City leaders hear update showing Franklin City Hall project tracking higher on contingency amid tariff uncertainty

City of Franklin staff told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen at a June 2025 work session that the new City Hall project remains on schedule for mid‑2027 but that the current cost estimate had increased to a range of about $103.9 million to $112 million after the team added tariff and contingency allowances.

The update, presented to the board during the work session, said demolition is complete, excavation and shoring were beginning, and the project was roughly 20–25% complete on construction activities. Project staff said they have added a named “tariff contingency” and other allowances that together total roughly $14 million within the headline estimate.

Why it matters: the board has approved a multi‑year program for a three‑story municipal building plus an expanded plaza and park; changes in global material costs and lengthy lead times for major equipment can affect both the schedule and the amount of city funds needed to reach the board’s building program.

City project staff described the estimate change as largely driven by uncertainty around new and fluctuating tariffs and longer supplier lead times. “There’s a tariff contingency within these numbers,” the project presenter told aldermen, adding…