Will the Last Business to Leave the City Please Turn Out the Lights

Canndace Romano at FranklinNOW is reporting that Steve Taylor can remain a City of Franklin Alderman while serving on the Milwaukee County Board.

That's the legal ruling of City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski, who pored over League of Wisconsin Municipality opinions and state statutes to determine whether serving both bodies would be a conflict of interest.  Read Romano's full story…

Meantime, JSOnline is reporting that Contract manufacturer Masteq LLC has purchased a 7,000-square-foot building in the Muskego Industrial Park for $300,000, and will move there from Franklin Industrial Park on June 1.

According to Steven Horvath, co-owner, the new location, in the Muskego Industrial Park will double the company's capacity.  The company, with seven employees, plans to double its workforce once the new plant is fully operational.

Franklin taxpayers must question the effectiveness and leadership of the Forward Franklin Economic Development Committee which is the “brain-child” of Alderman Steve Taylor, who also chairs the recently reorganized committee. 

This group of citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and approved by the common council is tasked with assisting the Community Development Authority chaired by Mayor Taylor, to determine types and locations of commercial and manufacturing zoning throughout the City and to actively pursue, within the goals and guidelines of the Common Council including:

• Develop and implement a retention program to retain existing businesses in the City.
• Develop and implement a plan to solicit businesses for relocation to the City.
• Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to include promotional materials, public relations efforts, surveys and the enhancement of the City's existing web site from a marketing perspective.

Is the Forward Franklin Economic Development Committee Spinning its Wheels?

We humbly submit this multiple-source REALITY CHECK for the citizens of Franklin, Mayor Tom Taylor and the Forward Franklin Economic Development Committee members and ask that you remember what you see and read here when our bloviating, misleading City leaders declare "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" and claim that Franklin’s economic climate is improving thanks to this committee which,  since its creation on June 21, 2011, has held five meetings and one workshop.  A look at the committee’s meeting minute’s reveals little to no substantive progress in achieving the primary goals of this new committee, other than considering whether to reappropriate funds and spend $110,484 for marketing materials and possibly a website.  Here are the meeting minutes for “Forward Franklin’s” October 24 meeting; providing readers with a glimpse of its work.

Basically, according to the City's website, the purpose of the Forward Franklin Economic Development Committee is to promote and enhance the City of Franklin; to actively pursue commercial and industrial business development/investment for relocation into the City of Franklin to achieve a balanced tax base; to work with the business community in the retention and expansion of the businesses already within the City; and to promote the City in various manners as an excellent place to live and do business.  Read More...

Here is the REALITY CHECK we promised earlier.

FBC’s Neil Cavuto discusses job creation in America with Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus.

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