Franklin Grade and High School · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Franklin run?
Franklin’s city government spent $8.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $809 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Franklin is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $809 per resident a year, or $2.22 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$786 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Franklin’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($786 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $686, and the middle half spent $519–$1,027. Franklin spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Franklin itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Franklin reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $786 · 2023: $770 · 2024: $809. Per resident it went from $786 to $809 (up 3%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 9,046 to 10,344.
full-time in March 2025, up from 62 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,313 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.67% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Franklin’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Franklin’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Franklin →
Who’s in charge in Franklin
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Franklin’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on franklinky.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 150 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (10,344).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Simpson County School District
Franklin’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,421 per pupil, $8,432 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Franklin’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Franklin alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Simpson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.3%6,253 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.4%2,403 votesOthers: 1.4% (120 votes).
Most votes in Simpson County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Franklin lies in Simpson County. Every 2024 race in Simpson County is on the county’s page.
Simpson County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Franklin.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: franklinky.org ↗
- 2Kentucky HouseState representatives
- 3Kentucky SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Franklin’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Franklin’s government
How much does Franklin spend per resident?
About $809 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $786 was more than 59% of 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Franklin?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,313 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.67% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see franklinky.org.
Who runs Franklin’s government?
See franklinky.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Franklin yet.
How did Franklin vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Franklin alone. Simpson County, where 100% of Franklin lies, voted Trump 71.3%, Harris 27.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Franklin?
69 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $413,631 (about $5.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Franklin in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Mike Wilson) and State House District 22 (Shawn McPherson). The House district also covers 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Franklin’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →