News

This week, the commissioners are making grants to two agencies and three separate programs to address digital inequity among vulnerable seniors in our community.  The $80,585 in funding comes from the American Rescue Plan, and the partner agencies are Central Community House and Community Refugee and Immigrant Services.
 

With a $680,000 grant this week, the commissioners are investing in the Alvis Halfway House at 1755 Alum Creek Drive in order to allow Alvis to expand its facility to serve an additional 70 clients at a time.  The expansion will allow Alvis to serve up to 325 individuals at one time, including with behavioral health services, workforce development, case management, healthcare, and a gym. 
 

Public Technology Institute (PTI) recently announced that Franklin County and the Franklin County Data Center (FCDC) were awarded with Significant Achievement in web services, e-government, and mobile applications. The award salutes the county’s innovations with Microsoft Dynamics 365 to create tailored, data-driven assistance for boys and young men of color.

The Franklin County Commissioners are proud of the annual Columbus Pride Festival and our community's collective work to establish Central Ohio as a smart, open, diverse, welcoming, and inclusive place to live.  We look forward to celebrating in person again at the 2022 Pride Parade and Festival, and in the meantime encourage our residents to visit stonewallcolumbus.org to learn how to virtually celebrate Pride 2021—From a Moment to a Movement this year. 

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.