Franklin named a 2026 All‑America City for civic engagement

Rebecca Trout, director of the All‑America Cities program at the National Civic League, formally recognized Franklin, Tennessee, as a 2026 All‑America City, praising the community’s use of resident engagement and data to guide decisions. "On behalf of the National Civic League and this year's jury, [it is my] pleasure to recognize Franklin, Tennessee as a 2026 all America city," Trout said.

Trout told attendees the award—established in 1949—recognizes communities that use civic engagement and collaborative problem‑solving to address local challenges. The jury highlighted Franklin’s stakeholder partnerships, resident engagement tools and youth pipeline work; the city submitted its application in February and attended a national competition in Denver with a delegation of roughly a dozen to 13 people. Franklin officials and organizers said about 20 cities competed and the presentation slot was tightly timed to 10 minutes, making presentation preparation and sponsor support important to the delegation’s success.

Organizers credited multiple local sponsors and partners—including Atmos Energy, Ascension Saint Thomas, Williamson Health, Gresham Smith, Southwest and Visit Franklin—with helping fund travel and logistics that allowed city officials and three youth advisory council members to attend. Eric Stuckey, Franklin’s city administrator, said the trip reinforced the city's civic infrastructure and engagement practices that the jury lauded.