The Franklin Ethics Commission voted on Dec. 1 to accept a complaint filed against Alderman Matt Brown for further processing, after members debated whether portions of the complaint were time‑barred or founded on secondhand statements rather than the complainant’s personal knowledge.

Chair Jim Martin opened the special meeting and reviewed the record. He said the complaint was dated Nov. 13, 2025, and received by commission staff on Nov. 18, 2025, and he asked staff to correct a misdated letter that had appeared as May 5, 2023. Martin identified several attachments, including a letter dated Nov. 25, 2025 he said was from Jeffrey D. Mosley to Shauna Billingsley responding on behalf of Alderman Brown.

Martin and other commissioners reviewed the allegations, which he read as occurring on Oct. 6, Oct. 9, Oct. 10, Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, 2025. Martin noted the commission bylaws require that a complaint “shall be based on personal knowledge, set forth such facts as would be admissible in evidence, and shall show affirmatively that the complainant is competent to testify” and said several counts appeared to rely on information told to the complainant by volunteers rather than firsthand observation.

“Some of these allegations are not made on personal knowledge,” Martin said, reading the bylaws’ standard. Another commissioner emphasized the bylaws’ filing deadline, noting that a complaint must be filed within 30 days of an alleged violation unless the matter was concealed and discovered later, in which case a six‑month discovery window may apply.

Commissioners tentatively agreed that items 1–3 were likely untimely under the 30‑day rule and that items 4 and 6 appeared to be based on secondhand reports rather than firsthand knowledge, leaving item 5 as the only allegation plausibly both timely and based on direct information. Despite those concerns, the commission debated whether to consider the merits of the complaint so the public would have guidance on whether the conduct, if proven, could violate the city’s ethics code.

After discussion, a motion was made and seconded to accept the complaint for processing and to allow Alderman Brown to appear in the proceedings; Miss Patton seconded the motion and the commission voted in favor. The transcript records the commission’s intention to proceed with the complaint, though commissioners said they would apply the bylaws’ timeliness and personal‑knowledge requirements as they move forward.

Earlier in the meeting the commission also approved the minutes from Oct. 23, 2024 and approved revisions to the commission’s bylaws that had been circulated previously.

The commission adjourned after the vote. The accepted complaint will proceed under the commission’s procedural rules, including potential opportunities to amend claims if the panel allows them within any applicable deadline.