Franklin staff present $732,000 outside-agency budget; library and small nonprofits seek increases

City budget staff presented the appropriations-to-outside-agencies review to the Budget & Finance Committee on April 13, repeating staffs packet guidance and a scorecard used to evaluate grant and operating requests.

Michael Walters, the city's chief budget and performance officer, and Norma Rockne (budget analyst) said the FY26 base appropriation for outside agencies was $722,095 and the FY27 proposed base is $732,033 (a $9,938 or 2.6% increase). They described a separate program-enhancement bucket that had about $114,340 in total requests covering government agencies, civic organizations and new applicants.

Notable requests presented included a library appeal and several nonprofit requests. A library representative asked the committee to consider a $104,400 request (described in the packet as 60% of the county allowance and intended for materials and inflationary costs). The speaker said about 21,445 Franklin residents hold library cards at the main location and cited roughly 246,000 annual visits to the main library and 98,000 playroom visits, arguing the funds would support licensed digital materials that are more costly to libraries than retail prices.

Richard Brasher, representing CherBuilt, described that nonprofit's construction-support work for other nonprofits and said CherBuilt had requested funding again after applying last year. A Doorstep Project representative described a transitional-housing program started in 2017 that provides four units (two single-family homes and a duplex) for 6-12 months to people exiting the local domestic-violence shelter; the Doorstep speaker said tenants pay 30% rent that is placed into an escrow, and if program conditions are met they receive 75% of the escrow to help resume independent living.

Committee members asked clarifying questions. One member expressed surprise that digital licensing costs can be three to four times retail for a title and said the library's services deliver unique local benefits even though the library system is county-run; the member noted internalizing the library would be more expensive than the requested increase. Staff explained that some requests were one-time program enhancements while others represented recurring base increases, and they pointed the committee to detailed packets and the scorecard that break out historical funding, request types and percentages of revenues for applicants.

Staff told the committee that Memories of Honor (a new group proposing a Boots of Honor memorial event) requested funding tied to an inaugural park exhibit and that staff consider whether direct financial support or in-kind facilitation is more appropriate. The committee invited public commenters to provide handouts and said staff would continue vetting appropriations requests ahead of the budget transmittal in May.