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Council to revisit virtual meetings, cites financial uncertainty; Mayor says new thermal scanner lacks facial recognition
Summary
Council agreed to continue virtual meetings for now and revisit the issue in July; the mayor said the purchased Seek Scan thermal-imaging system does not use facial recognition. Finance Director Cindy Ryan provided an income-tax projection of $8.5 million for the year and a current 78% collection rate trend, noting final impacts may not be known until fall.
Franklin City Council discussed continuing virtual meetings, the new thermal-screening device the city purchased, and the city’s finances during its May 18 session.
Council member Debbie Fouts said she preferred continuing virtual meetings; City Manager Sonny Lewis said virtual meetings posed no difficulty for staff and the council agreed to revisit the topic at the first meeting in July. Mayor Brent Centers described the Seek Scan thermal-imaging system the city purchased to screen temperatures and stated his research indicated the system does not use facial recognition.
Finance Director Cindy Ryan summarized the written financial report she provided to council, saying the city estimates $8.5 million in income-tax collections for the year and that collections are currently trending at about 78%—a number she described as based on many assumptions and likely subject to change, with the ultimate impact possibly unknown until the fall. The city canceled the summer baseball league and will not hold events through Labor Day; the Farmer’s Market was scheduled for May 30.
Council members expressed concern about homeless individuals and enforcement of social-distancing measures at local establishments; Chief Whitman and Chief Westendorf described outreach and assistance efforts.
