Last Days - Homestead Exemption Enrollment Period for Qualified Homeowners
from Auditor
The Franklin County Auditor provides a property tax reduction for seniors and disabled individuals through the Homestead Exemption. All homeowners who qualify for the Homestead Exemption will receive a flat $25,000 property tax ex-emption on the market value of their home. Eligibility for this program is not dependent on income. Enrollment period is the first Monday in January through the first Monday in June. Click the link below for details.
Volunteers Needed: Helping Never Felt So Rewarding
Several Agencies in Franklin County need Volunteers on a regular basis to assist with day to day and special tasks. Adoptable animals, children in need, and adults and children with developmental disabilities are just a few of those who need your help. To volunteer please visit the following websites, as well as all the agency websites listed on the Franklin County Homepage. The best thing you can give is your time.
Franklin County Engineers To Resurface Roads This Summer
from Engineer
Starting on or around April 29th the Franklin County Engineer will begin a resurfacing program on several thoroughfares and will finish around September of this year. The project will repair roads damaged by wear and weather and though motorists should expect delays, two-way traffic will be maintained. For more information on work sites and dates, please visit the Franklin County Engineer's website.
Upcoming Events
5/22: Emerald Awards Presentation
5/23: Recorder Honors Veterans Hawk Pushes for DD214 filing
5/23 - 5/26: Big Ten Baseball Tournament at Huntington Park
5/1 - 5/31: Foster Parent Appreciation Month
5/23: An Evening with Carrie Fisher
6/4: Homestead Deadline
There's always something going on at Veterans Memorial. Check out their upcoming events! All the Space You Need!
More from Franklin County
- 2012 Budget
- Auto Title East Moves to 1583 Alum Creek Drive
- Become a Mentor
- Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio to Open
- Children Services Resource Guide
- Choose Your Partner Carefully
- Clerk of Courts Location, Hours and Phone Numbers
- County Engineer's Construction Projects
- Court of Appeals Docket
- Foreclosure Assistance
- Guidelines for Reporting Child Abuse
- Ohio Benefit Bank Online
- Safe Havens for Infants
- Senior Options Program
- Social Networking Links
from ADAMH
The Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Board of Franklin County are recognizing May as Mental Health Month. One in four Americans lives with a mental illness and ADAMH is here to help. There are many ways to help a family member or friend who has been diagnosed with a mental illness. Help them on the road to recovery by supplying support and compassion. ADAMH is your resource for information on how you can do more.
from Children Services
Each May, FCCS salutes the compassionate people who make a difference by serving as foster parents. Thanks to these unsung heroes, many formerly abused or neglected children will safely reunite with their parents, be cared for by relatives, or be adopted by loving families. More than 300 agency foster parents are recognized for their outstanding efforts at the annual foster parent appreciation banquet.
from ADAMH
You know her from Star Wars, The Blues Brothers, and When Harry Met Sally, but did you also know that Carrie Fisher struggled for years with Mental Illness and substance Abuse? On Wednesday, May 23rd at Mershon Auditorium, Fisher will share stories and insights with CBS Reporter Erin Moriarity. Full details are available at the Wexner Center website.
from Animal Control
The Franklin County Animal Shelter houses dogs until their permanent family adopts them, but sometimes the dog needs a place to stay until a family can adopt them. The Animal Shelter is looking for loving foster parents who can give these dogs a happy temporary family before adoption. Please see what you can do to help these loving animals.
from Children Services
Employees and dignitaries gathered April 18th to break ground on the new East Office in Whitehall. The new building will be built at 4071 E. Main St. and will open in 2013. Pictures of the ground breaking are available on the Children Services Facebook page.
from EMA&HS
Innis Elementary School Students received instruction in tornado safety on May 12th from EMA&HS Director Michael Pannell. Pannell and staff presented tornado and severe weather safety tips and brought decommissioned warning sirens to teach students about the county's 181 Siren Outdoor Warning System. Learn more about this program at the FCEM&HS website.
from Metro Parks
Metro Parks will offer two four day teacher workshops this summer. The first workshop, Digesting It All: Farms, Food and Community will run June 18th and 19th, Followed by Getting the Dirt on Rocks, Minerals and Soil (June 21-22), Physical Education in an Outdoor Setting (July 18-19) and Bridging the Gap: Classroom to Field Trip (July 31-Aug 1). For full information on workshops and registration, please visit the Metro Parks website.
from Probate Court
Getting married is one of the most important events in the lives of two people. Franklin County Probate Court has made that event a little easier. Though you still need to appear in Probate Court to attain your marriage license, you can now fill out the application online. Go to the Franklin County Probate Court website for full details.
from Recorder
Effective January 1, 2013, the Recorder's Office will no longer use the Book and Page number reference as part of the process of recording Plats and Condominium Plats. Since the conversion from a manual system to an electronic instrument number system in 1997, the instrument number has been the official recording reference. The Book and Page was left in use as a courtesy to filers who employ the use of templates and boiler plates that use the Book and Page as part of those documents. Since the Recorder's Office does not create or maintain an actual Plat Book(s) or Condominium Book(s) for records filed after 1997, it is no longer efficient to continue the practice of assigning these Book and Page numbers.
from Commissioners
Have you ever wanted to serve your community in a tangible way? Have you wondered how county government works? The Franklin County Board of Commissioners redesigned Board Tracker is an excellent to help you do just that. You can search various boards available and boards with openings as well as perform a keyword search to help you help your community. For full information visit the Commissioners website.
from MORPC
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is accepting applications to fund transportation projects from local public agencies located in Franklin and Delaware Counties, the cities of Pataskala and Pickerington, Etna Township in Licking County, Bloom and Violet Townships in Fairfield County and the villages of Carroll and Lithopolis for State Fiscal Years 2014-2019. You can find full information at the MORPC website.
from ADAMH
The Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Board of Franklin County Annual Report are now available to the public. The report consists of two parts; The Report of Accomplishments and The Managing for Results Strategic Performance Plan. These reports give an overview of what ADAMH has accomplished and how they've managed their accomplishments throughout the past year. To view these reports, please visit the ADAMH web page.
from Clerk of Courts
Auto Title East has moved to its new location at 1583 Alum Creek Drive. The location is open during normal business hours, 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday and 8am-12noon, Saturdays. Customers will also find at this location the BMV Registrar's Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol Reinstatement Center.
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners began holding quarterly budget reviews as part of a continued commitment to responsible budgeting to ensure that, as a County, we are living within our means while at the same time investing in areas where the County can have the greatest impact on serving our residents, businesses, and communities. After one quarter, the County's Budget shows that our agencies and officeholders are either on or under budget projections. Reports are available on the Board of Commissioners website.
from Public Health
The Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps is a program linking families of children with special health care needs with health care providers to obtain payment for needed treatment. Franklin County Public Health helps families in Franklin County take advantage of this program. Full details are available on the Franklin County Public Health website.
from Sheriff
Can where you park impact your safety while shopping? How about where you store your packages? Sheriff Zach Scott answers these questions and others on the Sheriff's website in his Shopping Safety Tips section.
from Metro Parks
Want some quality time with your pet? Metro Parks gives you that opportunity with access to pet trails in 16 different Metro Parks. Domesticated dogs and cats are welcome on any of the designated pet trails as well as in picnic areas and on roadways. Owners are responsible for controlling their pet on a leash not more than six feet long and must clean up after their pets and dispose of the waste in a sanitary manner. For more information on fun with your pet, check out the Metro Parks website.
from SWACO
If you know of a person, organization, or community that has excelled in keeping Franklin County green, SWACO wants you to nominate them for an Emerald Award. Each year, SWACO honors the best and most innovative local ideas in waste recycling for this premier awards program. Find out how to nominate someone at SWACO's website.
If you have something to sell and want a big cross section of potential customers, the Franklin County Fair needs you. The fair is looking for vendors of all kinds. For information on how to become a Fair Vendor, check the Franklin County Fair's website.
from Clerk of Courts
The Franklin County Clerk of Courts and the Columbus Bar Association are teaming up to offer twelve training sessions on e-Filing for the Domestic Court. The training is open to Attorneys and the General Public. Step-by-step instructions will be given to guide attendees through the process so they are well-prepared by the mandatory e-Filing date for the Domestic Court, May 29. Click here for a schedule of the training sessions.
from Metro Parks
Metro Parks are currently accepting registration for their popular Nature Adventure Camps. The camps present an excellent opportunity to learn about and interact with nature for kids from preschool through the 9th grade. Go to the Metro Parks web site to find out about this fun and educational program. The spring edition of Parkscope can also be viewed online and is featuring the 'What's a woodcock?' and insect mating season articles.
from Soil & Water
Homeowners in unincorporated Franklin County and the cities of Canal Winchester, Columbus, Gahanna, Hilliard, Upper Arlington and Worthington are eligible to participate in the GreenSpot Rain Barrel Program. Residents learn about water conservation and storm water issues before buying an attractive terracotta-colored rain barrel for only $50.00.
Homeowners can register for and attend an in-person workshop or participate in an online program. Workshop attendees mail a check with their registration form and take the barrel home with them. Online participants watch a slide show, take a ten-question quiz and, after achieving a score of at least 70%, are given the option to order a barrel through PayPal. Online participants pick up the barrel at Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District office.
Details and registration forms are available here.
Franklin County, in partnership with The Ohio State University Extension Program will offer a series of free gardening workshops starting in February. Please see the fliers linked below for full details.
from Children Services
Is it ever okay to leave your child home alone? At what age? When is it safe? Franklin County Children Services answers these questions in their monthly parenting tip. For the answers, go to the FCCS website.
from Soil & Water
With spring flowers blooming, many of us are looking forward to happy hours spent in our vegetable and flower gardens. Have you given consideration yet to using a rain barrel to supply water to your garden? A rain barrel holds rainwater from your roof by intercepting it at the downspout. It saves money by not having to pay for drinkable water to irrigate your garden. It prevents rainwater from entering the storm water system, where it can add to flooding and water pollution. Many plants prefer rainwater to treated water. This Fact Sheet contains more tips on using rain Barrels. For more information on using rain barrels, call Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District at (614) 486-9613.