 million borrow for Remington-Jefferson Remodel and Horace Mann Roof)
○ Public Works costs for school/town property maintenance, fleet maintenance, fuel and much more
○ Operating budget costs that see unforeseen cost spikes.
○ Employee health care affects both the town and school budgets
■ The Town negotiates employee health care through and IAC which includes FEA.
○ Potentially, collective bargaining
■ FY26 sees new contracts for the teachers, police patrol, police sergeants, public works, maintenance
and trades, custodians and librarians.
■ COLA Equity and Coordination will be an important policy decision to ensure avoiding future budget deficits.
● These accounts, and many more, have seen increases well over 2.5%, often times due to trends in the Schools.
Example Model Given: An Estimated Breakdown of the 40%
Account Department Notes Amount
192 PPB (Facilities) Expense Budget (like FY25) $500,000
Estimated Debt & Interest for Remington-Jefferson
710 &750 Debt & Interest $1,250,000
Remodel and Horace Mann Roof)
422 Public Works Expense Budget $250,000
Various
Various Collective Bargaining (safety net) $360,000
Personnel
Reoccurring School/Town Capital (Police, Fire,
Various Various $360,000
Schools and Technology)
TOTAL: $2,720,000
but are not limited to employee health care and school operating
accounts that see annual increases over 5%, including but not
limited to special education and technology, as well as
underfunded school and municipal departments.
An override pledge to the citizens of Franklin, #4
1. Section 7. The Franklin School Committee agrees to vote on the School Comprehensive Plan May 14, 2024, and
close the Gerald D. Parmenter Elementary School effective July 1, 2025. The future use of the Parmenter site will be
for the purposes of building a new Police Station, as well as for future municipal and/or school purposes, including a
potential new school in the future.
a. Why is this section important?
i. Saves millions for land for the police station, plus interest on borrowing.
ii. Delineates the area for a potential new Middle or Elementary School in 2030, if needed, of another
municipal or school use.
b. Perfect timing as Police Station OPM is being hired next month and they can get to work.
2. Section 8. The Town and Schools agree to have a unified goal of protecting the Town’s AAA Bond Rating
a. A way to jointly save operating budget capacity (a piece of the pie) from higher interest costs.
3. Section 9. Commits to the required utility increases in water, trash removal and stormwater.
4. Section 10. This agreement will be reviewed by the parties if substantial changes are made to state funding, unfunded
mandates increase to a level of having a financial impact on the Town’s operating budget, or other extraordinary or
unforeseen events occur.
School Comprehensive Facilities Plan
● I offer my ecstatic and enthusiastic support!
● The redistricting should not be a complete shock.
○ There has been $119,000 spent on studies over the past five years; $28,000 was federal ARPA.
○ Public discussions on school facilities and declining enrollment have gone on for over a decade.
○ The last five years have had extensive community engagement; began in 2019 w/ a comprehensive study 2020.
○ School certainty: parents for the next decade, if not longer, will know where their children will go to school and
will streamlines expenses and create economies of scale.
● Enormous respect an kudos to Chair Callaghan, the current School Committee, Lucas, Tina, Bob Dutch, Mike
D’Angelo and to the entire school staff for their leadership on this issue!
● Combined, financially: This multi-pronged, holistic approach is exactly what many have advocated for!
○ People seeking “bold” change and action? This is your moment to shine!
What actions do we need to do as a community, right now?!
● May 1, 2024 - Town Council approval of the three resolutions:
○ An override pledge to the citizens of Franklin.
○ Set the special election for June 11.
○ Set the ballot question at $6.8 million.
○ Staff will need time to get educational materials together.. Hopefully 1-2 weeks.
○ The community can begin its debate - 41 days from tonight.
● May 6, 8, 15 - Watch the Finance Committee Hearings on May 6 for General Government; May 8 Public Safety, DPW, Inspections;
May 15 Public Education.
● May 14, 2024 - School Committee - Vote on a recommendation of the School Comprehensive Facilities Plan.
● May 22, 23 - Watch the Town Council hearings. Approval of the Town Administrator FY25 budget and numerous subsequent required
budgetary legislation for action.
○ EG - municipal revolving funds, one-time revenue appropriations (free cash/mecc stab.), town clerk salary; community
preservation; borrowing authorization for remington-jefferson/horace mann; borrowing house cleaning; new stabilization
accounts for snow and ice and property acquisition; and several more…
● June 11, 2024 - Special election on a $6.8 million override.
● June 26, 2024 - Town Council reconsider the FY25 budget based on override results.
● Summer/Fall 2024 - Town and School Administrations will begin to collaborate on FY26 forecasts, much more specifics.
○ 2025-26 - Establish a School Building Committee to build community capacity for a future MSBA process.
Why is this so important?
● A once-in-a-lifetime, generational, historic opportunity to enact a set of policy decisions that rebuilds the entire
foundation of the Franklin Public School budget and, thus, the entire town budget!
● The professional staff have done their job: we’ve teed up final decisions for the Town Council and School Committee to
take bold action to unify the community with a balanced override proposal that affects every single public service.
● The Town and School leadership shows an unprecedented level of collaboration, compromise and opportunity for
millions in structural savings to the taxpayer.
● The time has come to let the citizens speak on an override!
○ This has been a decade-plus of public debate on the policy issues before the community.
■ Susan Rohback (“We should have been doing smaller overrides for many years”); and
■ Camille Bernstein (“We always heard we don’t do overrides in Franklin”)
■ These (paraphrased) comments and narratives are accurate!
○ The School Committee last requested an override in 2010.
○ The community began the override conversation and the school facilities analysis in 2019.
● The costs of inaction are reeling their ugly head. If we continue to delay these decisions, the financial
projections will continue to darken. The community waited for the edge of the cliff; we’re now looking over…
Closing thoughts
● Public Feedback:
○ I truly respect and appreciate everyone's emails, ideas, thoughts, comments, feedback, letters,
stopping in my office, or just giving me feedback when I am out and about through the community.
○ I fully respect everyone’s reaction to such a large amount of change.
○ Not everyone will be happy. I am truly very sorry for this, but this is what it takes to create a solvent
and sustainable budget the Franklin School budget for the short and long term future.
● Please thank your volunteers!
○ The public has to remember the Town Council, School Committee and Fin Comm are volunteers!
○ Overrides and school closures are the HARDEST and most EMOTIONAL policy decisions local
officials have to make!
○ Please thank all of them for their leadership when making really hard community decisions.
END
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