Franklin Proposes Slight Budget Bump in 2017-18

Franklin City Administrator Eric Stuckey announced Tuesday Franklin’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2017-2018. The budget for all funds is $145,221,130, a 1.5% increase over the current budget.

The proposed general fund budget is $68,942,027, which represents an increase of 1.2% compared to the current $68.1 million budget.This budget increase is primarily due to cost increases in personnel expenses and the funding of expanded services in the areas of public safety, parks, and streets, all of which are significantly impacted by growth.

“Franklin’s growth and the investment in our community is certainly positive, but it does place significant challenges before us,” said Stuckey.  “Last year, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen moved decisively to put Invest Franklin in place, which dedicated $0.10 of property tax to growth-related infrastructure/transportation investments and to meet increasing demands for core city services. Over the past year, the Board has identified a first tier of Invest Franklin projects including McEwen improvements between Cool Springs and Wilson Pike; Franklin Road improvements between downtown and Harlinsdale; completion of the second phase of Hillsboro Road improvements (currently under construction); construction of sidewalks to better connect neighborhoods throughout the community; development of a large community park along Carothers South in southeast Franklin; construction of Fire Station 7 in southeast Franklin; and Franklin’s share of the development of the county-wide public safety radio system. In addition to Franklin’s initiatives, the State of Tennessee recently made an adjustment in its transportation funding formula for the first time since the 1980s.  This funding will bring much-needed investment in state roadways to meet the demands of growth, addressing a backlog of over $6 billion of approved state projects.”

 Highlights of the Proposed 2017-18 Budget

  • The budget is balanced, with current revenues equaling expenditures.
  • The budget is in compliance with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s debt and fund reserve policies, significantly exceeding the reserve requirements.
  • The City property tax remains unchanged at $0.4176 per $100 of assessed valuation.  The Invest Franklin dedicated funding for infrastructure/transportation investment and support of City operations remains in place.  The City of Franklin continues to maintain one of the lowest municipal property tax rates in the State of Tennessee.
  • Overall, the proposed budget has a net increase of 8.5 positions across all funds, 5.5 of which are included in the general fund. This targeted group of new positions are in areas such as Parks, Fire, Engineering, Streets, Water Management, and Stormwater, all of which have been impacted by growth.
  • The general pay increase for City team members will be effective the first pay period of July 2017. The proposed budget includes a general pay increase of 2.5% plus an additional performance-based pay increase of up to an additional 2.5%.
  • The city’s compensation plan will have a complete review. This analysis, initiated in FY17, recommends an overall 4% adjustment to all pay grades (following the annual pay adjustments) which has been included in the FY18 budget.  There will also be a department-by-department review of positions to ensure the City’s compensation plan remains highly competitive.
  • Funding is provided for important investments in equipment replacements of $3.9 million, technology enhancements of $230,000, and facility improvements of $350,000.
  • A rate increase is proposed for residential garbage collection and recycling service. The proposed increase from $16.50 per month to $17.50 per month is the first increase of the residential service fee in four years.
  • The proposed budget incorporates performance measures and sustainability initiatives for every department. The connection to the Strategic Plan, FranklinForward, is clearly linked to performance measures and objectives throughout the budget, including insights from the recently completed citizen survey.

The Board of Mayor and Alderman will vote on the budget in June.

The complete proposed budget can be found on the City Web site at www.franklintn.gov .