[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6279420,"mediaKeyId","2623519-0fedde66c27cd39d95d160f71d4bb487","parentId",2623519,"title","Franklin council approves utility-bill extension ordinance, concurs with Mercy Health bond issuance and schedules town hall; council agrees to request school‑-","audioSeconds",3524,"startMs",3422000,"endMs",6946000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2623519-0fedde66c27cd39d95d160f71d4bb487&start=3422&end=6946","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2623519-0fedde66c27cd39d95d160f71d4bb487/thumbnail_3422000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6279420/Franklin-City/Franklin-County/Virginia/Franklin-council-approves-utility-bill-extension-ordinance-concurs-with-Mercy-Health-bond-issuance-and-schedules-town-hall-council-agrees-to-request-school","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6279420-92be17b283a1aee7d8594cce97bcb776/orig.mp4?Expires=1771139607&Signature=H54I3lSlz-t2lnq464WzSUdx12JhzqEMKXcRxUgU-QuqLjj1Mu4AwSurhjqeZFtwy8J5kYVsuxpH9D4bXOspNiQKHzjbGlvRvOder9Jkd46UyPK6h0CpBDX~Ex3rzzArK7aydkFBYk3qnsl8tXk3YX66sxotHIfEFD8HtUqjMxk6cXg-MKAYtbewWsnmaqXxkQp5iQbZff4r-WHsYys1IcJzNzcN9n5H-VrG-uMNT6AfAarI3fSPqnMffZqk7ELVXFGHL7s8lUF2uGZHIagMLb8dh0uI0BMnFb9xkTC-Ts43hCCTgEBOLtNRXBZ6CZw1if3QH0Z3DnEwYR9oyXbQ9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Franklin, VA","date","2025-03-10T00:00:00Z","article","The Franklin City Council on March 10 approved several administrative items and took two council-originated actions addressing the local school-board controversy.

Utility-bill extensions: Council approved an ordinance amending city code chapters related to electric, garbage and water/sewer utilities to permit the city manager to declare a temporary, citywide extension of utility-bill due dates when billing problems affect all customers. City staff said the change is meant for systemwide problems, not individual hardship cases. The motion to approve passed by voice vote.

Mercy Health/Bon Secours bond concurrence: The council adopted a resolution concurring with an inducement resolution by the Henrico County Economic Development Authority for a conduit revenue bond issuance for Bon Secours (Mercy Health), with up to $15 million allocated to Southampton Medical Center. Britney Simmons, bond counsel with Dinsmore, told council the bonds would be conduit revenue bonds secured by the nonprofit and would not be an obligation of Franklin. John Haines, market CFO for Bon Secours Hampton Roads, said Southampton employs about 260 people and the facility sees roughly 35,000 patient visits annually; he described projects completed and planned, including OR HVAC work, monitoring and nurse-call upgrades and other infrastructure repairs. The council’s concurrence “does not obligate the city of Franklin to anything,” the city manager said. The resolution passed.

Donation acceptance: The council accepted a $3,000 donation from Bronco Federal Credit Union to support three events — Springfest, Juneteenth and Independence Day fireworks — with $1,000 allocated to each event. The resolution was approved by voice vote.

School-board letter and chair request: During council comments, Councilmember Miss Kitchen moved that the council send a letter to the School Board requesting that School Board Chair Robert Holt step down from the chairmanship. She asked that the mayor and any council members who agree sign the letter. Legal staff advised the council that a letter is a permissible request from the council but that removal authority would rest with the appropriate appointing or legal process. The council voted on the motion to send a signed letter; members recorded votes and the motion carried. The action is a formal request from the council and does not itself remove any board member.

Town hall meeting scheduled: Council members debated holding public town-hall meetings and then voted to schedule a citywide town hall for March 31. The council set the meeting to begin with the city manager’s budget presentation at 6:30 p.m., followed by town-hall discussion; location was to be confirmed, with the workforce development center suggested. The motion included instructions to provide adequate recording/technical support for the budget presentation. The motion passed.

Procedure and closed sessions: Council convened and certified two closed sessions during the evening for candidate interviews and prospective employment matters under Virginia FOIA closed-session provisions; each closed session was followed by the required public certification roll call.

Ending: The council’s votes on code amendments, the bond concurrence and the donation were approved by voice; council members recorded votes on the letter requesting the school-board chair step down and on the town-hall scheduling. City staff will follow up with supporting documentation (debt totals, bond details and the treasurer’s charge-off list) at later meetings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Franklin 03-10-2025 CC Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Franklin City Council on March 10 approved code changes allowing the city manager to declare citywide utility-bill extensions, concurred with a Bon Secours bond issuance for Southampton Medical Center of up to $15 million and scheduled a March 31 town hall after voting to request the school-board chair step down.","taxTitle","Franklin City, Franklin County, Virginia","taxId",59822,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6279425,"Franklin treasurer reports $496,120 in delinquent taxes, outlines collection tools and $15 million invested",2407,179000,2586000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2623519-0fedde66c27cd39d95d160f71d4bb487&start=179&end=2586","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2623519-0fedde66c27cd39d95d160f71d4bb487/thumbnail_179000.jpg","/articles/6279425/Franklin-City/Franklin-County/Virginia/Franklin-treasurer-reports-496120-in-delinquent-taxes-outlines-collection-tools-and-15-million-invested","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6279425-7838575f90525d83d1b4b0d3eb167a9c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771139607&Signature=YsCrZcG9iphINtMHrYQhcyFEI5t3odaQI-VhM~pErFewIredluVpPT5H7BPeqNa7LHIGFhzxJHf-MIDRzep3UQF8~rzSHQgG8JrHXgIbLm9wkRYgxO5v9DUtMurWD5TdEoXEj30QS7eppdMLTTE~NgxgJRK9~~oj10drDBF791DTn5fe~S5rhaM0n8FFr68Ti4LF7bSrnWeDSdVihKYde69dxOKmStfi6XTWMbYkeYQ~tb48S9JjfoGWxdnZeWTpEt1F4BOvil2K~gBTAR7SOl4e7nQZgkGjsDPbFSKCS9Dseh9REyBLpVLvfvA6MKwyytjXVJuff55w9h6QWvuSUQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Miss Babb, Franklin city treasurer, told the Franklin City Council at its March 10 work session that the city had $496,120.50 in delinquent taxes as of Dec. 31, 2024, covering tax year 2022 and earlier.

The treasurer said the total reflects a reduction from a prior delinquency balance because some taxpayers paid their accounts: “This is money that’s been paid in,” she said. She gave a line-item breakdown: $119,037.57 in delinquent real estate (62 properties), $344,660.20 in delinquent personal property (tax years 2017–2022), $6,685 in delinquent business-license fees and about $25,737.24 in delinquent meals taxes. She said the city’s cumulative collection rate for the most recent real-estate tax year was 99.76 percent and 97.31 percent for personal property.

The report explained the treasurer’s regular collection tools: payment plans, wage liens through the Virginia Employment Commission, garnishments, DMV holds that prevent registration or license renewal, debt set-off against state refunds and, as a last resort, referral to a tax attorney and possible tax sale. The treasurer said she currently has about eight accounts under wage liens and about 10 on payment plans and that she turned roughly 18 properties to the city’s tax attorney for further collection work.

Miss Babb also discussed required charge-offs under state law. She said the city will follow state limitations to remove accounts that are beyond the statute of limitations and that she will present a list to council later; she cited specific code references during the presentation.

On investments, Miss Babb said she and the finance director have placed what she described as idle or short-term funds into the Virginia investment pool for immediate-access investments. “Right now I have about $15,000,000 of idled money,” she said, and later answered a council question that the investments have returned “a little over $600,000” since they began. She told the council the pool is liquid — funds can be moved by 2 p.m. and appear in the city account by 5 p.m. the same day — and reported a current yield of about 4.49 percent.

Council members pressed on the trade-offs between investing short-term cash and using funds to pay down outstanding debt. Councilman Macklemore said he was concerned that keeping $15 million invested while the city carries debt could cost more in interest than it earns; Miss Babb and City Manager Ms. Oglesby responded that the investments are intended to preserve cash flow for upcoming known payments (for example, semiannual jail payments) and that some borrowed funds are earmarked for projects that are not yet ready to spend.

Miss Babb highlighted other collection results: $268,877 recovered through debt set-off, 125 garnishments placed, and $37,718.90 received from the clerk of court from prior tax sale surplus funds. She also noted the treasurer’s office retained accreditation requirements and received a 2024 Commonwealth Award from the Treasurer’s Association of Virginia.

The treasurer closed by noting she will return with the formal list of required charge-offs and with details as part of routine financial housekeeping. City staff and council members asked follow-up questions during the presentation; no formal council action on the report itself was recorded.

Ending: The treasurer said the figures covered Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2024, and thanked her staff. Council members asked for more detail on city debt and investment balances; the city manager said she would provide a full debt amount to the council after the meeting.","At a March 10 Franklin City Council work session, City Treasurer Miss Babb reported $496,120 in delinquent tax balances as of Dec. 31, 2024, described collection practices and said about $15 million in city funds were placed in short-term investments that have earned “a little over $600,000.”","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Franklin council approves utility-bill extension ordinance, concurs with Mercy Health bond issuance and schedules town hall; council agrees to request school‑​-

Franklin treasurer reports $496,120 in delinquent taxes, outlines collection tools and $15 million invested

Franklin council approves utility-bill extension ordinance, concurs with Mercy Health bond issuance and schedules town hall; council agrees to request school‑-