Resident tells commissioners public-safety spending cut while county taxes unchanged; urges posting meetings

During the public-comment segment at the May 1 Franklin County commissioners meeting, resident Valerie Jordan of Fairfield and another commenter, Kenworth Chambersburg, addressed county activities. Valerie Jordan focused on county budgeting and public safety, telling commissioners she reviewed historical figures and concluded the county’s public-safety allocation dropped from $29.7 million in 2024 to $27.5 million in 2025.

"Franklin County's historical share when it comes to public safety over the past 3 years goes as follows. 2023, it was $28,600,000 In 2024, it was $29,700,000 In 2025, it was $27,500,000 So you cut that budget by $2,200,000," Jordan said. She said her own county tax bill had not decreased and urged commissioners to consider posting meeting videos on YouTube "into perpetuity." Jordan also cited several federal funding items in her remarks (infrastructure funding, Exit 12 project funds, community development block grant, and election grants) and warned that loss of federal funding would hurt local budgets.

Kenworth Chambersburg invited commissioners to a May 16 "Walk the Walk" event and encouraged commissioners and staff to participate; he noted registration is open until May 2. The transcript records these public comments but does not indicate any immediate response or action from the board during the meeting.

Provenance: public-comment remarks are recorded in the meeting transcript.