FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) – Franklin Councilman James Marshall is resigning because of health reasons.

(James Marshall at the January 2019 Council meeting. Marshall is resigning from Council effective April 30)

Marshall submitted a letter of resignation that the rest of Council accepted at Monday’s monthly meeting effective April 30, 2019.

Marshall’s resignation was expected after he told the Council at his January meeting that health issues would most likely prevent him from finishing his term in office, which ends December 31, 2019.

“I really don’t intend to finish my current term,” Marshall (who said in December that he wasn’t going to run for re-election) told his fellow council members at the end of the January council meeting. “I am going to go month-by-month. I will give you a month’s notice. I won’t just come in at the end of a meeting and say ‘that’s it.’”

Marshall, who started his 29th year on City Council in January, had missed a couple of meeting this year and was not at Monday’s meeting.

“I want to thank the people of District 2 for electing me seven times,” Marshall said back in January. “They first elected me in 1989. I appreciate their faith in me. I am not running again. Health issues prevent me from doing what I can do.”

The Council must name a replacement for Marshall within 45 days of his resignation or by June 14. Anyone who is eligible to hold a Council seat in District 2 can apply for the position. Letters of application for the job should be sent to City Hall no later than May 15, 2019, so that a replacement can be appointed at the Monday, June 3, Council meeting.

CITY TO GET NEW WEBSITE

The Council approved a contract with GovOffice to provide a new website that is more user-friendly to the City.

The total cost of the website for three years will be $15,400.00, including $9,240.00 in year one and $3,080.00 in years two and three.

The plan is to have the new website online by the end of the year.

Because the new website wasn’t budgeted for, the plan is the year one payment will be allocated between the City Hall maintenance agreement account ($7,803.00) and a capital account ($1,436.00).

A demonstration of what the new site will look like was presented to the Council.

PARKING CHANGE ON SASSAFRAS STREET APPROVED on FIRST READING

On a first-reading basis, the Council approved a parking change on Sassafras Street that will prohibit parking on the north side of the street between 11th Street and 12th Street.

According to Jamieson, this change allows people to park on the side of the street that mirrors the way they drive.

“We had considered making (Sassafras) one way, but our maintenance department had concerns because of plowing,” Jamieson said.

FINAL READING OF NOISE ORDINANCE TABLED

The final reading of the new Franklin Noise Ordinance was tabled until the May meeting because the current form of the ordinance wasn’t advertised.

A couple of small changes were made in the ordinance including only allowing the noise exception in the Central Business District between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. as well as changing some wording to allow for all manufacturing operations conducted within the area of the city that is zoned as an Industrial District.

In addition, a penalty section was added that says violation of the ordinance could result is a fine or not more than $300.00 and that failure to pay the fine could result in a term of no more than 30 days in the Venango County prison unless the Magisterial District Judge determines the defendant is without financial means to pay.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business the council:

• Authorized the Franklin Public Library to seek Commonwealth funding sources to address important capital projects. In doing so, the Council confirmed that the use of the facility shall remain a library for 50 years of the useful life of the project funded by the grant, whichever is shorter.
• Approved the following Parade and Park Requests (1) VFW Post 1835 — Downtown Streets and Bandstand Park for Memorial Day parade and ceremony May 27, 2019. (2) City/FFAC — Bandstand Park for Movies in the Park June 7, June 21, July 12, July 26, Aug. 9 and Aug. 23, 2019. (3) The Franklin Elks — Bandstand Park for Flag Day Ceremony June 14, 2019. (4) Doug Volmrich of The Blues and Barbeque Festival — Bandstand Park, Fountain Park, and 12th Street Island for the festival June 14-16, 2019. Not all locations will be used this year. (5) The Venango County Celebrate Recovery Committee — Bandstand Park for Annual Celebrate Recovery Event Sept. 20, 2019.
• Denied Certificates of Appropriateness for Electronic Signs at 1327 Liberty Street and 1046 Liberty Street.