Franklin Today

Aldermen look for 27th Street spending options while Mayor points out the unknown

Last week, the Common Council authorized staff to explore funding options for the city as they continue to make developing 27th Street a high priority. This continuation of spending comes at no surprise to some, given that the city has pumped in millions of dollars from a variety of public funding sources to this commercial corridor. When the spending began back in the 1990s, Franklin officials believed strongly that our neighbor to the east, Oak Creek, would be an equal partner sharing an equal high interest in seeing the corridor develop to its maximum extent. However, as years turned to decades Oak Creek's interest went from a nice high to perhaps an all-time low. This was evident as Mayor Taylor mentioned prior to the Council's vote that with a new mayoral administration in Oak Creek coming soon, their commitment to the corridor was up in the air.

Council approves golden employee contracts

Tuesday's Common Council meeting focused on employment contracts, job descriptions, and restructuring of the city's Finance Department. Included with this agenda item were changes to the Director of Administration's contract and job description, currently held by Mark Luberda, changes to the Director of Finance & Treasurer position, currently held by Cal Patterson, and the creation of a new position in the Finance Department. For the past several months, the city has been looking into methods to fulfill the finance obligations that were being done under both the Director of Finance & Treasurer position.

Common Council refuses to make report accurate

Last night on a 3-2 vote, the Council rejected Alderwoman Wilhelm's motion to correct portions of the Planning Department's Crossroads Area report that was before the Council for review. Wilhelm noted discrepancies in the report and made a strong case as to the importance of accuracy in public documents. "When it comes to Boards and Commissions' actions, you just can't make this stuff up. There should be motions and actions that support your facts before putting them in a document for the public," said Wilhelm.

More public funds for 27th Street?

Tonight's Common Council agenda includes two development topics: the Crossroads intersection (Hwy 100 & Loomis) and the 27th Street Corridor. What stands out is how those two topics part ways in terms of priorities and vision.

Ryan Creek Sewer project under EPA review

On February 3rd, the Daily Reporter published an article (only available to subscribers) that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing Franklin's Ryan Creek Interceptor Sewer (RCI) project for the SW portions of the city. Several days prior to the article on the 3rd, the Daily Reporter also had an article stating that the RCI "conflicted" with the goals the federal government laid down for usage of Clean Water monies.

September Updates from Alderwoman Wilhelm

Dear Residents,

Here is good news from our Chief of Police and a few items of possible interest. 

Kristen Wilhelm

Franklin's 3rd District

Council tables 230-foot sidewalk connecting subdivisions to FHS

Last night after a spirited debate over a variety of matters, the Common Council voted 6-0 to table a bid acceptance to construct a 230-foot sidewalk connecting subdivisions south and southeast of FHS to the school. This proposal came before the Council after months of earlier discussion that started when a homeowner wanted to build a path along the border of his property for students rather than the alternative of nothing.

Alderwoman Wilhelm sends out August e-Newsletter

Please see below for items of interest in the city. Note that several items have already passed due to delays in getting this e-Newsletter posted to the blog. My apologies for this.

Forward Franklin EDC member's application missing from city website's packet

For the past couple of meetings, the city has begun what hopefully will be a positive norm of uploading the Common Council's agenda packets to the city website for public viewing. This has been a significant leap forward in terms of open, transparent government and the city should be lauded for this particular effort. However, unfortunately, it appears that an online Common Council packet is not complete for the public's viewing.

City redistricting plan could have major impacts in 2013

The City of Franklin's new districts have been created, at least temporarily, and will be discussed at the Common Council meeting on August 2nd. With the new boundaries, if approved, the Common Council could see new representatives in 2013, since one of the aldermen will be just barely kept in the district he represents, and another could lose what some argue as a significant portion of his voting base.