Franklin’s Fiscal 2026-27 Budget Keeps Property-Tax Rate Unchanged

Franklin’s fiscal 2026-27 budget began July 1 with the city’s property-tax rate unchanged at $0.296 per $100 of assessed value. The budget also continues infrastructure and transportation investment while adding or restoring eight General Fund positions across police, finance, human resources and parks.

The city describes the budget as balanced and compliant with its debt and reserve policies. The rate is unchanged, although a property owner’s total tax bill can also depend on the assessed value of the property.

Staffing and public services

The budget adds three police officers and a police training sergeant. It also restores a finance contract-specialist position, adds a human-resources organizational-development specialist and restores two parks grounds-worker positions.

Franklin’s Fire Department is moving to a district-captain structure without adding positions. The change is part of the department’s organization under the new fiscal-year budget, while the staffing additions in the General Fund focus on police, administrative capacity and parks maintenance.

Pay, insurance and infrastructure

City employees receive a 2.5% general pay increase under the budget. Employees may also receive a performance-based increase of up to 2.5%, depending on performance decisions.

Health-insurance premiums for city employees increase 2.5%. That change affects the city’s employee-benefit costs and comes alongside the compensation changes for the new fiscal year.

Funding for Invest Franklin 2.0 remains in place for infrastructure and transportation investment. The city’s budget materials identify the program as supporting transportation and public-safety priorities.

Together, the budget decisions set Franklin’s operating priorities for the year that began July 1: maintaining the existing property-tax rate, continuing transportation funding and expanding staffing in several city functions while reorganizing fire leadership without adding positions.