Franklin City Council approves sewer bond authorization and Community Crossings spending; introduces opioid, staffing and drug-fund ordinances

The Franklin City Council on April 7 voted to authorize issuance of Sewer Works revenue bonds and to approve spending the state's portion of a Community Crossings Grant, and it introduced three additional budgetary measures, including use of unrestricted opioid funds to pay for updated law-enforcement policy manuals.

City Attorney Lynn Gray told the council the sewer ordinance “allows us to go forward and seek the bonds necessary to do the improvements that the sewer money will then pay for,” and she emphasized the change does not alter current sewer rates.

The council also approved a budgetary ordinance to spend the state's portion of the Community Crossings Grant 2024 part 2. Clerk Treasurer Jan Jones said the state award was $609,482.95 and that the city will match that amount, creating a project total of $1,218,965.95.

Why it matters: the bond authorization clears the way for Franklin to issue debt to finance sewer-plant improvements; council records show the ordinance incorporates two prior ordinances that set sewer rates and adjusted the unmetered-user rate. Spending the Community Crossings grant directs…