City Council and Mayor

1 CITY COUNCIL FY2027 BUDGET WORKSHOP Tuesday, July 7, 2026 – 6:00 p.m. Franklin Public Library 1. ATTENDANCE Present: Councilor Susan Hallett-Cook, Councilor Al Warner, Councilor Ben Forge, Councilor Ed Prive, Mayor Glenn Morrill, Councilor Tim Johnston, Councilor Justine Hoppe, Councilor Tom Boyce, Councilor Delaney Carrier, and Councilor Sam Jacobson (participating remotely). Absent: None. Others Present: City Manager Mitch Kloewer, School Superintendent Dan LeGallo, School Board Chair Liz Cote, Finance Director Pessy Cote, and members of the public. 2. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Morrill called the City Council Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Workshop to order at 6:02 p.m. Mayor Morrill asked the Council to vote, by roll call, on whether to allow Councilor Jacobson, participating remotely, to join the meeting. Vote: Roll call. Councilor Vote Hallett-Cook Yea Warner Yea Forge Yea Prive Yea Jacobson Yea Johnston Yea Hoppe Yea Boyce Yea Carrier Yea Result: The roll call vote was unanimous, 9–0, in favor. City Manager Kloewer noted, as a point of order, that a remote participant’s reason for being unable to attend in person Back to Top 2 must be stated for the minutes; it was reported that Councilor Jacobson was on site for a work assignment in Binghamton, New York. 3. SALUTE TO FLAG Led by Councilor Carrier. FY27 BUDGET WORKSHOP Combined Budget Review Reallocate Patrol Overtime (VAWA) Funds to Patrol Equipment ($7,078) Motion: Councilor Warner moved: "I move to take $7,078 from line 01-2-103-40140-403 (Patrol Overtime, VAWA), leaving $22,922 in that line, and move $7,078 to line 01-2- 103-40740-000 (Patrol equipment line)." Seconded by Councilor Prive. Discussion: Councilor Warner explained the transfer would move funds from a $30,000 VAWA grant line that had been overspent on paper due to a budgeting error, into a line that could fund a needed police radio; Finance Director Cote clarified the $30,000 line item was a carryover from the prior year's budget that should not have included overtime, and that the transferred amount would nearly cover one of three additional radios the Police Department has requested. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Hallett-Cook Yea Warner Yea Forge Yea Prive Yea Jacobson Yea Johnston Yea Hoppe Yea Boyce Yea Carrier Yea Motion Result: Motion carried, 9–0.  3 Reduce City Manager Contingency Line to Fund School Department ($40,000) Motion: Councilor Jacobson moved: "I move to reduce the City Manager's contingency line, 01-2-40898-000, from $100,000 to $60,000, and move that $40,000 to support the school department." Seconded by Councilor Forge. Discussion: Councilor Jacobson stated the funds should be redirected to the school department; City Manager Kloewer advised that funds cannot be moved from a city budget line directly into the school's budget without an existing school-budget line to receive them, and that the school department is a component unit without such a line. Discussion followed regarding the purpose and history of the contingency line, including a known $34,000 legacy lighting-upgrade bill, the City's use of fund balance, and the source of the annual city/school property-tax split. City Manager Kloewer committed to research the transfer mechanism through the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration (DRA). Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Hallett-Cook Nay Warner Nay Forge Nay Prive Nay Jacobson Yea Johnston Nay Hoppe Nay Boyce Nay Carrier Yea Motion Result: Motion failed, 7–2. Public Comment Desiree McLaughlin raised an objection under RSA 91-A regarding the audibility of Councilor Jacobson's remote participation, asserting that the Council's practice of having Councilor Jacobson's remarks relayed by the secretary, rather than heard directly, did not meet the statute's requirement that remote participants be audible to those present. City Manager Kloewer responded that the practice was intended to meet the statute's intent given equipment limitations, and that the objection would be noted in  4 the minutes. The Council discussed options to improve audio quality, including a suggestion to route the call through a cell phone held to the microphone. Five-Minute Recess Motion: Mayor Morril moved: "I move that we have a five-minute recess." Seconded by Councilor Forge. Discussion: The recess was taken to arrange an alternate audio setup (a cell phone held to the microphone) to improve the audibility of Councilor Jacobson's remote participation. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Hallett-Cook Yea Warner Yea Forge Yea Prive Yea Jacobson Abstain Johnston Yea Hoppe Yea Boyce Yea Carrier Yea Motion Result: Motion carried, 8 in favor, 1 abstention. The Council recessed at approximately 6:34 p.m. and reconvened at approximately 6:39 p.m. Reduce Contracted Services Line to Fund School Department ($50,000) Motion: Councilor Jacobson moved: "I move to reduce the new account, Contracted Services line, in the City Manager's Department, from $143,240 to $93,240, and move the $50,000 to the school department." Seconded by Councilor Carrier. Discussion: Councilor Jacobson explained the $143,240 line was budgeted for three new a-la-carte contracted services (human resources, payroll modernization, and trust management); the proposed reduction would eliminate two of the three. City Manager  5 Kloewer and Finance Director Cote described the operational impact. Council members discussed the procedural question of transferring funds to a school-budget line without DRA approval, similar to the issue raised in a prior motion. Councilor Jacobson subsequently offered to entertain a friendly amendment to reserve the $50,000 generated by the reduction, rather than transferring it directly to the school department, pending further direction on the transfer mechanism. Councilor Johnston called the question. Vote: Roll call vote to call the question: Councilor Vote Hallett-Cook Yea Warner Yea Forge Yea Prive Yea Jacobson Yea Johnston Yea Hoppe Yea Boyce Yea Carrier Yea Motion Result: Unanimous, 9–0, in favor of question called. Roll call vote on the motion, as amended: Councilor Vote Hallett-Cook Abstain Warner Nay Forge Nay Prive Nay Jacobson Yea Johnston Nay Hoppe Nay  6 Councilor Vote Boyce Nay Carrier Yea Motion Result: Motion failed, 6 nays, 2 yeas, 1 abstention. Charter Section 32(A), Increase School Property Tax Revenue by $2,225,516.51 Motion: Councilor Carrier moved: "Whereas Charter Section 32(A) states that our base tax cap cannot restrict the City from paying bills that are mandated by state or federal government; and whereas special education costs and spending are mandated by the federal government; and whereas we have received legal advice stating that we can use this section of the Charter in this way; and whereas we received public input on June 29, with roughly 80% of speakers and letter writers speaking in favor of this spending, I therefore move that the City of Franklin increase school property tax revenue by $2,225,516.51, to be dedicated to special education expenses." Seconded by Councilor Forge. Discussion: Councilors Jacobson and Carrier spoke in support, citing public turnout at a prior workshop. Councilor Johnston stated he could not support the motion without a tax-cap-compliant budget from the school board itemizing which federal- and state- mandated program costs would go unmet. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Hallett-Cook Abstain Warner Nay Forge Yea Prive Nay Jacobson Yea Johnston Nay Hoppe Abstain Boyce Nay Carrier Yea  7 Motion Result: Motion failed, 4 nays, 3 yeas, 2 abstentions. Raise Additional $1,000,000 for Special Education Motion: Councilor Carrier moved: "For the reasons stated in the previous motion, I move that the City of Franklin raise an additional $1,000,000 through the city/school portion of the property taxes, to be dedicated to special education expenses at the schools." Seconded by Councilor Forge. Discussion: Discussion centered on whether the school board had demonstrated a documented funding gap for state- and federally-mandated special education services, and on the source and reliability of the $2.25 million figure cited in support of the funding request. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Hallett-Cook Yea Warner Nay Forge Yea Prive Nay Jacobson Yea Johnston Nay Hoppe Nay Boyce Nay Carrier Yea Motion Result: Motion failed, 5 nays, 4 yeas. Adjust Tax Split, City to School, by $1,000,000 Motion: Councilor Carrier moved: "I move that the City of Franklin adjust the tax split between the city and the schools to reduce revenue on the city side by $1,000,000 and increase revenue on the school side by $1,000,000." Seconded by Councilor Jacobson.  8 Discussion: City Manager Kloewer noted the amount represented roughly 5% of the City's operating budget and 10% of its personnel budget. Councilor Hallett-Cook expressed general support for shifting Franklin's tax split closer to municipal norms but concern about doing so in a single year without a phase-in. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Hallett-Cook Nay Warner Nay Forge Nay Prive Nay Jacobson Yea Johnston Nay Hoppe Nay Boyce Nay Carrier Yea Motion Result: Motion failed, 7 nays, 2 yeas. Adjust Tax Cap Split to Fund Athletics Program ($278,627.15) Motion: Councilor Carrier moved: "I move that the City of Franklin adjust the tax cap split to deliver $278,627.15 to the school district, and decrease the city revenue side by the equivalent amount, that number being the figure provided by the school board that would fund the athletics program." Seconded by Councilor Forge. Discussion: Council members compared this figure to the $58,026 estimated cost of preserving the adult education program. Councilor Warner cautioned that the Council can set a top-line revenue figure for the school department but cannot direct how the school board spends it. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Carrier Yea  9 Councilor Vote Boyce Nay Hoppe Nay Johnston Nay Jacobson Yea Prive Nay Forge Yea Warner Nay Hallett-Cook Yea Motion Result: Motion failed, 5 nays, 4 yeas. Transfer $10,000 to Fund Property-Assessing Methodology Consultant Motion: Councilor Warner moved: "I move to transfer $10,000 from account 01-3-125- 40490-000 (Drainage and Vegetation, Other Property Services) to a new expenditure line to fund a consultant to assist with moving Franklin to a property-assessing methodology that includes income or revenue potential as an assessment criterion, in addition to real property value." Seconded by Councilor Prive. Discussion: Councilor Warner noted the source line had been increased $10,000 over the prior year but was less than 50% spent as of the end of April. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Carrier Yea Boyce Yea Hoppe Yea Johnston Nay Jacobson Yea Prive Yea  10 Councilor Vote Forge Yea Warner Yea Hallett-Cook Yea Motion Result: Motion carried, 8–1. Transfer $5,000 to the Same Assessing-Methodology Consultant Line Motion: Councilor Warner moved: "I move to transfer $5,000 from account 01-3-125- 40611-000 (Drainage and Vegetation Supplies) to the same new expenditure line established in the preceding motion, to fund a consultant to assist with moving Franklin to a property-assessing methodology that includes income or revenue potential as an assessment criterion, in addition to real property value." Seconded by Councilor Forge. Discussion: Councilor Carrier requested that, going forward, motions drawing from multiple lines toward one purpose be combined into a single motion for clarity. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Carrier Yea Boyce Yea Hoppe Yea Johnston Nay Jacobson Yea Prive Yea Forge Yea Warner Yea Hallett-Cook Yea Motion Result: Motion carried, 8–1. Establish New Revenue Line for State Aid Reduction (Charter Section 32(A))  11 Motion: Councilor Jacobson moved: "I move, recognizing that there is a more than 2% reduction in the Aid Adequacy line of the school board's approved budget, that the 2% reduction figure is $181,496.32, and that the reduction is approximately $549,715, to establish a new revenue line increasing school revenue by the resulting makeup amount." Seconded by Councilor Carrier. Discussion: Councilor Hoppe questioned whether the figures used were actuals or projections, noting that actual audited numbers showed no year-over-year deficit; Councilor Jacobson responded that the figures were the best available given the school board's and City's differing fiscal calendars. City Manager Kloewer committed to research whether a Charter Section 32(A) appropriation can be made by the Council at any point in the year, rather than only during the budget cycle, once final actuals are available. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Carrier Yea Boyce Nay Hoppe Nay Jacobson Yea Prive Nay Forge Yea Warner Yea Hallett-Cook Yea Johnston Nay Motion Result: Motion failed for lack of the required two-thirds supermajority; 5 yeas, 4 nays. Councilor Carrier requested a point of information regarding why a simple-majority result had failed; City Manager Kloewer clarified that Charter Section 32(A) adjustments above the tax cap require a two-thirds supermajority under legal advice received, regardless of a simple-majority outcome. Transfer $275,000 from Patrol Full-Time Wages to School Department  12 Motion: Councilor Jacobson moved: "I move that we move $275,000 from account 01- 2-103-40110-00 (Patrol Full-Time Wages) and reserve it for the school department." Seconded by Councilor Carrier. Discussion: Councilor Jacobson explained that $275,000 represented roughly half of the estimated $550,000 cost of the four open patrol positions included in the proposed budget, and that the amount was drawn entirely from full-time wages with the expectation that the City Manager's department would rebalance related overtime, benefits, and payroll-tax lines accordingly. City Manager Kloewer and Councilors Boyce and Forge raised public-safety and staffing-burnout concerns, noting that pulling the funds would eliminate rather than merely freeze the positions and could increase overtime costs for existing staff covering the vacancies. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Carrier Yea Boyce Nay Hoppe Nay Johnston Nay Jacobson Yea Prive Nay Forge Nay Warner Nay Hallett-Cook Nay Motion Result: Motion failed, 7 nays, 2 yeas. Adjust Tax Split to Fund Adult Education Program ($58,026) Motion: Councilor Carrier moved: "I move that the City of Franklin make an adjustment to the property tax revenue split between the city and the schools to effect a $58,026 increase on the school side and an equivalent $58,026 decrease on the city side." Seconded by Councilor Hoppe. Discussion: Councilor Carrier noted the figure was the amount specified by the school board's budget to fund the adult education program. Councilor Jacobson asked Councilor Carrier to accept a friendly amendment bundling the adult-education and  13 school-sports funding values discussed earlier in the meeting; Councilor Carrier did not accept the amendment. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Carrier Yea Boyce Nay Hoppe Nay Johnston Nay Jacobson Yea Prive Nay Forge Yea Warner Nay Hallett-Cook Yea Motion Result: Motion failed, 5 nays, 4 yeas. Curbside Collection Program City Manager Kloewer presented a proposed rescission and replacement of the City's trash-collection ordinance, moving to a per-barrel sticker fee system administered through the City Clerk's Office, MSD, and the transfer station, with an estimated two- to three-month rollout and estimated program revenue of approximately $150,000. He also outlined roughly $400,000 in department-head-identified potential budget reductions across MSD, Police, Fire, and Parks, and committed to provide the Council with specific line numbers and positions if directed to proceed. Council members raised questions regarding public notice and hearing requirements for the ordinance change, transfer- station hours and fee structure, and the process for identifying department cuts. City Manager Kloewer committed to look into the applicable state RSA notice requirements in response to Councilor Boyce's citation of RSA 675:7 and to have a transfer-station operations plan ready for the next Council meeting. No motion was made on this item. A copy of the collection program proposal and corresponding ordinance changes have been included in these minutes. Charter-Change Public Hearing Scheduling  14 The Council discussed rescheduling the public hearing on proposed charter changes, previously set for July 20, due to scheduling conflicts for both the Mayor and City Manager. Councilor Hoppe suggested August 10; the Council reached general agreement to reschedule to that date, with the Legislative Committee meeting on July 23 and the City Council meeting on August 3 to further define the specific scope of the hearing beforehand. Councilor Jacobson raised a point of order regarding what additional documentation, beyond the specific charter-change language already provided in the June 1 Council agenda packet, would be needed; City Manager Kloewer committed to review the minutes of that meeting to confirm the exact wording used in the relevant motions. Additional Budget Workshop Dates The Council confirmed two additional FY2027 budget workshops, both to be held at the Franklin Public Library at 6:00 p.m.: Monday, July 13, and Wednesday, July 15. A previously scheduled workshop for July 9 was confirmed cancelled due to the City Manager's unavailability. The Council also noted an upcoming Legislative Committee meeting on July 23 and a public hearing regarding the Trestle Bridge project on July 27, with the City Manager to confirm whether the Elks Lodge is available as an alternate venue for the July 27 hearing given anticipated attendance. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Councilor Hoppe moved: "to adjourn." Seconded Forge. Vote: Roll call vote. Councilor Vote Carrier Yea Boyce Yea Hoppe Yea Johnston Yea Jacobson Nay Prive Yea Forge Yea Warner Yea Hallett-Cook Yea  15 Motion Result: Motion carried, 8–1. The meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brenda Demers Executive Secretary With AI Assistance  16 FY27 Trash Policy and Rollout It is expected that the new process will take between 2 and 3 months to completely roll out. The city will need to send out notices to all eligible citizens per SS257 explaining the stickers, where to get them and the cost. The City will need to procure year colored stickers the current plan is a different shape for each size of container. The shape will remain constant each year but the color will change. Eventually The city will synchronize Transfer Station, Solid wase pickup bin and Beach Access sticker color to be consistent across each year. Each Trash container sticker will be serialized and the numbers on the sticker will be assigned to the home address through a registration process at time of sticker purchase. Stickers will need to be placed on the upper front portion of the bucket where the truck operator can clearly see it displayed. Stickers inappropriately placed on buckets will result in no trash pickup. Approximately one month into the transition process additional notices will be sent to residents that have not opted into the program explaining the exact date their trash service will be discontinued and what the process is to purchase stickers and opt into the collection system. Several ideas have been discussed to have alternate places and times to remind citizens to opt into the system and sell stickers. Ultimately Stickers will be available to purchase online and mailed out to residents. This feature may not be available until FY28 for sticker renewal. On the week prior to the date of execution, the city will facilitate following the trash pickup trucks. Any residents that have not opted into the system at this point will have their city owned buckets collected by the city immediately after the collection truck empties the bucket. All non-stickered buckets will need to be returned to the city. On the week of execution, the city will request the Contractor contact the city if they encounter a bucket with no sticker. These buckets will not be emptied by the contractor but will be collected by the city. The bucket will be emptied at the transfer station and returned to the MSD facility for repair and reissue. After the date of execution, the contractor will not empty any bucket without a valid sticker. Franklin Residents can choose any combination of buckets they wish, but each individual bucket will need a valid sticker to be collected. Current estimated fees. 96 Gal Bucket $125 64 Gal Bucket $90 48 Gal Bucket $65  17 Chapter 257. Solid Waste Article II. Automated Containerized Residential Curbside Collection System § 257-20. Purpose. The purpose of the residential curbside collection program is to provide an efficient, reliable and effective means of solid waste collection for City residential/noncommercial properties as specified per this chapter. Per the adoption of this chapter, the Franklin City Council is continuing with its current residential automated curbside collection program with the noted changes, which now differentiates between residential and commercial curbside collections. This will include the collection of residential household municipal solid waste, as well as commercial containerized commercial collection by means of an outside contractor(s) approved by the City to operate within City limits and to use CRSWRRC facilities for disposal by means of registering annually on July 1 with the City Municipal Services Department. The sections below will address the automated collection service authorized and approved by the City Council and to be implemented by City staff per this chapter and the applicable policies, guidelines and regulations issued by the Director. § 257-21. Transition from current automated curbside collection system/"base level service," to automated "residential" curbside collection system/"base level service." Fees associated with Solid Waste removal. Until such time as the new automated residential curbside collection system is fully implemented, the current curbside collection practices and procedures will remain in effect. The City owns all containers used for automated pickup of residential curbside trash collection. These containers will be removed from all commercial properties when City services to commercial properties are phased out. During this transition period the property owner(s) will be duly notified of the options and services available. The City reserves the right to phase in the implementation of revised residential automated curbside collection program to more efficiently deal with and address any operational issues and resulting changes. During this transition period, light commercial and multifamily dwellings three and over, except for owner-occupied three-family dwellings, currently being serviced will be phased out consistent with this chapter. Those affected property owners will be notified in advance of changes to their service and provided options consistent with § 257-22 below. These properties will not be phased out until July 1, 2024. Once the transition occurs, this section is null and void. Base Level Solid Waste removal withing the City limits of Franklin will be provided by the city and funded through a fee-based system. Associated fees will be based on the number and size of the specialized container provided by the city. The yearly fee schedule will be posted in Appendix 1 of the current FY budget. Participation in the Base Level service will be restricted per § 257-22. Base level service and will be optional for all eligible city residents. Fees will be collected yearly in exchange for a sticker to be applied to the city provided specialized container. If the current year’s sticker is not properly applied to each container the contractor will not empty the container. The city will remove all city owned specialized containers from residents not wishing to participate in the basic service. Stickers can be purchased at the City Clerk’s Office, Municipal Service Office, and Transfer Station. § 257-22. Base level service.  18 The implementation of the automated residential curbside collection program is carried out through the creation of a base level of service that is available to properties identified below. This residential base level service will be carried out using the same City-owned containers. See § 257-23 for a description of the types and sizing of the containers to be used. Properties not covered under the base level of service will rely on individually contracted commercial services (see Article IV below). This residential base level service will be carried out using the same City-owned containers. See § 257-23 for a description of the types and sizing of the containers to be used. A. Single- and two-family residences and owner-occupied three-family dwellings. All such residences must be on accepted, maintained public ways. Accessible private ways, as outlined in Subsection D below, will continue to be eligible for the base level automated residential curbside collection system services provided by the City. B. Multifamily residential buildings with three units or greater where one unit is not occupied by the building owner. These units are considered commercial entities under provisions of this chapter and will not be serviced by the City automated residential curbside collection system. C. Commercial properties. These properties are not serviced by the City's automated residential curbside collection system in conformance with the provisions of §§ 257-23 through 257-30. D. Municipal buildings, public schools. (under the fiscal control of the Franklin School District), charter schools and churches. These facilities will be serviced by the City's automated curbside collection system. E. Properties on private roadways or unaccepted subdivisions/roadways. These properties are potentially eligible for automated residential curbside collection service provided that the owner(s) or appropriate responsible parties provide the City with a release of liability, in a format acceptable to the City Attorney, and the subject property is fully accessible, as determined by the Director, to the City's collection vehicles in all seasons. All requests to provide residential base level service to these properties must be made in writing, and a site visit by the Director shall be conducted on a periodic basis to determine the adequacy of the access and the ability to properly situate containers for the automated pickup. The base level curbside collection service for these properties may be discontinued by the City at any time if the owner, developer, or the appropriate responsible party fails to maintain the road or accessway so that the City's/Contractors collection vehicles cannot properly, safely, and adequately access the subject properties for the automated collection. The Director may issue warning letters to these properties, but service may also be immediately discontinued or stopped without notice if adequate access is not provided as determined by the Director. F. Use of transfer station by Franklin nonprofit volunteer groups or individuals. Franklin nonprofit volunteer groups/individuals who clean City of Franklin parks, roads, cemeteries, and other common municipal properties needing to dispose of solid waste and/or recyclables generated within the boundaries of the City of Franklin may dispose of said material at the transfer station without being subject to Chapter 106 Current FY Budget Appendix 1, Fees. G. Properties are not eligible for automated residential curbside collection system provided by the City. (1)  19 Condominium/apartment buildings or complexes, or multifamily buildings, with three or more individual residential dwellings. (2) Mobile/manufactured home parks, campgrounds, vacant lots and homes under an enforcement order for a Solid Waste Ordinance violation. (3) Any property listed in Subsection E that does not provide the release of liability, and/or the accessway is not reasonably accessible, as determined by the Director, to the collection vehicles. § 257-23. Automated residential curbside collection containers for City and established "base level service"; sizing, weight, maximum weekly pickup, container maintenance: A. The base level service for the automated residential curbside collection will be accomplished using specialized containers designed for automated pickup by the City's contracted service. Generally speaking, the containers supplied by the City will continue to be 48, 64, or 96 gallons in size. The yearly fee associated with each size container can be found in the current FY budget, Apendex 1. B. Only approved containers, as obtained through the City, shall be used by the eligible properties for curbside pickup. No non-automated configured containers or standalone bags shall be used by the customer for the purpose of curbside pickup. All municipal solid waste must be bagged and placed in the designated container with the lid closed. Over packing of containers should be avoided as the container many not completely empty when dumped. C. For residential properties, two units and under, and owner-occupied three units, the maximum weekly amount of trash that will be picked at the curb by the City will not exceed 192 gallons per housing unit, regardless of the number of containers. each individual address opting into the service will be required to have at least one city owned/provided containers assigned to the address. The total weight of trash placed in a container will not exceed 200 pounds. All containers of waste that exceed the "base level service" amount must be disposed of at the transfer station or through the use of a residential, property owner purchase of a specified container from the City. D. Appropriately sized City-specified containers, or containers approved by the Director or designee(s), shall be provided by the City to each property owner eligible for curbside pickup. at no charge up to the 192-gallon capacity. The Director or designee(s) will work with the solid waste staff to determine the sized containers for individual properties based on the amount of trash a property generates. Historic solid waste generation rates and/or trash audits may be conducted to determine the properly sized containers to be provided to each eligible residential property. Residence can request specific sizes and number of containers, but must purchase the appropriate sticker for each container. If each year’s sticker is not properly applied to each container the contractor will not empty the container. Upon implementation of this chapter, All excess containers (over base level service) and those without current year stickers, will be removed from the property by the MSD Department. E. If a property owner/customer finds that the size of the container is not adequate, then the MSD office should be contacted to discuss an exchange and upgrade of the container unit and current year sticker.  20 A "trash audit," discussed in § 257-12 above, might be used to determine the need for an increase in the size of the container and/or number of containers. F. For single-family, two-family units, and three-family owner-occupied units, the Director shall determine how many containers will be provided. More than one unit might be required to share trash containers based on site-specific conditions and circumstances. G. The containers are the property of the City of Franklin and are not to be removed from the property even in the event of a change in ownership or resident status. All automated containers shall be assigned to a street address. H. If a container is stolen from a specific property, then the owner or resident shall contact the MSD office to report the theft. § 257-24. Automated residential curbside collection schedule and holiday schedules. The collection schedule for pickup shall be prepared by the Director or designee(s). The schedule, to include holiday collection, will be available at City Hall, the transfer station, the MSD Office, on the City website in the "Transfer Station Guidelines," and in educational materials distributed through the schools and civic organizations. The holiday collection schedule will be posted in January of each year. Delays due to unforeseen circumstance, such as snow storms or mechanical issues, will be posted on the home page of the City's website. § 257-25. Preparation of materials for residential and commercial automated curbside collection. A. For the automated curbside collection system, both commercial and residential, all trash shall be placed into the appropriate containers so that the lid can be securely shut. No solid waste placed on the ground or on top of a container or in any unapproved containers will be picked up by the City or its contractor. The containers shall not be overfilled or arranged in any manner that will prevent the lid from remaining closed at all times to prevent water from filling the container or to provide access to animals. If containers are improperly placed, overfilled or contain unacceptable items, the City or contractor reserves the right to refuse container pickup. B. Any spillage from any containers placed for curbside pickup such as that resulting from animals, wind- blown litter and other weather conditions, etc., shall be the responsibility of the owner/customer to clean up. City staff or contractor will not pick up or clean up such spillage. The City strongly recommends that all residents take care to protect the containers against spillage, wind-blown litter, vandalism and intrusion by animals. C. All trash must be bagged before placing it into the trash container. D. In the event of inclement weather or mechanical breakdowns resulting in a disruption to the pickup schedule, the container should be left out for pickup the following day and placed in a manner as not to interfere with snow removal operations.  21 § 257-26. Placement of containers. A. For the automated residential and commercial curbside containerized collection program, the containers shall be placed at the curbline and outside of the travel way and off the edge of the paved roadway at the end of the driveway apron, or at another appropriate location so that it is accessible for automated truck pickup. It is essential that containers be placed three feet apart and four feet away from any type of fixed object including but not limited to parked vehicles, mail boxes, trees, utility poles, overhead wires, etc. In selected cases, the Director or designee(s) may designate a specific location for the placement of containers. B. The containers shall be in place ready for collection by 6:45 a.m. on the designated collection day. The containers shall not be placed out for collection before 5:00 p.m. on the previous day. C. City staff or contractor will not cross over private property to pick up solid waste materials. D. The container handle must be facing inward toward the residence to allow for the automated truck to properly pick up and dump the container. § 257-27. Removal of empty containers. Empty containers shall be removed from the collection point by the end of the collection day and properly stored on the owners' property. Containers that are not removed from the point of collection within 24 hours after being emptied may be removed by the City or contractor for noncompliance. § 257-28. Approved materials for curbside collection. Waste can be placed in both green and gray lid containers. Recyclable materials shall be mixed in with regular household trash. Recycling of certain household items may be dropped off at the transfer station in accordance with the "Transfer Station Guidelines." See § 257-29 below for prohibited/acceptable and unacceptable items. § 257-29. Prohibited and unacceptable materials and/or hazardous waste. Certain materials will not be collected by the City or the contractor at the curbside. These items include but are not limited to: sand, stone, or brick products, construction or demolition/building materials, electronics of any type, household appliances, auto parts, waste oil, paint, furniture, oils of any type, yard waste or tree limbs/roots, hot ashes, asbestos, propane tanks, pressurized containers, mercury- containing devices, and scrap metal. If any resident has a question on whether or not an item is accepted or prohibited, they can contact the MSD office for more information. The Director is authorized to make a final determination as to what constitutes prohibited and unacceptable materials. Many of the items listed above are accepted at the transfer station for recycling or general disposal, some of which require a fee. (See Article III for more information on the transfer station). No hazardous materials or waste are permitted to be placed out for curbside pickup. All hazardous materials shall be disposed of at a City-sponsored or sanctioned hazardous waste collection day, or at a regional collection facility authorized to accept hazardous materials. § 257-30. City's right to refuse pickup.  22 For the automated collection program in general, if the Director or designee(s) determine that materials being placed out for curbside pickup are unacceptable, or if the materials are not properly containerized or managed per the provisions of this chapter, then the City reserves the right to not pick up said materials. The property owner or resident will then be responsible for removing the materials from the curb or other location and properly disposing of the materials at the transfer station or other appropriate disposal facility. § 257-31. through § 257-40. (Reserved)