The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
By Mayor Phil Kramer.
I read Mr. Bill Connell’s letter to the editor on March 19, 2025 regarding the Open Space budget. Before I begin, full disclosure—Billy and I are friends. That doesn’t stop him from holding my feet to the fire when he thinks it’s important, as it should be. Readers should also know that beyond his role as recording secretary for the Open Space Advisory Committee, he has dedicated countless hours over many years to building sets for plays at Franklin Middle School – SGS Campus—a testament to his commitment to our community.
Likewise, the Open Space Committee is made up of intelligent, dedicated individuals who care deeply about our town. Their thoughtful questions have educated me on issues I might not have otherwise considered, and I sincerely appreciate their service.
That said, there is a history of Committee members expressing reluctance to using Open Space funds to compensate Department of Public Works employees for their work on Open Space projects. My remarks on March 18th were made in anticipation of that concern.
The point I was making is this: Property owners already pay a dedicated tax for Farmland Preservation, Recreation, Open Space, and Historic Preservation—what I’ve begun calling the FROSH tax. This tax is set at $0.05 per $100 of assessed property value. This was decided by voter referendum. For 2025, with the average home valued at $555,485 (my calculation, not official), on average homeowners are already contributing $277.74 annually. If we don’t use the FROSH tax for these expenses, we would have to raise general municipal taxes instead. Asking taxpayers to pay twice isn’t fair. When we were passing budgets with 0 percent to 1 percent increases, this wasn’t as pressing. But with inflation straining both household and municipal budgets—especially due to rising health insurance costs—it would be irresponsible for the Council not to use the funds already available.
To Mr. Connell and the rest of the Open Space Committee—keep asking the tough questions. It keeps me humble. I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.
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