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City reopens limited services, schedules COVID testing; finance director flags income-tax shortfall
Summary
Franklin City Manager reported a soft reopening of the City Building, tentative COVID testing at Community Park on July 10, and Finance Director Cindy Ryan said June income-tax receipts were down about $100,000 with an annual shortfall risk of about $1.1 million if the trend continues.
City Manager Sonny Lewis told Franklin City Council on July 6 that the City Building had a limited, unadvertised soft reopening to test in-person operations after months of COVID-related restrictions; staff reported no operational issues and hours and services were subsequently posted on the City website and Facebook.
Lewis said the City is tentatively hosting COVID testing at Community Park on Friday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and that Fire and Police will work with Warren County on logistics to accommodate potentially large turnout. He asked Public Works and public-safety leaders to coordinate with county staff as needed.
Finance Director Cindy Ryan told Council that June’s income-tax receipts were down approximately $100,000 and that if that pace continues the City could be down roughly $1.1 million for the year; Ryan said she will produce a more precise projection after July. Ryan also said Warren County’s distribution spreadsheet lists Franklin’s approximate CARES allocation at $270,000; she said she believes the county based allocations on local-government funding data from 2019 but did not provide a line-by-line formula during the meeting.
Council members raised a series of neighborhood and infrastructure concerns. Councilmember Debbie Fouts asked when cold patches on Millard Drive would be replaced with permanent repairs and flagged two Sunnybrook Drive residences for garbage accumulation and an apparent auto-repair operation; Public Works Director Steve Inman said the Millard Drive patches are scheduled for repair and staff will visit the residences to investigate. Councilmember Denny Centers reported a severe dip on northbound Dixie Highway near State Route 73 by Clear Creek; Inman said the City has limited authority to work within 20 feet of railroad property and is coordinating with the railroad to address the safety hazard.
Chief Russ Whitman reported about six fireworks complaints over the holiday weekend; officers visited the addresses, asked two parties to stop the activity (one complied after a second request) and reported no serious incidents.
Vice Mayor Todd Hall praised School Resource Officers and the Fire Department for the Splash Days community events and asked staff to address complaints about excessive advertising signs on Millard Drive and overgrown bushes at Arlington and Bryant that impair sight-lines. Staff said they would follow up.
Mayor Brent Centers asked for an update on items discussed in a prior Council work session at the next in-person meeting scheduled for August; City Manager Lewis said project timing depends on the City’s financial outlook and expected a fuller update in August or September.
The meeting adjourned at 6:30 PM.
