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Public commenters press Franklin County on property assessments, corrections pay and jail privatization
Summary
At the Nov. 11 Franklin County commissioners meeting, resident Valerie Jordan urged higher pay for correctional officers, cited county fiscal figures and warned against privatizing the jail; a commissioner replied that average correctional officer pay in the county is about $25 per hour (~$52,000 annually) and comparable to neighboring counties. No
Valerie Jordan spoke during the public-comment period at the Nov. 11 Franklin County commissioners meeting, urging the board to consider employee pay and warning against privatizing the county jail.
Jordan cited several fiscal figures in her remarks: she said the average county assessment on real property is $21,000, asserted that a correctional officer pay raise would cost about $900,000 annually out of a $162,700,000 county budget, and stated that Franklin County received $33,000,000 from the state in 2025. She also asked the board not to sell or privatize the jail, referencing an attorney she identified as having suggested privatization.
"Don't sell because I also saw this. One of your attorneys gave the idea that you might wanna privatize the jail. You do not," Jordan said, addressing commissioners directly and urging them to retain public control of the facility.
Commissioner (speaker 2) responded during the same public-comment sequence, offering a correction on the pay comparison Jordan cited. He said the county's average correctional officer wage is about $25 per hour, which he equated to roughly $52,000 annually without overtime, and noted that Washington County's correctional staff are sheriff's deputies with broader law-enforcement responsibilities, which accounts for differences in job classification and pay. "Our average I think 2 weeks ago... is right around $25 an hour," the commissioner said.
Another resident who spoke during public comment urged collective responsibility for homelessness and said residents of Penn National face local prejudice, while acknowledging volunteerism and donations from that community.
The board did not take formal action on any of the items raised in public comment at this meeting; commissioners moved on to a consent agenda, proclamations and adjournment. The exchange between Jordan and the commissioner is recorded in the meeting audio and reflects a contested factual claim (pay comparisons) and a policy preference (opposition to jail privatization) expressed by a public commenter and answered by a commissioner.
