How Franklin is run
Who runs Franklin, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Franklin's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Franklin
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- A health flex allowance of $400 a month ($4,800 a year) for commission members.
Franklin city staff
The budget shows payroll by department but no total position count or individual pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Franklin in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $13.3M (FY2022-23). City of Franklin · Aug 26, 2024
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2025-26.
Comes from
- Occupational tax$3.9M · 29%
- Insurance premium tax$3.4M · 26%
- Property taxes$1.8M · 13%
- Grants and other governments$1.4M · 11%
- Alcohol (ABC) fees$838,000 · 6%
- Charges to other city funds$782,728 · 6%
- Other income (leases, interest, community support)$654,201 · 5%
- Other (business licenses, fines, franchise and manufacturing fees)$557,800 · 4%
Goes to (FY2025-26)
- Police$4M · 30%
- General government$2.5M · 19%
- Capital outlay$2.1M · 16%
- Community services (parks, civic groups)$1.1M · 8%
- Transfers to other funds$1.1M · 8%
- Public services (public works)$1M · 8%
- Fire (Franklin-Simpson Fire & Rescue)$833,000 · 6%
- Economic development$541,004 · 4%
- Other (capital improvement reserve)$30,000 · 0%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Franklin is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityFranklin Police DepartmentCity of Franklin · Aug 26, 2024
- Fire and rescueContractorFranklin-Simpson Fire & RescueCity of Franklin
- WaterThe cityCity of Franklin utilityCity of Franklin · Aug 26, 2024
- Sewer and wastewaterThe cityCity of Franklin utilityCity of Franklin · Aug 26, 2024
- Trash pickupContractorScott Waste Services, LLCFranchise awarded May 18, 2026.City of Franklin
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of Franklin · Aug 26, 2024
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | ParisKY | VersaillesKY | FranklinKY | AlexandriaKY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,130 | 10,734 | 10,759 | 10,994 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $13,762 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,588 | $1,692 | $1,233 | $1,870 |
| Debt per resident | $1,087 | $4,853 | $675 | $1,528 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,897 | $1,527 | $932 | $423 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | — | — |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Franklin and Alexandria pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Franklin publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe newest audit posted is for FY2022-23, dated August 26, 2024. No FY2023-24 or FY2024-25 audit is posted. City of Franklin
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe manager's post is held on an interim basis; no manager contract is posted. City of Franklin
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlinePosted minutes list each roll call vote by member. City of Franklin
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe posted budget does not list mayor or commissioner salaries. City of Franklin
Questions to ask your council
- The newest posted audit covers FY2022-23. When will the FY2023-24 and FY2024-25 audits be posted?
- The city's share of CERS pension liabilities was about $10.0 million at June 30, 2025. How will rising or falling CERS rates affect future budgets?
- The FY2026-27 budget was adopted June 22, 2026 on a 4-1 vote but is not posted online. When will it be posted?
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Franklin next?
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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