News

As they have in recent years, all three Franklin County Commissioners have been named to leadership roles with the National Association of Counties (NACo), which represents our nation’s 3,069 counties, nearly 40,000 elected county officials, and 3.6 million county employees.  In addition to the commissioners, County Administrator Kenneth Wilson, Job and Family Services Director Joy Bivens, and Director of the Office of Justice Policy and Programs, Michael Daniels have also been appointed to leadership roles.  Franklin has more staff and commissioners in leadership at NACo than any other county in Ohio.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners have provided letters of intent for $4 million of funding for 273 new affordable housing units in developments around Franklin County.  The funding is part of the new Franklin County Magnet Fund program, which is designed to induce new affordable housing projects to seek the federal 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit in addition to other sources.  Every $1 of Franklin County funding provided will leverage $11 in private/non-profit investment
 

Franklin County offers grants to help nonprofits that have been stretched thin during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are $5 million in grants available, which are in addition to $19 million in aid already provided to businesses and residents during this crisis. 

Twenty million in grants are now available to Franklin County nonprofits, thanks to a joint effort by Franklin County and the City of Columbus officials to create a safety net for agencies that have helped so much, they are now in critical need themselves.

 

On Independence Day, we celebrate our nation’s freedom from tyranny and our own freedoms as Americans.  Even as our country sometimes feels very divided, we know that America is a beacon of hope around the world because of ideals like the freedoms of speech and religion, freedom of the press, and to assemble freely and to petition the government.  The commissioners salute all of the men and women serving around the world to preserve those ideals, and wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day.
 
All county offices are closed today in observance of the holiday.
 

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Franklin County the Board of Commissioners convened an emergency meeting this evening and unanimously passed a resolution to uphold the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to wear cloth face coverings in public settings. 
 
By adopting this resolution, the Board of Commissioners support cities, townships and villages within Franklin County to pass local ordinances and emergency declarations, as allowable by law, to require residents in those communities to wear face coverings while visiting indoor settings like retail stores, restaurants and work settings.   
 

Beginning with June 19^th, 2021, the commissioners will be making Juneteenth an official paid county holiday for employees to replace the recognition of Columbus Day.     
                                                                 
June 19^th celebrates the abolition of slavery in America, and the recognition that African Americans are entitled to equal rights in this country they helped to build.  Yet 155 years later, their descendants and other people of color are faced with unequal opportunity in pursuit of the American Dream.  On this Juneteenth, we recognize the struggle that so many have endured and are still enduring to help us realize the dream of a more perfect union, and we stand with our residents in the ongoing fight for racial equity.

The pandemic may be limiting where youth can go this summer, but a new public-private partnership between COSI and the Franklin County Commissioners will ensure that youth still have plenty to do. The Franklin County Commissioners and the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) have teamed up to create free educational and entertaining activities rooted in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) that will be catered to students in kindergarteners through high school.
 

The pandemic may be limiting where youth can go this summer, but a new public-private partnership between COSI and the Franklin County Commissioners will ensure that youth still have plenty to do. The Franklin County Commissioners and the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) have teamed up to create free educational and entertaining activities rooted in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) that will be catered to students in kindergarteners through high school. These new activities and videos will be available on the COSI Connects webpage starting later this month and will be posted daily into the fall.

The Franklin County Commissioners this morning voted to pass a series of three resolutions that will provide more than $2 million in grants and loans to small businesses in Franklin County that are struggling in the depressed economy.  The money is available immediately and administered by partner agencies such as Rev-1, ECDI, and KIVA-Columbus.  The funding is provided from among several sources, the federal CARES Act, Community Development Block Grant funding, and through a generous contribution from JPMorgan Chase.