ORANGE — Rolling hills covered by miles of lush trees lead into this town of just over 7,000 residents, until you land at its center, marked by a vacant cluster of mills.
The Franklin County community has been financially struggling for decades, according to town overseers, largely because of what they deem neglect by Boston officials and a large population of special needs children who live there, requiring more education dollars than they receive. In its most recent budget deliberations, the town was facing a $2 million shortfall.
