News

A new program will help under-served Franklin County residents gain skills and experience to help them move into middle-class jobs. The program, County Futures, partners with local nonprofits with proven success in helping residents move from low-paying jobs to stable careers within county government where they earn benefits and a livable wage. 

The Franklin County Commissioners and Sheriff today dedicated the new James A. Karnes Corrections Center at 2551 Fisher Road on the county’s west side.  The new facility is scheduled to open later this year and will replace the county’s downtown jail, which was built in the 1960s.  It provides 864 beds, and a second phase of the new jail will open next year with an additional 426 beds.
 

This morning, the commissioners approved additional funding for their ground-breaking Building Futures pre-apprenticeship and workforce development program.  The program is a partnership with the Columbus Urban League and the Central Ohio Building Trades Council to help low-income residents transition into apprenticeships that will lead to well-paid jobs in the skilled construction trades.
 

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners announced this morning the appointment of Chanda Wingo to serve as Interim Director of the Franklin County Office on Aging.

This afternoon, 21 local charitable organizations received word that their applications for funding via the Franklin County Board of Commissioners’ 2022/2023 Community Partnership Grants program have been approved.  A total of 102 applications had been received for the competitive grants, which are awarded yearly to Franklin County community agencies that encourage economic development, further the community’s access to affordable healthcare, embrace racial equity, help to stabilize families and children in crisis, and protect the environment. 
 

On this Memorial Day, the Franklin County Commissioners honor the sacrifice of all those who have died in service to our nation.  Some of the names of the local service men and women who have paid the ultimate price in service to our nation 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 commissioners this morning voted to accept a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to operate a three-year program to address economic mobility and responsible parenting with teens and young adults.  The county’s Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) will administer the grant and provide instruction using the No Kidding Ohio curriculum to promote economic mobility, build parenting and healthy relationship skills, reduce unplanned pregnancies, and prevent relationship violence.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners this morning joined Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and representatives from IMPACT Community Action to formally open the Otto Beatty Jr. Men’s Shop at IMPACT’s facility on the near-south side of Columbus.  The shop will make professional attire available to men who are working to recover in the pandemic economy as well as providing wraparound supportive services, and is named after the congresswoman’s late husband, Otto Beatty Jr.
 

This morning, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved Community Partnership grants to six local community health agencies totaling $1,397,989.  The grants are to be administered by the commissioners’ Community Partnership program, which oversees grants to local agencies that seek to create good-paying jobs for residents and economic development opportunities for businesses, protect the environment, stabilize families and children, and further the community’s access to affordable healthcare.  Specifically, this set of grants supports the commissioner’s equity initiatives by funding agencies that will provide more equitable access to healthcare or positive health outcomes for residents.
 

The Franklin County Commissioners this morning released their annual State of the County Report, detailing the ways their office works to support Franklin County residents every day and throughout the year.  It’s available online at Report.FranklinCountyOhio.gov.  This year, there is particular focus on supports for families and businesses still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Among other supports, the commissioners’ team made almost $5 million in grants and loans to struggling small businesses last year, provided more than $6 million in rental and mortgage assistance for families, facilitated the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, and distributed more than 8.5 million items of personal protective equipment to local hospitals and other partners.