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Franklin County unveils 2026 'people first' budget, prioritizes housing and health services
Summary
County presenters called the 2026 recommended budget a “people first” plan that protects daily services, boosts housing support (18,263 bed nights cited), expands service access through mobile units and a centralized 'one‑door' site, and now moves to public review.
Speaker 1 opened the presentation to county stakeholders by calling the 2026 proposal “a people first budget,” saying it is designed to protect daily services residents rely on while increasing investments in housing, health and human services.
The budget matters, presenters said, because county‑run health and human services touch a large share of residents. Speaker 2 described an ongoing transformation in the sector and said the agency “impacts the lives of more than a quarter of Franklin County residents.” Speaker 3 of the Office on Aging gave a concrete example: “She didn't have beds for them,” the speaker said of a grandmother recently asked to care for grandchildren, using the anecdote to argue for more real‑time placements that prevent caregiver financial crisis.
Housing featured as the top investment. Speaker 4 said the county supported 18,263 bed nights across nine housing programs in 2026 and described that figure as “a 32% increase in the number of bed nights between 24 and 25.” “Housing is our number 1 investment,” Speaker 4 said. County presenters also noted rising utility costs affecting public facilities and said they prioritized funding basic operations so county buildings have heat and lights.
On service delivery, Speaker 2 outlined two access initiatives: deploying mobile unit vehicles to bring services directly to neighborhoods and establishing a centralized one‑door location downtown so residents can access all Franklin County health and human services agencies in a single visit. Speaker 6 described the Community Partnerships Program, an initiative tied to the Board of Commissioners that uses grant funds to connect residents to health care, medications, prenatal and postnatal services, and other social supports.
On workforce and reentry, the presenters said the county recently hosted a ‘fair chance’ employer symposium that drew 19 employers and generated follow‑up interest in hiring program participants. On revenue and casework, Speaker 7 reported that “for federal fiscal year 2025, the agency collected $137,500,000 for families in Franklin County and beyond,” and cited family‑centered case management and realistic child support orders as examples of the agency’s work.
No formal vote or final adoption took place at the presentation. Speaker 1 said the 2026 recommended budget now moves into public review, signaling the next step in the county’s budget process.
