Franklin City library finance committee reviews preliminary 2027 budget, flags $22,000 shortfall
June 09, 2026 | Franklin City, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
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The Franklin City Library Finance Committee met June 8 to review its preliminary budget for 2027, approve minutes from a prior meeting and discuss line-item placeholders supplied by Franklin City.
Staff explained that many figures in the spreadsheet are city-provided placeholders that will be replaced with the mayor’s approved numbers, and the committee agreed to make real-time edits as they reviewed each category. A staff member described the budget tool’s approach to estimating inflation: “it’s taking it from the 2025 budget adding 3%,” and said small-line items are being adjusted from that baseline.
The committee confirmed a timing change for reciprocal-borrowing revenue that the city has already approved, and members accepted a reduced subscription estimate after removing Hoopla from current services. Library materials across departments were tallied at roughly $100,000, and staff noted several larger capital lines — including about $56,000 slated for the children’s-area improvements — remain estimates while vendor quotes are collected.
A committee member called attention to a projected shortfall in Fund 15: “we're going to come and fund 15. We're going to be short $22,000 revenue versus expenses,” the member said, noting that the gap relies on placeholders and the city’s forthcoming revenue calculations. The committee discussed potential offsets and emphasized that many figures will firm up before the new year and that budget amendments remain an option.
Other topics included a reduction in planned computer-equipment spending (from earlier-year large totals to about $18,000 after external partners picked up some costs), discussion of utility estimates amid newly installed solar panels, and modest increases to mileage and membership lines to reflect anticipated inflation. Committee members agreed that small recurring costs like shredding and occasional equipment rentals are minor and left modest cushions in several lines to cover unforeseen overages.
Procedurally, the committee moved to approve the minutes from the June 11, 2025 Finance Committee meeting; one member moved and another seconded and the motion carried by voice vote as recorded in the transcript. A member later moved to adjourn and the meeting ended at about 5:30 p.m.
Because the transcript does not include speaker names, this article attributes remarks using role labels consistent with the meeting record (for example, "Staff member" or "Committee member"), as noted in the committee’s public minutes. Key budget figures cited in this article — including the $22,000 shortfall and the $56,000 children’s-area estimate — were discussed as placeholders or projections in the meeting and are subject to change pending city calculations and vendor quotes.
Staff explained that many figures in the spreadsheet are city-provided placeholders that will be replaced with the mayor’s approved numbers, and the committee agreed to make real-time edits as they reviewed each category. A staff member described the budget tool’s approach to estimating inflation: “it’s taking it from the 2025 budget adding 3%,” and said small-line items are being adjusted from that baseline.
The committee confirmed a timing change for reciprocal-borrowing revenue that the city has already approved, and members accepted a reduced subscription estimate after removing Hoopla from current services. Library materials across departments were tallied at roughly $100,000, and staff noted several larger capital lines — including about $56,000 slated for the children’s-area improvements — remain estimates while vendor quotes are collected.
A committee member called attention to a projected shortfall in Fund 15: “we're going to come and fund 15. We're going to be short $22,000 revenue versus expenses,” the member said, noting that the gap relies on placeholders and the city’s forthcoming revenue calculations. The committee discussed potential offsets and emphasized that many figures will firm up before the new year and that budget amendments remain an option.
Other topics included a reduction in planned computer-equipment spending (from earlier-year large totals to about $18,000 after external partners picked up some costs), discussion of utility estimates amid newly installed solar panels, and modest increases to mileage and membership lines to reflect anticipated inflation. Committee members agreed that small recurring costs like shredding and occasional equipment rentals are minor and left modest cushions in several lines to cover unforeseen overages.
Procedurally, the committee moved to approve the minutes from the June 11, 2025 Finance Committee meeting; one member moved and another seconded and the motion carried by voice vote as recorded in the transcript. A member later moved to adjourn and the meeting ended at about 5:30 p.m.
Because the transcript does not include speaker names, this article attributes remarks using role labels consistent with the meeting record (for example, "Staff member" or "Committee member"), as noted in the committee’s public minutes. Key budget figures cited in this article — including the $22,000 shortfall and the $56,000 children’s-area estimate — were discussed as placeholders or projections in the meeting and are subject to change pending city calculations and vendor quotes.
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