FM #1009 - Franklin (MA) Town Council Mtg - 06/07/23

This session of the radio show shares the Town Council meeting held in Council Chambers on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. All 9 members of the Council were present in the Council Chambers.

Quick recap:

Recognition

• Electric Youth 2023 were recognized with a proclamation and provided  song for the Council (and audience). They have a pair of 'Bob Voyage' concerts June 16 & 17 at THE BLACK BOX and then leave on their European tour the week after

Appointments

• The Annual Reappointments of Boards and Committees was approved, there are a few positions still open, some are in process of being filled, some are still looking for candidates
• Davis-Thayer Building Reuse Advisory Committee recommendations by year end

Public hearings

• License corporate formalities
• Zoning Bylaw for Accessory Dwelling units
• The set of zoning bylaws was moved to a second reading with modification to one of the three measures in the set of three. There are three as one covers the bylaw language, one covers the definition, and one covers the use table. The use table received the modification to revert the language to what originated from the EDC Plus committee. 
• The Town Council in their actions during the April 12, 2023 meeting modified the use table to expand coverage for 'by right' for additional residential zones. The Planning Board did not like the expansion and in turn recommended the 'original' language over the modified. The Town Council after some discussion agreed to the original language and moved that to second reading

Pair of resolutions to adjust the FY 2024 Budget to provide an additional $736K to the schools

• Resolution 23-39: FY2024 Budget Adjustment 
• Resolution 23-40: MECC Stabilization Account Transfer to MECC Appropriation FY24 
• Folks may recall that at the end of the Finance Committee budget hearings and repeated at the end of the Town Council budget hearings, Town Administrator laid out the plan for providing additional funding for the school budget. The MA Senate passed their version of the State FY 2024 which set into play this "plan b" earlier than Jamie had outlined. The two resolutions passed unanimously. The additional funds restore 8 of the 30 positions targeted to balance the budget. Of the 22 that remain to be cut, some number (I recall it was 16) were going to be cut anyway as the result of declining enrollment. Stay tuned for the School Committee meeting scheduled for June 13 where they will approve the 'final' budget and confirm the number affected
• Interesting to note that while most if not all of the Town departments that gave up the funds to enable this transfer were present, only Dave McNeill, the School Committee Budget Subcmte Chair spoke to acknowledge the transfer to increase the school budget and express appreciation for this action. If other members of the School Committee were present virtually, they remained quiet. (They were not in the Council Chambers.) 

The recording runs about 3 hours and 15 minutes. Let’s listen to the Town Council meeting on June 7, 2023. 

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Franklin TV video link ->  https://www.youtube.com/live/eejInS90WgM?feature=share

Council agenda and documents released for the meeting ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_-_june_7_2023.pdf 

My notes in this ThreadReader PDF -> 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hc2egjV3zKOqJmIziMKApdR4z24gNMya/view?usp=drive_link 

Photos from the meeting -> https://photos.app.goo.gl/KnXuTmSfcwAEXFxe6

The FY 2024 budget document folder ->

https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy-24-budget-materials 

The Franklin TV video replay for    https://www.youtube.com/live/eejInS90WgM?feature=share

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The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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