How Columbus residents can make voices heard on budget
The first in a series of public hearings on Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther's proposed $1 billion-plus operating budget for 2022 — the largest in city history — will be held Wednesday.
The hearings will be committeebased — finance, public safety, neighborhoods and public utilities and so on — and hosted by the council member who is the chair of the committee. All of hearings in this first series will be held in the afternoon, with varying start times shown below.
“We want to hear from residents about how the city can best deliver critical services,” Council President Pro Tem Elizabeth Brown, chair of the city's finance committee, said in a prepared statement. “These hearings will highlight how the budget supports the quality of life for families while also gathering feedback on how the city can continue to improve the services it provides.”
The council will hold additional hearings in January, and plans to vote on the final budget in February.
You can view the city's proposed 2022 budget by downloading the complete document or by viewing individual departments. For either option, go to:https://www.columbus.gov/ finance/financial-management-group/ budget-management/2022-operatingbudget.
Ginther presented his 2022 operating budget at a news conference Nov. 15. But he introduced the largest component — $660 million for public safety, representing 64% of the total proposed budget — on Nov. 9, the day after a man was slain in a brazen, execution-style killing outside the main entrance to a Target store on the Northeast Side.
The public hearings will be available to live stream on the city's Youtube page, the CTV website and broadcast on Spectrum, Channel 1024; WOW, Channel 3 and AT&T U-verse, Channel 99. The videos will also be posted on the city's Youtube channel after each hearing.
Residents who wish to attend hearings in council chambers at Columbus City Hall in person may do so, but must be masked per the city's indoor mask requirement. Any resident who wants to submit written testimony should forward it to the council member who chairs the committee involved by noon on the day of the hearing.
Residents who want to provide testimony via Webex during the virtual hearing must email the designated council members' contact shown below by noon on the day of the hearing.
Here is the hearing schedule and who to contact to testify online during the meeting:
h Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. President Pro Tem Elizabeth Brown will host a hearing of the council's Finance, Education, and Recreation and Parks committees. To testify via Webex during the hearing, email James Carmean at jwcarmean@columbus.gov by noon on the day of the hearing.
h Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Council member Mitchell Brown will host a hearing of the Public Safety committee, which includes police, fire and EMS services. To testify via Webex during the hearing, email Grant Ames at Gmames@columbus.gov by noon that day.
h Thursday at 5 p.m. Council member Rob Dorans will host a hearing of the Neighborhoods, Technology, and Public Utilities committees. To testify via Webex during the hearing, email Andie Mcdonald at Abmcdonald@columbus.gov by noon that day.
h Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 3:30 p.m. Council member Emmanuel Remy will host a hearing of the council's Economic Development, Environment, and Administration committees. To testify via Webex during the hearing, email Lucy Frank at Ljfrank@columbus.gov by noon that day.
h Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. Council member Priscilla Tyson will host a hearing of the council's Health and Human Services committee. To testify via Webex during the hearing, email Carl Williams at Cgwilliams@columbus.gov by noon that day.
h Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m. Council President Shannon Hardin will host a hearing of the council's Small Minority Business committee. To testify via Webex during the hearing, email Linda Capobianco at lmcapobianco@columbus.gov by noon that day.
h Thursday, Dec. 9, at 5 p.m. Council member Shayla Favor will host a hearing of the council's Public Service & Transportation, Housing, and Criminal Justice & Judiciary committees. To testify via Webex during the hearing, email Anisa Liban at aaliban@columbus.gov by noon that day.