At the City of Franklin Common Council meeting on November 17, 2015, the Common Council denied the Franklin Senior Travel program's request for additional money for bus transportation. At an earlier common council meeting, the council encouraged the volunteers to request more money for the buses in the 2016 budget.
In early 2000 Alderman Basil Ryan asked Shirley Bird if she would run the Franklin Senior Travel Program. She agreed and has been running the program ever since with the same budget as she received in early 2000, even though the cost of transportation has risen. The program has cut back on the number of trips due to the costs.
The City of Franklin pays for the bus transportation, and the seniors who attend pay their own way for the trip. These trips have covered all of Wisconsin and northern Illionois and have been successful. The program has grown year to year, even though its funds remain the same and trips had be cut back.
But Franklin politics have infested themselves in the Franklin Senior Travel Program. The same program Shirley Bird made successful. The same program many Franklin seniors look forward to and enjoy.
Watch for the audio post of the November 17 meeting coming soon.