News

The Franklin County Commissioners this afternoon joined with other local leaders in expressing their support for a statement and list of action steps put forth by a coalition of local African American leadership addressing racism, bias, and the future of our community.  The statement follows several days of widespread protests in Columbus, and many years of strained relations between the police and the African American community in Central Ohio and across the nation.
 

Franklin County Administrator, Kenneth N. Wilson this morning announced that some Franklin County agencies would begin bringing staff back into their usual work stations and some offices would be renewing access to the public, but with significant restrictions.
 

For the third day in a row, people of Central Ohio gathered downtown to protest the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the unequal treatment of people of color by police forces in many instances around the nation.  Commissioner Boyce attended the event with several other elected officials, including Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin.  While supporting the crowd’s right to peacefully protest, the group was sprayed by police with pepper spray.  None of the elected officials was seriously hurt.

All of the Franklin County Commissioners support the protesters in the peaceful expression of their pain, and sympathize with their cause.  We call for restraint from both protesters and police, and insist that all sides take care to avoid any injury or destruction of property.

We will continue to work and fight against the racism and inequity that exist throughout the nation.
 

Peaceful protest has a long and important history in our country, and we will not condemn it.  We do call on both the protestors and the police to exercise restraint.  The safety of all of our community members must be our highest priority.  Addressing the systemic inequities that have led us to this point must be our ultimate objective.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners yesterday voted to invest an additional $2.6 million in rental and mortgage assistance to help residents in danger of eviction or foreclosure.  The initiative includes redirected federal TANF funding for the PRC (Prevention, Retention, and Contingency) program via Job and Family Services, new CARES Act dollars for PRC Plus, an expansion of the PRC program, and an investment of CARES Act dollars in the Housing Stabilization Coalition’s HOPE Fund. 

Restaurants and other businesses that make up the local food economy have never had it easy with mass competition and low profit margins, but a new tool being launched today by the Franklin County Commissioners will give those businesses a competitive edge.

The Franklin County Commissioners this morning passed a resolution acknowledging racism as a public health crisis in America, joining Franklin County Public Health which made a similar declaration last week, and a growing chorus of public health officials in recognizing racism as a social determinant of health. 

Her husband rocketed to fame as one of America’s finest pilots and astronauts, but Annie Glenn was also an American hero and a trailblazer for women and people with disabilities.  She overcame obstacles that would have silenced most and became an inspiration for millions across the country, all while raising a family and living in a spotlight she never sought.  Annie Glenn was among the greatest Ohioans.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners this morning released their fifth annual State of the County report, acknowledging the challenges that 2020 has already brought, and highlighting many of their accomplishments from last year.  Broken down into sections according to the commissioners’ core principles of Community Safety and Security, Job Creation and Economic Development, Health and Human Services, Environmental Sustainability, and Fiscally Responsible Government, the report lists accomplishments and statistics, and highlights particular commissioner initiatives. 
 

In recent weeks, there has been an alarming uptick in anti-immigrant, anti-Asian, and anti-Jewish speech online and in lots of communities across the state and nation, and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners cannot condemn these attacks strongly enough.