Efficient, Responsive, & Fiscally Sustainable Government Operations

Efficient, Responsive, and Fiscally Sustainable government operations are the hallmark of a strong and accountable local government, and the commissioners’ commitment to this principle is reflected in everything from the way that they manage our county’s more-than $2 billion budget, to the way that they recruit, retain, and take care of the best local government workforce in Ohio.

Agency Partner: Office of Management and Budget

The commissioners’ Office of Management and Budget (OMB) works with every county agency and elected official to help the commissioners and county administration create a balanced, thoughtful, and forward-looking $2.2 billion budget each year. OMB staff also ensures that the county’s resources are aligned with goals and performance measures, and creates financial reports and forecasts. Together, they provide fiscal accountability and facilitate informed decisions in support of the highest-quality services for county residents.

This year, OMB redesigned its annual Residents’ Guide to the Budget publication, helped our county maintain its double Triple-A bond rating, and met its cash balance goal with 41.7% of total 2023 expenditures.

2023 Office of Management and Budget Stats:

3%

percentage of local governments nationwide with double Triple-A credit.

56.5%

of the General Fund budget is devoted to public safety and security.

39.9%

of the All-Funds budget is devoted to human services.

$92 Million

in the Franklin County Rainy Day Fund.

Program Highlight: Talk of the County

This year, County Administrator Kenneth N. Wilson started a new podcast all about the business of running Ohio’s largest county in which he interviews engaging guests to showcase projects and growth throughout the community. The first episodes focused on local government leaders and community cultural attractions, and featured guests such as Brooke Minto of the Columbus Art Museum, Dr. Frederic Bertley from COSI, Tom Katzenmeyer, CEO of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and Stacy Rodgers, the President-elect of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. All three county commissioners have guest-hosted or been guests themselves on the podcast, and many more exciting episodes are planned for the coming year. You can find Talk of The County online and anywhere you find your podcasts, with new episodes released every other Monday.

Agency Partner: Purchasing Department

The commissioners’ Purchasing Department oversees Procurement Services, Compliance, Mail Services, a Graphic Arts & Print Shop, and Surplus Auction Services, and helps county agencies procure the goods and services they need in a timely, cost-effective manner. Purchasing also partners closely with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to support outreach opportunities with local Small and Emerging Business Enterprises to help them learn how to work with the county and ensure that our list of contractors and vendors reflects the community we serve.

2023 Purchasing Department Stats:

Compliance:
7,060	Total number of purchase orders processed
$479,508,919.67	Total dollar amount of purchase orders processed
386	Total number of P-Card accounts processed
3,431	Total number of P-Card transactions
Mail Services:
1,803,496	Total pieces of outgoing mail processed
$230,519.94	Total savings
Print Shop:
159,638	Printed tax bill impressions for the treasurer
2,574,570	Printed envelope impressions for all agencies
870,451	Printed color copier impressions
2,304,966	Printed black and white copier impressions
2,547,462	Printed sheetfed - offset impressions
107	Printed wide format impressions (posters)
5,424,907	Impressions for court file printing
30,904	Printed impressions absentee test decks
75,140	Printed impressions for live absentee ballots
1,679,979	Printed impressions for provisional ballots
$1,283,223.02	Estimated cost savings
Surplus Auction:
4,792 items sold totaling $5,032,695.61 from 2003-2023

Our new hires are amazed at the benefits, starting pay, and training we offer at Franklin County... We have heard from many employees that getting a job with Franklin County has been life changing and that they never dreamed they could have careers that would be so rewarding.

~ Laura Repasky, Director of Human Resources

Agency Partner: Human Resources

The commissioners know that the strongest part of county government will always be our devoted team members who work every day to ensure that the county is running smoothly and that our residents can access the services and supports that we offer. Their Human Resources department is responsible for providing quality employment services, effective training, and technical human resources assistance as well as benefits and wellness programing for the commissioners’ approximately 1,500 employees and the 14,000 people covered by the county’s cooperative health plan.

A few of the amazing benefits of working at Franklin County:

Comprehensive health and wellness care.
No-cost preventive care.
Emotional well-being solutions.
Family forming services, including adoption, surrogacy, and Assistive Reproductive Technology.
Gym membership reimbursement.
Tobacco cessation programing.
Financial coaching.
Nutrition counseling.
Comprehensive cancer resources.
Mental health first aid.

Efficient, Responsive, & Fiscally Sustainable Government Operations

Program Highlight: 5K

Each year since 2019, the commissioners have sponsored a 5K fun run for all county employees and their families as part of their regular wellness programing, and each year the event gets bigger and bigger. In 2020, county employees even completed virtual 5K runs on their own and submitted pictures of themselves and their families getting exercise together while staying six feet apart from everyone else.

Completion of the event counts toward wellness incentives and the event promotes employee health, team building, and morale. Last year, as many as 500 county employees and their family members from every agency and elected office participated, and the next Franklin County 5k is already on the calendar for 2024.

Award-Winning Care for Our Team

The investment the commissioners make in their team is even award-winning. In 2023, the county was named the Fifth Healthiest Employer in Ohio for its size and achieved a gold-level award from the Healthy Business Council of Ohio for the healthiest worksites.

award

Their Thrive On team was even invited to present at the annual Ohio Employee Wellness Conference, to serve on committees with the Healthy Business Council of Ohio and the uLead Leadership Network for Mental Health, and to appear on OhioHealth’s Wellbeing at Work podcast.

2023 Human Resources Stats:

More than $277,308

raised for local charities through the county’s Combined Charitable Campaign.

Every zip code

throughout the county is home to a Franklin County employee.

361

jobs posted.

6,631

applications received.

135

Full Time employees added.

Program Highlight: Franklin County’s New Digital Front Door

This year, the commissioners began a county-wide initiative to reimagine Franklin County’s public facing websites to better serve the needs of the public. This initiative, called One Franklin County, is taking its first public steps with a new digital front door for the county on www.franklincountyohio.gov which launched in April 2024. This new portal makes finding the services Franklin County provides to the public simple with intuitive and optimized search, service-centered navigation, and interactive features. But more than that, it is our first digital step in delivering on our promise to serve every resident, every day.

NEXT CORE PRINCIPLE

Good Stewardship of Natural Resources, Environmental Sustainability, & Civic Engagement