Franklin’s Budget Applauded by BOMA Audience

Following its presentation, Franklin’s budget for 2015-2016 heard applause from the members of the community that had gathered for the regular meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Tuesday night.

Eric Stuckey, Franklin’s City Administrator, presented the budget in a powerpoint presentation, highlighting various ways that Franklin will spend its money over the next fiscal year. This was the second of three readings by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, which passed unanimously.

Check out our full run down of Franklin’s proposed 2015-16 budget.

Spending Highlights of the Proposed 2015-16 Budget:

  1. Public safety accounts for almost half of expenses. The police department will purchase body cameras for 110 police officers and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) will be replaced throughout the Fire Department, plus the police department and city court will implement an electronic ticketing system to streamline the ticketing process.
  2. Establishment of Carter Hill Battlefield Park and staff.
  3. New jobs in parks, building and neighborhood services, police and stormwater.
  4. Salary increase of 2% effective July 3, 2015, for city employees, plus $125,000 for funding of the merit pay program.
  5. Street banner production machine
  6. Addition of a dump truck to add to winter weather response capability

  7. Additional self‐contained leaf vacuum unit and street sweeper unit
  8. A fire station in Westhaven will open this fiscal year. The budget includes the first full year of funding for 12 new firefighter positions. Operational expenses for interim Fire Station 7 are also included in the budget.
  9. Establishment of a full-time tree maintenance crew.
  10. Bicentennial Park pavilion redevelopment.
  11. The City property tax remains unchanged at $0.4065 per $100 of assessed valuation. Three cents of this rate is earmarked for additional neighborhood street surfacing and capital investment project funding.
  12. The City property tax remains unchanged at $0.4065 per $100 of assessed valuation. Three cents of this rate is earmarked for additional neighborhood street surfacing and capital investment project funding.
  13. Implementation of the “One Stop” development center, including additional staff for Building and Neighborhood Service staff (Plans Examiner).
  14. Completion of comprehensive transportation plan, land use plan update, and parks master plan.

At the work session on Tuesday night, there was disapproval from Ald. Burgur and the vice mayor for Ald. Pearl Bransford’s request for $250,000 to be added to the housing reserve fund for working class affordable housing.

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