By John Estridge Newly elected Franklin County Council Member Brian Patterson asked a question about how many lighted warning signs the county has at slabs. The subsequent answers may have surprised him concerning the realities of county funding and current costs. Patterson asked the question near the end of the Tuesday night, February 23, council …
Tag Archives: Franklin County Council
Franklin County files answers to the three lawsuits’ complaints regarding the deaths of four of six victims, driving off a damaged bridge
By John Estridge The favorite phrase for Franklin County’s attorney of record in three civil suits is “Defendants deny or lack information and therefore deny all other allegations …” Liberty R. (Libby) Roberts, an attorney with the Noblesville law firm Church Church Hittle and Antrim, is defending the county and filed the Answer and Affirmative …
FC council will meet in executive session to discuss lawsuits against individual council members over the six drownings in March 2020
By John Estridge Franklin County Council members are concerned after they were personally named in recent lawsuits filed in the Franklin Circuit Court, and they each received summonses concerning the lawsuits. They asked for and will engage in an executive session on the matter in the near future. This discussion and decision regarding the executive …
Courthouse belfry to come down Wednesday, November 4
By John Estridge Franklin County Courthouse’s historic belfry is scheduled to be taken down Wednesday, Nov. 4. That is unless Tropical Storm Zeta, currently Hurricane Zeta, doesn’t take it down Thursday, October 29. Franklin County Commission President Tom Linkel told county council members Tuesday night, October 27, of the plans. The current belfry/cupola is leaning …
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FC not only has bats in its belfry but also a bell
Photos provided by Franklin County Commission President Tom Linkel Franklin County Commissioners and county council members are looking at an extensive repair of the courthouse’s belfry. Officials knew there were bats in the belfry, but they did not know if a bell was still there. As most know a picture is worth 1,000 words.
Pointed comments, varied opinions during Franklin County Council 2021 Budget Hearing
By John Estridge It was the proverbial good news/bad news scenario for Franklin County Council members when their financial consultant talked about the 2021 budget at their September meeting recently. The good news is based on new information: the General Fund budget will actually come through with a $27,000 surplus when it was thought to …
Council, commissioners talk about cost and paying for leaning bell tower of Franklin County
By John Estridge In 1624, the poet cleric John Donne wrote the line “for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” While it is claimed he was thinking metaphysically at the time because he had just survived a life-threatening illness, he might have had an inkling to the future of a situation in Franklin …
Five volunteer fire departments in FC receive $6,000 each from county council; two did not apply
By John Estridge For the volunteer fire departments in Franklin County that applied for PSIC money, they were awarded $6,000 each. But not every volunteer fire department in the county applied. Franklin County Council members divided up the $30,000 available in the Public Safety Income Tax money the county receives. The bulk of the money …
FC county council members hear impassioned plea for more money for county health nurse, but council members say there’s no money for increases in pay for anyone
By John Estridge Franklin County Council just finished a budget workshop for the 2021 budget where no county employees received raises and many council members expressed relief no one was laid off. Why, is a two-edged sword: falling revenue due to the pandemic and former councils who raided the county’s Insurance Fund for several years …
FC employee wages frozen at 2020 levels; but cash reserves still needed to balance General Fund for 2021
By John Estridge For many years, Franklin County Council robbed Peter to pay Paul. Peter is the Insurance Fund, and Paul is the General Fund. That all changed this year as the county council economic advisor Gabe Gerth, of Reedy Financial Group, said the Insurance Fund needs extra cash, $689,000 more than was budgeted for …