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Franklin council picks new mayor, vice mayor

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By Skip Weaver, Staff Writer 8:59 PM Monday, January 23, 2012

FRANKLIN — Scott Lipps and Jason Faulkner were selected as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, for 2012 during city council’s first meeting of the year Monday night.

Lipps, who was re-elected to a fourth term on council in November, was Franklin’s mayor in 2008.

“The economy is different now,” Lipps said. “We have more empty buildings and homes. It is a challenging time, but we’re not going to run from it.”

Lipps said council has specific plans about how to move forward this year and beyond, and will discuss those at its retreat, which will be held at 9 a.m. Feb. 11 at the fire department.

“We are going to design a road map to our future because our citizens deserve it,” he said. “We have a high priority on business development. We also want to build a relationship with our schools and the (Franklin) township trustees.”

Faulkner, who also was re-elected to council last November for a third term, served as vice mayor in 2010.

“I appreciate the confidence of council and I look forward to a good year in 2012,” he said.

In other business, council approved by a 6-0 vote the tentative collective bargaining agreement reached with the Teamsters Local 100 for the service department, which applies to the union employees in public works.

The agreement is for a half-percent wage increase in 2012 and two percent increases in 2013 and 2014.

Council voted 6-0 to approve the same agreement with the Teamsters Local 100 for the clerical unit, which includes union employees in the income tax division, utility billing division, the parks division and the custodian.

City Manager Sonny Lewis said these wages match the overall wage increases given to the police union following a fact-finding decision last year.

Although he voted to approve it, Councilman Carl Bray expressed displeasure with the agreement.

“I think two percent is a bit much at this time,” Bray said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2852 or Skip.Weaver@coxinc.com.

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