Fair commissioners press for staff-cost review after years of deficits

Franklin City Fair Commission members on Wednesday discussed rising personnel and sanitation costs tied to the Saint Martin's Labor Day Fair and asked department leaders for data to justify ongoing staffing levels.

Commissioners and staff framed the discussion as an effort to reduce the fair’s annual net cost to the city. “Every time somebody steps foot on the fair footprint, they’re on overtime. That is absolute absurdity,” Fair Commission member John Trudeau said, urging a review of police, fire and public works staffing and overtime practices.

The commission’s packet shows recurring deficits in recent years, speakers said. City staff present said the city contributed roughly $41,000 most recently to offset a remaining $4,000 shortfall. Commissioners noted personnel services have increased sharply over the past decade and now represent the largest single expense line.

Why it matters: personnel and public-safety staffing drive most of the fair’s cost. Commissioners said reducing overtime and changing deployment patterns could shrink the budget gap without cutting core safety services.

Details and proposals discussed included: asking police, fire and DPW chiefs for a written “staff reduction plan” that preserves public-safety coverage while lowering overtime; replacing a staffed command trailer with a first‑aid tent or a smaller footprint where practical; and changing how officers are posted so fewer staff are on overtime for the fair’s full open‑to‑close period. Trudeau suggested splitting patrols so officers walk and rotate instead of staying stationary at barricades, and to rely more on cement barricades and lower‑cost approaches for perimeter control where safe.

Commissioners repeatedly asked for after‑action data to support any staffing reductions: counts of calls for service, types of medical calls, transports, arrests or citations, and other metrics that show how much active response work occurred versus passive presence. “We need to be data driven,” Trudeau said. Several members requested a historical comparison of personnel costs over at least 10 years to show when and how the cost shift occurred.

Sanitation costs also drew scrutiny. Commissioners noted sanitation expenditures have risen by more than $6,000 over the last decade and that the vendor who historically provided porta‑potty service is scaling back; staff said finding reliable contractors that will empty units daily has become harder and that contract changes this year increased costs.

What the commission directed and what remains pending: commissioners asked staff to compile the requested data and to obtain staff‑reduction plans from department heads for review. No ordinance, budget amendment or binding vote changing fair staffing or vendor contracts was adopted at the meeting. Members also discussed tradeoffs—public safety versus cost—and emphasized that any reductions must not compromise emergency response.

Commissioners said change could include revising how the city staffs barricades and reconsidering whether fully staffed trailers and a dedicated on‑site dispatcher are needed for the current fair footprint. They also asked staff to check mutual‑aid practices with Milwaukee County and to confirm historical arrangements for sheriff presence.

The commission plans to review the department responses in a future meeting before making formal budget or policy changes.