Franklin County commissioners approve infrastructure projects, data‑center contract and multiple community grants; several abstentions noted

Franklin County commissioners met April 22, 2025, and voted to adopt a slate of resolutions that advance transportation projects, county technology infrastructure, public‑safety construction and several community grants.

At the start of its business agenda the board closed a public hearing and adopted Resolution 28325 to establish right‑of‑way for the Croft Road drainage outlet in Pleasant Township, clearing the way for replacement of roughly 6,200 feet of storm sewer and related structures.

The county engineer’s office then won approval of a $1,109,249 contract with Carpenter Marty Transportation for engineering design on Brown Road improvements (Resolution 28425) and a separate compensation action (Resolution 28525) authorizing $43,405.17 in payment to affected property owners for the Frank Road/Brown Road project; staff said the Brown Road work will add curb and gutter, sidewalks, a shared‑use path and a mini‑roundabout and is funded in part with ODOT and OPWC safety dollars.

Julie Lusk of the Franklin County Data Center described a proposed Cisco Webex calling and contact‑center procurement and associated Logicalis contract that commissioners authorized under Resolution 28625. The $3,857,855.25 package will provide cloud‑based phone and contact‑center hardware, software, deployment and ongoing support, enable softphones and mobile app calling, and introduce features county staff said will improve workflows and support remote and hybrid work.

The board also approved aging‑services measures. The Franklin County Office on Aging received a $256,048 grant under the National Family Caregiver Support Program (Resolution 28725) to expand caregiver supports in 2025. The office secured a final extension agreement with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for case‑management services in emergency and inpatient settings (Resolution 28825); county staff cited pilot results—more than 1,000 adults assessed and 53 percent accepting services—and the resolution passed with Commissioner Boyce recorded as abstaining.

Under equity and economic development actions, commissioners adopted Resolution 28925 to recognize the 2025–26 cohort of the Franklin County Racial Equity Council and approved a $115,000 grant to Rev1 Ventures (Resolution 29025) for entrepreneur outreach, accelerator and advising programs. Rev1 representatives said the funding supports TechX outreach, market‑validation advising and cohorts that prepare diverse founders for investment and contracts. A $200,000 grant to the Willie and Vivian Gaddis Foundation to support the Jump Start college experience program (Resolution 29125) and a $50,000 grant to the Short North Alliance for placemaking and open‑streets events (Resolution 29225) also passed.

Public Facilities Management presented and the board adopted a guaranteed maximum price amendment (GMP Amendment No. 2) with Elford Inc. not to exceed $6,693,438 (Resolution 29425). The amendment covers work for the county’s critical master plan implementation bundle 1, including relocation and buildout of a new 911 communications center at 900 Hague Avenue, allowances for emergency‑response radio equipment, audiovisual and paging systems, and two EV chargers. That resolution passed with Commissioner Boyce recorded as abstaining.

Purchasing staff secured approval for two procurement packages: Resolution 29525 (111 purchase orders totaling $3,086,346.35) and Resolution 29625 (seven purchase orders totaling $39,027). County purchasing staff reported a portion of awards to small and emerging businesses and provided supplier‑diversity data. The board also reappointed Stephen Brooks to the Columbus‑Franklin County Finance Authority (Resolution 29725), a motion that carried with Commissioner Boyce recorded as abstaining.

Several resolutions recorded the clerk reading each commissioner’s vote. For most items the roll call showed three recorded votes in favor; abstentions by Commissioner Boyce were specifically captured on Resolutions 28825, 29425, 29625 and 29725. The meeting concluded with the board voting to convene an executive session to consider personnel matters (Resolution 29825).

No public testimony was offered at the Croft Road final hearing. Most other agenda items were presented by departmental staff with limited public discussion.

What’s next: projects approved today move to implementation steps in their respective departments—right‑of‑way acquisition and contract execution for the road projects, contracting and deployment planning for the data‑center phone system, and construction procurement and subcontracts for the 911 center buildout. The board entered executive session for personnel issues after the public portion of the meeting.