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Franklin County commissioners approve slate of orders, including AI policy and 911 use-tax measure
Summary
The Franklin County Commission approved a series of routine and policy measures — from procurement contracts to an Artificial Intelligence Use Policy and a use-tax measure to fund 911 dispatch — during a meeting that preceded an extended public comment period on proposed data centers.
The Franklin County Commission approved a series of commission orders by voice vote, including contracts for inmate telephones and uniforms, insurance coverage, software and equipment service agreements, and the adoption of a county Artificial Intelligence Use Policy.
The commission voted to approve Commission Orders 2026-131 (Master Service Agreement No. 2 with Pay Tel Communications for inmate phone service), 2026-132 (Leon Uniform Company contract), 2026-133 (crime coverage insurance via Daniel and Henry/Travelers Casualty Insurance Co. of America), 2026-134 (Ricoh USA lease renewal for Child Support Enforcement), 2026-135 (Franklin County Artificial Intelligence Use Policy), and 2026-136 (repeal/enact of a use tax to fund the 911 dispatch center), among other procurement and administrative orders. Staff described a terminated vendor relationship and a replacement contract for a sample-ballot and GIS-mapping product before the commission approved Commission Order 2026-143; staff said the new contract will aid mapping of polling places and improve mobile ballot lookup.
Commissioner action on these items was taken sequentially from the agenda. Where staff provided brief explanations — for example, that a previous contractor had breached a sample-ballot contract and that the new Surveying and Mapping LLC contract includes additional mapping work for planning and elections — commissioners moved and approved the orders by voice vote. The transcript records commissioners asking whether costs represented increases and staff responding that certain items were budgeted or not increased from prior years.
Several speakers who later addressed the commission during the public-comment period raised questions related to specific commission orders. One commenter urged clearer public messaging about the recently enacted use tax for 911 funding, saying residents were told it was a "quarter-cent sales tax" but that the actual rate or revenue effect differed from what they expected. Another speaker raised operational and security concerns about the newly adopted AI use policy, asking who would monitor AI systems and how the county would detect malicious code.
The meeting concluded after the public comment period and an adjournment motion carried by voice vote.
What's next: the transcript does not record any subsequent staff reports with implementation dates; the approved orders will proceed according to departmental processes and any budgetary or procurement rules cited in county policy.
