News

This morning, the Franklin County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution allocating $181,270 to support a community farm in partnership with the Mid-Ohio Food Collective and located at the NBC4 headquarters on Olentangy River Road.  Today’s grant is the latest action in support of the Local Food Action Plan of Columbus and Franklin County, which seeks to address inequities in residents’ access to healthy, affordable food, and to strengthen the local food economy and supply chain.
 

This morning, the Franklin County Commissioners unanimously approved five resolutions at their General Session meeting that provide $5,834,192 in grant funding to 20 different community agencies that support Franklin County residents.  Sixteen of the grants totaling almost $4 million are via the commissioners’ usual Community Partnerships grant process to award county general fund money, and four are COVID-19 recovery grants allocating federal passthrough dollars.
 

The commissioners are shocked and saddened by this weekend’s terrorist attacks, and stand with our friends in Israel.  We pray for all of the families impacted in both Israel and Palestine, and for a peaceful, permanent solution to the conflict.
 

Earlier today, the Equity Now Coalition issued a statement in opposition to the proposed Columbus City Schools levy.  The Franklin County Board of Commissioners is a financial supporter of Equity Now and has a seat on its board of directors, but neither the commissioners nor the county administrator were consulted about the statement, and they do not support Equity Now’s actions in this matter. 

 

The Franklin County Commissioners today played host to former labor secretary and senior advisor to the president, Tom Perez, as they toured a Building Futures worksite and then attended a town hall meeting at the county courthouse.  Building Futures is an award-winning county jobs program that helps low-income residents get onto the path to success in the middle class.  Perez, who currently serves as senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs visited the Iron Workers’ training facility on Parsons Avenue and met with Building Futures graduate apprentices and staff.  Following the tour, Perez, led a moderated town hall meeting to hear from Franklin County residents about the issues that matter most to them as part of a series of events called Communities in Action: Building a Better America, which aims to celebrate the administration’s efforts to create opportunities for families nationwide.
 

The indictments today of several of the former members of Columbus Zoo leadership who were previously found to have misused zoo resources are a stark reminder that when you are entrusted with public resources, you should steward them to the highest ethical standard.  The Columbus Zoo is a community gem, and requires not only good stewardship, but accountability.

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners, county administration, and several of their top staff are again selected to serve in leadership positions this year with the National Association of Counties (NACo).  The organization represents nearly 40,000 elected officials serving in the more-than 3,000 American counties, helping share best practices among communities from across the nation and representing the interests of counties in Washington D.C.  As usual, Franklin County has more staff and commissioners among NACo leadership than any other county in Ohio.
 

Central Ohio is the birthplace of the American Federation of Labor and the United Mine Workers of America, and holds a unique and important place in the history of the American labor movement.  The labor movement helped to create the American middle class, which built America into the economic superpower it remains today.  The commissioners celebrate the right to bargain collectively as among the most important to Americans, and salute the men and women of Labor. 
 
All county offices are closed today in observance of the holiday.
 

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners announced this morning the appointment of Patrick Gamble and Susan Cosmo as the county’s new Early Learning Policy Administrators. In their roles, Gamble and Cosmo will be instrumental in coordinating the development of policies and procedures for county initiatives that support early learning and youth development.
 

The Franklin County commissioners are hosting a Maternal Mortality Symposium this evening to discuss the rise in preventable deaths among new mothers nationwide and in Central Ohio.  Doors open for the event, which is free and open to the public, at 4:30 p.m. at COSI Columbus.  The event will include a screening of the award-winning documentary, Aftershock, which follows the tragic cases of two young American women who died after giving birth.  Following the movie, Commissioner Erica C. Crawley will be leading a discussion with local advocates and experts about what more can be done to stem the tide of maternal deaths.