Franklin County commissioners approve series of contracts, grants and appointments

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners on June 3 approved a slate of resolutions authorizing contracts, grants and appointments covering juvenile medical services, infrastructure repairs, aging programs and more.

Barb Reeves, the county's director of finance, presented Resolution 41725 seeking approval of a two‑year medical and mental‑health services contract with Pediatric Academic Association Incorporated for the Franklin County Juvenile Intervention Center in an amount not to exceed $2,336,505. "PAA has been providing these medical services to our facility since 2001," Reeves said, and asked for the board's approval. The resolution was moved, seconded and adopted with Commissioner Boyce's abstention noted.

County engineer staff and a government affairs liaison described several transportation‑related awards. Nick Sulis, government affairs liaison for the county engineer, summarized Resolution 41825 awarding a $4,928,845.66 contract to Complete General Construction to rehabilitate the Harrisburg‑Georgesville Road bridge over Big Darby Creek in Pleasant Township. A separate contract modification (Resolution 41925) with Strand Associates added $63,601 to the Cassidy Avenue improvement project for additional stormwater engineering, bringing that contract to a revised total of $871,832.

The board also approved a preliminary $100,000 allocation of motor‑vehicle license fee funds to the city of Canal Winchester for Washington Street improvements (Resolution 42025) and rescinded a prior allocation to the city of Hilliard when bids came in lower than expected (Resolution 42125).

On county operations and services, Andrea Freeman of the Prosecuting Attorney's Office secured supplemental appropriations for office needs (Resolution 42225). The sheriff's office had a transfer of appropriations to cover prisoner transportation expenses for January through March (Resolution 42325). The board authorized a $79,544 agreement with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to provide on‑site sports medicine and human performance services for sheriff's staff (Resolution 42425); the term runs through May 31, 2026.

The Office on Aging secured two items. Sean Domingo described a $500,000 grant agreement with Healthy Gamer Foundation, doing business as Levels Unlocked Enterprises Ohio, to support intergenerational esports and digital‑literacy programming from May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026 (Resolution 42525). "This program seeks to be a driving force for change by addressing significant gaps in services in the esports and gaming space," Domingo said. The board also approved a contract not to exceed $350,000 with Raising the Bar Performance Group LLC to develop a county aging blueprint modeled on prior systems work (Resolution 42625).

Justice Policy and Programs presented measures tied to harm reduction and supporting incarcerated parents. Melissa Pearson said the county's harm‑reduction outreach and safer stations distributed 2,354 naloxone kits to 1,285 community members last year; the board accepted a $3,000 award to expand naloxone distribution (Resolution 42725). The board also approved a $20,495.73 professional‑services agreement with the University of Cincinnati to provide program evaluation under the FY2024 Second Chance Act grant addressing incarcerated parents and their minor children (Resolution 42825).

Public Facilities Management presented a preconstruction agreement with Elford Inc. for the county's critical master plan implementation (bundle 2) for $64,820; the firm committed to a 20% target for SEBE participation on the project (Resolution 42925). Purchasing reported approval of 81 purchase orders totaling $856,064.18 across agencies, including awards to small and emerging businesses and supplier‑diversity data (Resolution 43025). The board reappointed Cynthia Latney to the Franklin County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services Board for a four‑year term through June 30, 2029 (Resolution 43125).

Clerk's announcements included that a public hearing on the 2026 Franklin County tax budget will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in the Commissioners' Hearing Room at 369 South High Street in Columbus. With no further business, the board adjourned.

Votes at a glance: the meeting record shows each listed resolution was adopted; several items were recorded as adopted with Commissioner Boyce's abstention noted (41725, 42425, 42925). Where the transcript contained inconsistent or abbreviated roll call language, the official meeting minutes and the clerk's certified record should be consulted for full vote tallies and member roll‑call names.

Next steps: the only scheduled public item is the June 17 public hearing on the 2026 tax budget; implementation and contract management will follow normal departmental processes for each approved contract and grant.