The general responsibilities of security and justice are among the most basic and most important that any county shoulders.
Nothing else can work well in the community if it isn’t safe, and the commissioners’ core principle committing to Community Safety, Security, and Effective Justice is one that they take very seriously. Almost 60% of the county’s General Fund budget supports safety, security, and justice initiatives and agencies such as the sheriff, court systems, county jail, and the commissioners’ office of Justice Policy and Programs.
Emergency Management and Homeland Security
The Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, or EMA, coordinates disaster planning, education, warning, response, and recovery efforts in order to prepare and protect the residents of Franklin County before, during, and after natural and man-made disasters.
One of the things that EMA has been busiest with this year is the ongoing COVID-19 response, with which it has worked very closely with the commissioners and Franklin County Public Health.