City of Franklin Mayor Ken Moore gave is fourth State of the City presentation at Liberty Hall in The Factory on Wednesday morning.
The theme for this speech was “Doing More with Less and Stretching the Tax-Payer Dollar.”
Mayor Moore highlighted several accomplishments in the community, touching on the fact that the city was named “Best Southern Town” by Garden and Gun magazine but also the fact that Franklin has become one of the safest communities in Tennessee. The Police Department is accredited with an all-time low in crime, a drop in 4.6 percent.
“Franklin has continued to be a destination for people and families to live,” he said. “And as a community that is recognized for it’s quality of life and also a destination for jobs. It has been a busy year.”
The major construction projects – largely roadwork on Mack Hatcher – were a big-ticket item of accomplishments as Mayor Moore declared all lanes were finally completed. He also listed several other completed projects (Hillsboro Road Phase 1, McEwen temporary connector, 3rd Avenue North extension, turn lane extension on Carothers) and ones on the horizon including a new fire station in West Haven.
“Probably the most difficult thing this morning, in the last 28 years, our buying power has become diminished,” said Mayor Moore. “We have become dependent on sales tax. With the current budget, we now depend on 51% of our revenue coming from sales tax.”
Other areas for accomplishment were the new recycling and water programs that so far are saving millions of dollars and will have a lasting impact for years to come. Mayor Moore was also joined by the new Franklin Recycling mascot Buddy Blug Bag to teach the importance of recycling to children across Williamson County.
“Our street repaving program has not been able to keep pace because of the economic downturn. Our target goal of resurfacing streets every 12 years has turned into every 22 years. We have a long list of potential projects, which gain importance every year.”
Mayor Moore touched on the proposed tax rate increase by three cents to fund much needed infrastructure projects. He made it clear there would be no draw from the general fund and a 2% raise for workers.
Overall, the city of Franklin is largely successful and citizens are overwhelmingly “happy.” To prove his point, Mayor Moore closed the speech with a video of him lip-syncing and dancing to the hit summer song “Happy” by Pharell, donning the trademark Canadian Ranger hat and all, while scores of locals danced, celebrating the city and their community.
