News

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.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners welcomed yesterday’s announcement that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended the moratorium on residential evictions through June.  Keeping the eviction halt in place was one of the commissioners’ policy priorities during this month’s National Association of Counties (NACo) Virtual Legislative Conference.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners today unanimously passed a resolution expressing their support for the more than 70,000 Asian-American and Pacific Islander residents of Franklin County, and condemning racism and discrimination in all its forms.  The move is in response to the recent series of attacks against Asian-Americans and residents of Pacific Islander descent, including the horrific murder last week of eight people in Atlanta, including six Asian-American women.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners this week bolstered their continued support for Future Ready Columbus with a new $400,000 grant for its Future Ready by 5 initiative.  The funding will help implement the program community-wide, including with a public awareness campaign, and aligns with the commissioners’ county-wide fatherhood initiatives.
 

The Franklin County commissioners voted this morning to approve contracts worth $2.5 million with Impact Community Action and the Community Shelter Board to provide immediate rental and utility assistance for Franklin County families that are struggling in the pandemic economy.  The funding is part of $13 million approved for Franklin County by Congress at the end of 2020, and should support nearly 800 individuals or families who have been hurt by the pandemic and are having trouble paying their rent or utility bills.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners approve one of the most comprehensive paid family leave acts in the state for its employees. The expanded Paid Family and Medical Leave policy went into effect at the beginning of year and allows county workers to take up to eight weeks paid leave for events like birth of a child, adoption, care for seriously ill family members, or quarantine or treatment due to COVID-19. It is an extension of the commissioners’ historic, temporary Paid Family and Medical Leave put in place early in the pandemic.