Franklin city staff pitches 32¢ tax option to fund Invest Franklin 2, public safety hires and parks

City Administrator Eric Stuckey presented the Board of Mayor and Aldermen with a proposed fiscal 2026 budget that includes an ordinance for two property‑tax options and a planned increase in the hotel occupancy tax.

Stuckey told the board the all‑funds budget totals $243,300,000 and the general fund proposal is $128,100,000. He said the city’s recent county reappraisal increased the assessed base from $7,600,000,000 to $10,750,000,000 and that the reappraisal reduced the current rate from 32.61¢ to an adjusted equalized base of about 23.1¢ per $100 of assessed value.

Why it matters: Stuckey presented a proposed 32¢ rate that would: preserve existing operations (the 23.1¢ equalized base), dedicate 6.8¢ to a new Invest Franklin 2 capital component (including the Mack Hatcher Southeast widening), and direct roughly 2¢ toward operations and staffing. He said the Invest Franklin 2 component would provide roughly $100 million of 20‑year debt capacity as a baseline for capital partnerships and leverage. Stuckey said, “Invest Franklin 2 dedicates property tax capacity for critical, infrastructure needs and…