2023

Hearings got underway this afternoon for the county’s $2.2 billion annual budget with a presentation of the recommended budget by County Administrator Kenneth N. Wilson.  As the administrative arm of county government, the commissioners are responsible for setting the budgets for all of its 35 agencies and elected officials, including the 15 county agencies that report directly to them.  The commissioners will hear from the leadership of a number of county agencies over the course of several more hearings later this month, and then vote to approve the final 2024 budget on December 12^th.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners this afternoon announced the appointment of Ruchelle Pride as the interim director of their Economic Development and Planning department (EDP) following the retirement last week of its long-time director.  Economic Development and Planning is responsible for providing funding and technical assistance to support community development, and also oversees planning, zoning, land-use, and code enforcement for the unincorporated areas of the county.  Ms. Pride first came to work for Franklin County in 2007, and also serves as director of the county’s Justice Policy and Programs agency.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners honor and thank the more than 20 million living veterans of America’s armed forces and the many thousands who call our community home.  Their service and sacrifice, and that of their families, has preserved our nation of high ideals and helped America to project a beacon of freedom around the world.
 

This morning, the Franklin County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution allocating $181,270 to support a community farm in partnership with the Mid-Ohio Food Collective and located at the NBC4 headquarters on Olentangy River Road.  Today’s grant is the latest action in support of the Local Food Action Plan of Columbus and Franklin County, which seeks to address inequities in residents’ access to healthy, affordable food, and to strengthen the local food economy and supply chain.
 

This morning, the Franklin County Commissioners unanimously approved five resolutions at their General Session meeting that provide $5,834,192 in grant funding to 20 different community agencies that support Franklin County residents.  Sixteen of the grants totaling almost $4 million are via the commissioners’ usual Community Partnerships grant process to award county general fund money, and four are COVID-19 recovery grants allocating federal passthrough dollars.
 

The commissioners are shocked and saddened by this weekend’s terrorist attacks, and stand with our friends in Israel.  We pray for all of the families impacted in both Israel and Palestine, and for a peaceful, permanent solution to the conflict.
 

Earlier today, the Equity Now Coalition issued a statement in opposition to the proposed Columbus City Schools levy.  The Franklin County Board of Commissioners is a financial supporter of Equity Now and has a seat on its board of directors, but neither the commissioners nor the county administrator were consulted about the statement, and they do not support Equity Now’s actions in this matter. 

 

The Franklin County Commissioners today played host to former labor secretary and senior advisor to the president, Tom Perez, as they toured a Building Futures worksite and then attended a town hall meeting at the county courthouse.  Building Futures is an award-winning county jobs program that helps low-income residents get onto the path to success in the middle class.  Perez, who currently serves as senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs visited the Iron Workers’ training facility on Parsons Avenue and met with Building Futures graduate apprentices and staff.  Following the tour, Perez, led a moderated town hall meeting to hear from Franklin County residents about the issues that matter most to them as part of a series of events called Communities in Action: Building a Better America, which aims to celebrate the administration’s efforts to create opportunities for families nationwide.
 

The indictments today of several of the former members of Columbus Zoo leadership who were previously found to have misused zoo resources are a stark reminder that when you are entrusted with public resources, you should steward them to the highest ethical standard.  The Columbus Zoo is a community gem, and requires not only good stewardship, but accountability.

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners, county administration, and several of their top staff are again selected to serve in leadership positions this year with the National Association of Counties (NACo).  The organization represents nearly 40,000 elected officials serving in the more-than 3,000 American counties, helping share best practices among communities from across the nation and representing the interests of counties in Washington D.C.  As usual, Franklin County has more staff and commissioners among NACo leadership than any other county in Ohio.