By BROOKE WANSER
During a meeting of Franklin’s sustainability commission Friday morning, members listened to a presentation on the city’s budget and strategic plans.
According to Michael Walters Young, the city’s budget and strategic innovation manager, the city created Franklin Forward in 2013 as a strategic plan to govern and set forward a platform for all local decision-making.
A user-friendly website, performance.franklintn.gov, has much of the information, including city goals in different arenas, and data from years past to present.
“You have a way to take a look at this data and mine it in a way that is comfortable and accessible to your desires,” Young said.
While the city’s total budget for 2018 is $145.2 million, public safety expenditures use up 48 percent of the funds, with the next biggest expenditure for public works, at 17 percent.
Highlights from the website are grouped under four city themes. Click on each of the following to be directed to the city’s goals and data for each.
- A safe, clean, livable city
- An effective and fiscally sound city government providing high quality service
- Quality life experiences
- Sustainable growth and economic prosperity
Goals for sustainability include increasing recycling through the blue bag program, continuing to achieve platinum status with the TVA sustainability commission, and increasing collection of hazardous materials like batteries, oil, paint, antifreeze, and electronics.
Franklin has continued to increase the number of LEED certified buildings from each year. At the end of the 2017 fiscal year there were 22, up from 6 in 2011.
Young said the city will distribute a citizens’ survey in the fall; 3,000 households will receive the survey and, citizens can also take it online.
Andrew Orr, the city’s principal planner for the planning and sustainability department, noted that the tree commission would be hosting an Arbor Day event, and will be giving out free trees at Pinkerton Park. The event begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 21.