Franklin council reassigns committee seats, appoints Evan and Rachel as Main Street liaisons

At its Jan. 12 meeting, Franklin’s council adjusted committee and liaison assignments and directed staff to improve Main Street Franklin’s governance oversight.

The council filled multiple committee slots left by a departing trustee and rebalanced the four core subcommittees (finance, legal, personnel, and infrastructure) to ensure continuity. The chair read into the record a list of committee assignments and trustees approved them by motion.

Trustees discussed concerns that Main Street Franklin had been operating with limited transparency — not posting meetings, not accepting resident applications and sometimes excluding village staff or liaisons from communications. Council members said Main Street must engage village staff and liaisons and follow formal procedures. In response, the council appointed Evan and Rachel as Main Street liaisons and directed staff to work with Main Street to update bylaws and operating procedures and to clarify liaison expectations. "They need to be included," one trustee said of village staff participation in Main Street work.

What’s next: Administration and the appointed liaisons will meet with Main Street to clarify bylaws, posting and accountability; the council asked for an informational update at a future meeting and recommended that staff be included in Main Street communications and meetings going forward.