News

The Franklin County commissioners and sheriff broke ground on a new county jail at a ceremony on the city’s west side. The first phase of the project will include almost 900 beds for inmates, cost approximately $175 million, and is set to open in late 2019. Phase one will allow the county to close the current downtown jail facility, which first opened in 1969, and additional future construction will eventually total more than 2,000 beds and lead to the closure of the other current Franklin County jail facility on Jackson Pike. 
 

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners, in support of local partners, encourage Franklin County residents to dispose of their expired, unused or unwanted prescription medications safely on Saturday, October 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Franklin County and the City of Columbus have been recognized for the Columbus & Franklin County Local Food Action Plan, the Green Business Urban Agriculture Plan, and a joint food team to implement the two plans.  The collaborative effort provides a framework to unify residents, schools, community organizations, businesses, and local government in supporting a healthy, strong, and resilient local food system.  The statewide award for Best Practices in Planning, given annually by the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association, honors outstanding planning and planning leadership, and was presented at a ceremony in Athens on September 28th.

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners sent a letter to both of Ohio’s U.S. Senators, Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, urging them to “oppose Graham-Cassidy and instead work with their colleagues in the Senate to advance legislation that improves, rather than destroys, our current healthcare system.”

All three members of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the County Administrator have recently been appointed to leadership roles within National Association of Counties (NACo) policy steering committees, ad hoc and standing committees, and various caucuses and task forces.

Franklin County Commissioners’ Statement on the Rescinding of DACA

Franklin County Commissioners' Statement on the Events in Charlottesville, Virginia

August is Child Support Awareness Month and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) want to remind parents that making regular and timely support payments contributes to the wellbeing of their children and helps to ensure that their basic needs are being met. To anyone that is behind or struggling to make their child support payments, Franklin County wants to work with you to help you support your children.
 
Franklin County has partnered with Columbus State, and dozens of other community partners and employers to host the 2017 Franklin County Empowerment Day Resource & Job Fair on Thursday, August 10 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Columbus State Conference Center, 315 Cleveland Avenue. The event is free and open to the entire community.

During the Resilient Counties Forum at the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference and Exposition held on Sunday, July 23^rd at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Franklin County was awarded a SolSmart Bronze designation for taking important steps to encourage solar energy growth in the county.
 

The Franklin County commissioners today are welcoming up to 3,000 of their counterparts from counties all over the United States to Central Ohio.  The visiting commissioners are attending the 82^nd National Association of Counties Annual Conference and Exhibition, which runs through next Monday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.  The National Association of Counties (NACo) unites America’s 3,069 counties to share best practices, and advocates on behalf of county governments in Washington, D.C.