Franklin Township introduces 2025 municipal budget amid resident questions over police costs and shared‑service subsidies

The Franklin Township Committee voted to introduce the 2025 municipal budget on June 13, 2025, adopting Resolution R9525 after a public comment period in which residents pressed officials about tax impacts, insurance-driven cost increases and shared‑service arrangements.

Resident Harry Kennedy, of 1578 Mill Road, led public comment and queried several line items in the proposed budget, saying the township’s reported revenue for 2025 looked lower than the prior year but that anticipated grant receipts could supplement shortfalls. "Last year we had a lot more grants," Kennedy said, adding that the committee should not assume grant income in base forecasts.

Kennedy raised a series of specific concerns about proposed increases: a roughly 6% rise attributed to police costs tied to contract and insurance pressures; a near‑9% increase in finance office costs; a roughly 7% increase in the administrator line; a doubling of the code enforcement allocation (from $20,000 to $40,000 as stated in the meeting); and a reported 50% increase in health and human services funding. He also flagged liability and legal exposure increases and questioned whether the township was effectively subsidizing policing for neighboring Buuna Borough given different percentage increases reported by each municipality.

Township officials acknowledged the role of grants and contract terms in driving revenue and expenditure projections and said some variances stem from insurance and reassessment clauses in multi‑year contracts. Officials noted that the budget, once introduced, will require a subsequent capital ordinance to finalize capitalization decisions; an official speaking in the meeting summarized the capital plan as "$2.98 million that you're capitalizing," and said police vehicles were budgeted at $346,000. Town officials also said they would follow up with residents on details such as service‑split calculations and comparative GIF/insurance rate data.

The committee approved a procedural motion (Resolution R9425) to read the budget by title only and then adopted Resolution R9525 to introduce the 2025 municipal budget; both motions were seconded and recorded as approved during the meeting. The clerk opened a second public comment period but recorded no speakers before closing it. Mr. Marsh, a committee member, reported separately that library HVAC repairs are underway and that two units had been returned to service while parts arrive for remaining work.

Next steps: the introduced budget will proceed to the required capital‑ordinance step and further administrative processing before final adoption. Officials said they would provide follow‑up information requested by residents on assessed values, contract terms, and the allocation of police resources under the interlocal agreement.