News

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.
 

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners issue a statement in response to preliminary findings of an independent investigation released by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. 
 

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the Franklin County Administrator are being recognized as a leader of diversity and inclusion with two diversity awards announced today.  The awards recognize the commissioners' many efforts in this area, which include tackling the racial issues which cause disparate outcomes in wages, health care, infant mortality and so much more.

The Franklin County Commissioners continue to be concerned with the recent allegations involving the now-former executives of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The Board of Commissioners is committed to pressing for transparency and looks forward to the release of the results of the Zoo Board’s thorough investigation.  In addition, the Board of Commissioners supports conducting a forensic audit of all zoo funds, including the more than $19 million in levy funds the zoo receives annually from Franklin County taxpayers.  The commissioners have asked for the Zoo Board to immediately enhance financial safeguards, including the strict segregation of all levy funds from other zoo funds going forward. The commissioners have also requested an examination of the governance structure of the Zoo Board to determine if it continues to provide the highest level of oversight, transparency, and accountability to the public.
 

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is not only a world-class attraction for our community, but also a community investment.  It requires world-class leadership, appropriate community oversight, transparency, and that there be no hint of any impropriety in the management of the county taxpayers’ funds.

The recent accusations are distressing, and we immediately called for them to be investigated.  It is important that that investigation continue to its conclusion regardless of yesterday’s resignations in order to ensure the community’s continued trust in the organization.  Additionally, we believe that this process must also include a review of the current governance structure of the zoo.  

In the meantime, we look forward to an intensive, nationwide search for new leadership for the nation’s finest Zoo.