Harris: Economy downturn means tightening of belt

The Franklin Rotary Club received an update of affairs in Franklin from Mayor Raymond Harris Jr. on Tuesday, and while most of the news was of a positive nature, Harris did not sugarcoat the economic state of the community.
The economic woes Harris referred to in his brief speech to the group were primarily in regards to the decreasing amount of tax revenue the parish has been seeing due to the depression of the energy industry in the area. Harris said, while he was “not distraught” over the situation, the economy was cause for concern and action.
“I want to talk about the economy’s effect on us here,” Harris said. “We have had to tighten up our belt quite a bit. We are making sacrifices and scrutinizing every purchase. We are also looking to see what things we can do without and which contracts we can terminate. My staff and I are brainstorming and scrutinizing everything.”
Harris did have some positive news in regards to projects that were completed in 2015 including measures to control flooding in certain areas of Franklin.