FranklinNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Franklin Mayor & City Commission Election 2026

5 of 5 council seats are on the ballot, with 15 candidates running. Updated Oct 5, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

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The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Voters choose the mayor in one citywide vote and may vote for up to four of twelve candidates for City Commissioner.

Election Day · Nov 3

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

What the next council decides

01Property taxes and the city budget3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe commission set the 2026 property tax rate at 11.0 cents per $100 in a 3-2 vote and passed its FY 2026-27 budget 4-1.

What's on the tableNext year's tax rate, budget and spending priorities for police, streets and utilities.

  • The commission set the 2026 real and personal property tax rate at 11.0 cents per $100 of assessed value, the compensating rate plus 4%; the 2025 rate was 10.8 cents. Franklin Favorite
  • The city expects the 11.0 rate to generate $1,532,462, with revenue above the prior year designated for police, street, cemetery and community service contracts. Franklin Favorite
  • The FY 2026-27 general fund budget lists $15,010,547 in revenue, compared with $13,315,928 the year before. Franklin Favorite
02Growth, data centers and infrastructure3 sourced facts

Where it standsA developer's data center plan east of I-65 won preliminary approval from the planning commission in March 2026, and the city commission formed an advisory committee to study data centers.

What's on the tableHow the city plans for new development, what it requires of large projects, and how it funds water, sewer and road capacity.

  • The Franklin Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously on March 3, 2026 to approve TenKey LandCo's preliminary development plan for a data center, with conditions. WKU Public Radio · Mar 4, 2026
  • The City Commission voted unanimously to form an advisory committee of seven to 15 people to study data centers, led by the Industrial Authority's executive director. Franklin Favorite
  • The advisory committee is to consider new city ordinances for data centers and assess whether zoning is needed for them. Franklin Favorite
03Planning and zoning with the county3 sourced facts

Where it standsFranklin and Simpson County reached an impasse over the joint planning and zoning agreement, and the city has been paying its administrator since 2025.

What's on the tableWhether planning and zoning stays a joint city-county function and how the city and county settle it.

  • Planning and zoning for city and county had been run by the joint Franklin-Simpson Planning and Zoning Commission for more than 50 years. Franklin Favorite
  • The commission voted in 2025 to pay the administrator's salary after the city and Simpson County Fiscal Court reached an impasse on a restructuring plan. Franklin Favorite
  • The commission voted 4-1 to accept an independent attorney's report clearing the administrator of policy violations. Franklin Favorite
04Panhandling and camping rules2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe commission held a first reading of an ordinance with stricter limits on panhandling and unlawful camping.

What's on the tableWhether to give the ordinance final passage and how it is enforced.

  • The amended ordinance prohibits aggressive panhandling and limits passive panhandling to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with fines of up to $250. Franklin Favorite
  • The camping provisions incorporate KRS 511.110; a first offense is a violation and a second offense is a Class B misdemeanor. Franklin Favorite
2 notes on these statements

Larry Dixon was the mayor who voted on the 2026 property tax rate in September 2026. Franklin Favorite

Wendell Stewart was asked if he would respond to the Franklin Favorite's mayoral questionnaire and said, "Not at this time." Franklin Favorite

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. What should the city do with its property tax rate?

  2. 2. How should Franklin approach new development?

  3. 3. How should planning and zoning be organized?

  4. 4. How should the city regulate panhandling and street camping?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted2 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.New · How Franklin is runWho runs Franklin, and what it costsWho the city manager is, council pay, whether the city is in the red, and where your property tax goes.

Key dates

The seat math

0 stay (not up this year): 5 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

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