News

A center which aims to reduce overdose deaths through an innovative, multidisciplinary approach and also targets known residents’ needs in the Franklinton community opens today, thanks to efforts by the Franklin County commissioners.

The Franklin County Commissioners passed a resolution this week authorizing updates to their employee pay structure, including raising the minimum pay of their employees to $17 per hour ($35,360 per year).  In order to address the “wage compression” that happens when just the lowest pay is increased, the changes will also include raising the minimum starting pay in each of the commissioners’ job classifications, and tenure raises for long-term employees.  The changes come following a salary and wage study performed by the national consulting firm, Clemans Nelson & Associates, and during what continues to be a tight labor market.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners this morning voted to approve a $2.5 million grant to the Mid-Ohio Food Collective to help that organization meet an unprecedented recent demand for food assistance.  One and a half million dollars of the grant will be dedicated to direct food purchases by the Food Collective, and $1 million will be targeted to support the local food system infrastructure in Franklin County.  The Mid-Ohio Food Collective works with a network of 680 partners and programs to provide more than 170,000 meals each day in Central and Eastern Ohio.
 

A new program will help under-served Franklin County residents gain skills and experience to help them move into middle-class jobs. The program, County Futures, partners with local nonprofits with proven success in helping residents move from low-paying jobs to stable careers within county government where they earn benefits and a livable wage. 

The Franklin County Commissioners and Sheriff today dedicated the new James A. Karnes Corrections Center at 2551 Fisher Road on the county’s west side.  The new facility is scheduled to open later this year and will replace the county’s downtown jail, which was built in the 1960s.  It provides 864 beds, and a second phase of the new jail will open next year with an additional 426 beds.
 

This morning, the commissioners approved additional funding for their ground-breaking Building Futures pre-apprenticeship and workforce development program.  The program is a partnership with the Columbus Urban League and the Central Ohio Building Trades Council to help low-income residents transition into apprenticeships that will lead to well-paid jobs in the skilled construction trades.
 

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners announced this morning the appointment of Chanda Wingo to serve as Interim Director of the Franklin County Office on Aging.

This afternoon, 21 local charitable organizations received word that their applications for funding via the Franklin County Board of Commissioners’ 2022/2023 Community Partnership Grants program have been approved.  A total of 102 applications had been received for the competitive grants, which are awarded yearly to Franklin County community agencies that encourage economic development, further the community’s access to affordable healthcare, embrace racial equity, help to stabilize families and children in crisis, and protect the environment. 
 

On this Memorial Day, the Franklin County Commissioners honor the sacrifice of all those who have died in service to our nation.  Some of the names of the local service men and women who have paid the ultimate price in service to our nation can be found enshrined at a display in their honor at Franklin County Memorial Hall at 280 W. Broad St. in Columbus and open to the public during normal county business hours.
 
All county offices are closed today in observance of the holiday.
 

The Franklin County commissioners this morning voted to accept a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to operate a three-year program to address economic mobility and responsible parenting with teens and young adults.  The county’s Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) will administer the grant and provide instruction using the No Kidding Ohio curriculum to promote economic mobility, build parenting and healthy relationship skills, reduce unplanned pregnancies, and prevent relationship violence.