Franklin commission approves sidewalk bid, body‑camera contract and other measures; rescinds Railroad Street one‑way

The Franklin City Commission on an unspecified February date approved a series of administrative and policy actions including a $54,584.96 award for the William Hall sidewalk, a five‑year contract for body‑worn camera services, updates to police department policies, an appointment to the city’s code enforcement board, and two ordinance updates. The commission also unanimously rescinded a prior decision to make Railroad Street one way and approved a hiring action from executive session.

The measures, taken largely by recorded roll call votes, included a mix of procurement, personnel, ordinance readings and an intergovernmental resolution. The commission approved the sidewalk bid after staff reported they received no bids at the initial public bid opening and solicited an alternate proposal. Commissioners voted to enter a multi‑year agreement with Axon for cameras and cloud storage, and approved policy updates recommended by the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council. The body also appointed Steve Aiken to fill an unexpired term on the Franklin‑Simpson Code Enforcement Board and adopted summary readings of two ordinances to supplement the city code and revise zoning regulations.

Why it matters: the actions change city operations and spending, affect public safety equipment and data handling, and alter local rules for land use and code enforcement. The rescission on Railroad Street reverses a prior directional change that staff said had generated resident concerns about traffic patterns on several east‑side streets.

Key outcomes (roll calls and tallies as recorded in the meeting): - Approval of minutes of Jan. 13, 2025 — motion carried unanimously. - Award of bid for William Hall sidewalk to an alternate bidder (listed in the packet as "Gap Studio LLC") for $54,584.96 — motion carried (Commissioner Bush recorded a dissenting "No"). - Appointment of Steve Aiken to the Franklin‑Simpson Code Enforcement Board to fill the unexpired term ending 12/31/2027 — motion carried unanimously (mover: Commissioner Stewart; second: Commissioner Powell). - Second/summary readings and adoption of Ordinance 2025003 (supplement to the code of ordinances) and Ordinance 2025004 (amended zoning regulations as recommended by the Franklin‑Simpson Planning & Zoning Commission) — both passed unanimously. - Rescind motion authorizing Railroad Street as one‑way — motion to rescind carried unanimously (mover: Commissioner McQueary; second: Commissioner Powell). - Police policy revisions (Section 1, Chapter 4; Section 2, Chapter 5) adopted to reflect KLEC recommendations, including new educational requirements for promotion and clarified escort language — motion carried unanimously. - Purchase/contract for body‑worn cameras and cloud storage with Axon (five‑year program, device replacement at 2.5 years, online storage included) — motion carried unanimously. - Hiring authorized from executive session: Lacey Bunnell (staff accountant, Finance Department) — motion carried. - Resolution opposing proposed state legislation to centralize payroll/occupational fee collection and authorization for the mayor to send signed copies to local state representatives — motion carried unanimously.

Several items (including the sidewalk award and the Railroad Street item) prompted substantive discussion from commissioners and staff before votes. Staff told the commission the sidewalk project received no bids at public opening and the alternate proposal will coordinate timing with a pavilion project. On Railroad Street, multiple commissioners and staff described resident concerns and emergency‑response input; after additional discussion the commission voted to rescind the prior one‑way designation. City staff noted the body‑camera procurement moves storage from an in‑house Citrix arrangement to a hosted solution with the vendor, and that staff expect data migration from the existing system to new storage.

The city clerk recorded roll calls for each vote. Motions and seconding commissioners were stated on the record when available; where the transcript did not clearly name a mover, the journal lists “not specified.”