EDC fees hit record $107,679; Franklin commission keeps incumbents as officers, moves April meeting

Franklin City Economic Development staff reported the EDC fee fund rose to a record $107,679.08 for the year, an increase from about $90,257 the prior year. Staff said the dollars are being used for grants to local nonprofits and small-business support programs and that multiple projects funded by the EDC fees are underway, including arts and business outreach efforts.

The commission indicated it intends to continue the EDC fee program and asked staff to begin the application process for the next round; a formal approval will be scheduled at an upcoming meeting. Commissioner comments highlighted local events that used EDC-funded grants and praised the impact on downtown businesses.

On administrative business, the commission unanimously approved keeping all officer positions unchanged for the coming year (motion and second recorded; voice vote approved). Commissioners also agreed to move the April meeting to April 15 at 9 a.m., to follow the RDC meeting, and staff was thanked for its work preparing the abatement agenda and reports.

Why this matters: The EDC fee pool supports small nonprofit grants and downtown programming; an increase in available funds widens grant capacity for the coming cycle. The commission’s administrative decisions set the meeting schedule and speed staff work on the next grant cycle.

Details and next steps: Staff will begin the application process for the next round of EDC fee grants and will return a formal proposal to the commission at the April meeting. The April meeting date change was agreed and will be noticed publicly per standard procedures; the commission thanked Dana for her administrative work on abatement reporting.