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New Franklin City Council

New Franklin to seek tax hike for police dept.

City receives 
donation to care for church park

Justin Addison Editor/Publisher
Posted 8/11/20

Voters in New Franklin will decide whether or not to approve a property tax increase to help fund the police department. All six members of the New Franklin City Council on Monday gave unanimous …

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New Franklin City Council

New Franklin to seek tax hike for police dept.

City receives 
donation to care for church park

Posted

Voters in New Franklin will decide whether or not to approve a property tax increase to help fund the police department. All six members of the New Franklin City Council on Monday gave unanimous approval to ballot language for Proposition 1, which will appear on the ballot during the November 3 general election. 

The action took place at the regular meeting of the New Franklin Board of Aldermen Monday night at City Hall. Council members also discussed the possible hiring of part-time help for city crews, and accepted a donation to help maintain the Christian Church Memorial Park. 

Proposition 1 calls for an increase of $0.3475 per $100 of assessed valuation to directly fund the city’s police department. Ward 2 Alderman Robbey Harvey questioned whether the increase was enough.

“I don’t think people realize how little money we take in off taxes,” said fellow Ward 2 Alderman John James.

Gary Robinson, the city’s attorney, told councilmen that they are going to have to knock on doors to promote the tax hike. “There are going to be people going to the polls that are concerned about that and thinking about other taxes and other issues. I think we’re going to have to work on it to get it passed.”

Looking forward to next summer, Mayor Newt Arbogast asked the council to consider the employment of part-time help to city crews throughout the summer months. He said he worked for the school and the city during his high school years, and would like to see a high school student be brought on part time.

“I’d like to get our two guys here…a part-time, temporary worker,” the Mayor said. “It would help them with regard to some of the mowing and trimming. It would lighten their load so they could focus on some other things.”

While funds for the position are not provided in the current budget, Mr. Arbogast suggested the job could be added to next year’s budget.

One option discussed was bringing in prisoners from the nearby Boonville Correctional Center to help with city labor. The city had used inmates for labor in the past and will inquire about possible future use.

The board of the Christian Church of New Franklin made a donation of $1,000 to New Franklin so as the city will provide upkeep for the real estate, gazebo, and memorial monuments at the Christian Church Memorial Park. The funds allow for the city to provide

Ward 3 Alderman Walter Banks presented the donation to Mayor Arbogast. 

“That’s a very nice contribution,” Mayor Arbogast said. “That will be a nice gift to the park.”

In other business the council: 

• Gave unanimous approval to allow the Firefighters Association to host a car show from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 17 in downtown;

• Agreed to reimburse $75 Matt and Stacy Wells for costs incurred to hire a plumber during a water issue that was the fault of the city;

• Discussed a problem of large open holes with Socket, an internet company, and Southern Utility, LLC. The companies are working to lay fiber optic internet lines through town. Southern Utility should finish by Oct. 1 and Socket should have fiber internet available to New Franklin residents by Oct. 30;

Set the city’s 2020 property tax levy at $0.6525 per $100 of assessed valuation.

Gave approval for a farmers market to set up on downtown streets during the weekend of Sept. 18. The annual Santa Fe Trail Days event was originally scheduled for that weekend, but was canceled due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The New Franklin city council meets regularly on the second Monday of every month. The next meeting will be on Monday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. Meetings are open and the public is invited.

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