News

The Franklin County Commissioners today approved additional funding for the county engineer to expedite important repairs and improvements to infrastructure around the county.  Specifically, the funding, which comes from the county’s allocation from the American Rescue Plan, will support the engineer’s Stormwater Management Program, which utilizes and maintains vital underground infrastructure.
 

On this Memorial Day, the Franklin County Commissioners honor the sacrifice of all those who have died in service to our nation.  Central Ohio has a long and proud tradition of military service that is exemplified by countless families throughout our community who have put our country’s needs ahead of their own.  Some of the names of the local sons and daughters who have fought and died in our nation’s service 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 Board of Commissioners met today for the purpose of filling the vacancy left by the retirement last week of Commissioner Marilyn Brown.  Ohio law provides for the remaining two commissioners to appoint a replacement to serve until the outgoing commissioner’s political party names a permanent replacement to fill out the rest of the term.  At this afternoon’s meeting, the commissioners considered a resolution which Commissioner O’Grady amended in order to nominate Dawn Tyler Lee to serve in this interim capacity. After some deliberation, the two commissioners voted to appoint her to the seat.  Following the vote, Ms. Tyler Lee was sworn in at the county courthouse by Judge Kimberly Cocroft.  She is the first African-American woman county commissioner in Franklin County.


 

 

The Franklin County Commissioners have hired a new Chief Economic Equity and Inclusion Officer to help promote equitable and inclusive policies both inside and outside the commissioners’ office.  They’ve also filled an open position leading the county’s Office of Justice Policies and Programs, which advocates for smart justice solutions, works with young people involved in the justice system, and assists residents who are returning to the community from incarceration.
 

Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown announced this morning that she would be retiring from county government after more than 14 years as a commissioner. 
 
“As your county commissioner, I have always focused on serving the residents and families of Franklin County,” Brown said.  “But as the last year has made apparent, time spent with our families is both precious and fleeting, and while public service will always remain my passion, it is time to step aside to focus on being there for my family.”
 

This week, the commissioners approved a $3 million grant to Franklin County Stadium Inc., a non-profit organization that owns and operates the Columbus Clippers and Huntington Park baseball stadium on behalf of Franklin County.  Sports and tourism are a significant source of jobs and taxes for our community, bringing 43 million visitors to Franklin County in a typical year and accounting for nearly 80,000 jobs.  The pandemic shut the Clippers down in 2020, but the team and stadium are back up and running, and this investment will help them continue to bring visitors to our Arena District and keep the thousands of employees who work there busy.
 

Franklin County Animal Care and Control today announced that telephone service to its facility and dog shelter at 4340 Tamarack Blvd has been interrupted due to nearby construction activity.  The shelter remains open and is operating normally. 
 
Estimates are that it may take several days to restore normal telephone functionality.  In the meantime, the shelter has established several alternate phone numbers which the public can call for service.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners released their annual State of the County report yesterday, which can be found online at report.franklincountyohio.gov.  The report details the ways that the Board of Commissioners serves county residents every day and includes highlights from the commissioners’ 14 agencies and some county and community partners.  This year, the report focuses heavily on the many ways that the commissioners worked to help their residents weather the storm of COVID-19.  It declares the state of Franklin County to be strong, and looks forward to a future beyond the pandemic.
 

Today’s verdict in Minnesota is a hopeful sign that times may be changing.  It is definitely a sign that Americans are no longer satisfied with the old system in which the police can often not be held accountable regardless of the circumstances of the case.

We believe that there is a way to write laws and police contracts so that law enforcement have the tools they need to do their important jobs while still being accountable to the public they serve.  We will fight for those changes in every place that we can, and we applaud the hard work and sacrifice of the many who have long fought to change this system for the better.
 

This summer, the Franklin County Commissioners are once again supporting Franklin County young people who are working summer jobs or need a little help finishing all of their high school credits with a $4.5 million investment through their Job and Family Services department.  The funding comes from part of the county’s allocation from the American Rescue Plan and will support as many as 1,700 local youth as part of two separate programs.