[1:09] Council Mayor Bankston, would you lead
us in the pledgece
[1:13] to the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for which it
[1:18] stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice
[1:24] for all. This evening, council is
grateful to have my friend, Pastor
[1:27] Arthur Davis from the Mount Nebo Baptist
Church here to lead us in prayer.
[1:31] Pastor, thank you for being back at
council with us.
[1:43] Let us pray. Gracious and eternal God,
we pause at the beginning of this
[1:48] meeting to acknowledge your presence and
ask for your guidance. We thank you for
[1:52] the city of Columbus, for its people,
its neighborhoods, its families, and for
[1:55] all who call this city home. Thank you
for those who accepted the
[1:59] responsibility of public service, and
for every person gathered here tonight
[2:03] with the desire to make our city
stronger, safer, and better. God, we ask
[2:08] that you grant wisdom to the members of
this council. Give them clarity in their
[2:12] decisions, compassion in their
deliberations, and courage to do what is
[2:16] right even when doing what is right is
difficult. remind them that behind every
[2:21] re resolution, every ordinance, every
decision, and every vote are real people
[2:26] whose real lives will be impacted by the
work done in this chamber. May we never
[2:31] forget the voices that are too often
unheard, the neighborhoods that are that
[2:35] too often feel overlooked, the families
struggling to make ends meet, our
[2:40] children who deserve opportunity, our
seniors who deserve dignity, and every
[2:44] resident who deserves to feel seen,
valued, protected, and represented.
[2:49] Bless our mayor, our city council
president, every member of the council,
[2:53] city employees, first responders,
community leaders, and all who work each
[2:57] day for the good of Columbus. Thank you
for every hand that worked to restore
[3:01] our city from recent storms. And Lord,
we thank you for the protection of those
[3:05] underfed and unhoused that had to
endure. Now tonight, God, where there is
[3:09] division, give us understanding. Where
there is disagreement, give us respect.
[3:12] Where there is difficult decisions, give
us wisdom. where there are challenges
[3:16] facing our city. Give us courage to
confront them together. May the work
[3:20] accomplished here tonight move Columbus
toward greater justice, greater
[3:23] opportunity, greater union, uni unity,
and greater hope. Bless this meeting
[3:29] guide every decision and every
discussion. May all that is done
[3:33] ultimately serve the people of this
great city. In your holy name we pray.
[3:37] Amen.
>> Amen. Thank you. Thank you, pastor.
[3:40] Clerk, please call the role.
>> Thanks. Timber Rosa de Padilla de Aka
[3:43] Dorns Reie Ross Vice President Harden
any person who takes any action to
[3:48] obstruct or interfere with the conduct
of tonight's meeting may be charged with
[3:51] disturbing a lawful meeting pursuant to
Columbus City Code 2317.12.
[3:57] Any person who enters those areas of
city council chambers reserved for city
[4:00] officials or invited guests may be
charged with criminal trespass pursuant
[4:04] to Columbus City Code 2311.21.
>> Can I get a motion to dispense with the
[4:08] reading of the journal?
>> Clerk, please call the role. Banks
[4:11] Barosa de Padilla de Akawa adorns Remy
Ross Swe president Harden
[4:16] » are there any additions or corrections
to the journal hearing none the journal
[4:19] is approved and this week's
communications received by the city
[4:22] clerk's office are listed on the agenda
and will be published in the city
[4:26] bulletin are there any other
communications to be read into the
[4:28] record
>> not at this time
[4:30] » thank you madame clerk um we are going a
bit out of order today um several I
[4:38] think four of our nine council members
have kindergarteners
[4:41] uh this year who are going starting
school. Uh council member Banks had to
[4:44] step out last week for his son. Uh
council member Green is out uh tonight
[4:50] for parent teacher conference and I will
be leaving as soon as we take our first
[4:54] vote uh vote to join my son for his meet
the teacher. So uh thank you all my
[5:00] colleagues for um that discretion and
thank you to um uh the community for
[5:05] understanding. We are going to uh are
there any requests by members of council
[5:09] for the removal of an ordinance or
resolution from the consent portion of
[5:12] the agenda?
Hearing none, may we now have a motion
[5:15] to wave the reading of title 30
legislation by the city clerk.
[5:19] » Clerk, please read the call the role.
>> Thanks Tim Barosa de Padilla de a dorns
[5:23] reie ros president Hart.
>> Thank you. Will the clerk now reading to
[5:27] the record uh ordinance numbers of 38
legislation on tonight's agenda for
[5:30] first reading?
In finance and governance, we have
[5:34] ordinances 2013, 2193, and 2258-2026.
Economic Development and Small and
[5:42] Minority Business Committee, we have
ordinances 2226, 2228, 2229, 2230, and
[5:49] 2231-2026.
Public Service and Transportation
[5:53] Committee ordinances 2088, 2094, and
218, I'm sorry, 2118, 2165, 2175, and
[6:02] 2266-2026.
Neighborhoods Recreation and Parks
[6:06] Committee Resolution 166x-2026.
Workforce Education and Labor Committee
[6:11] ordinances 2069, 2070, and 2079-2026.
Health, Human Services, and Equity
[6:18] Committee Ordinance 2236-2026.
Public Safety and Criminal Justice
[6:24] Committee ordinances 2086, 2210, and
2263-2026.
[6:30] Housing, Homelessness, and Building
Committee ordinances 2218, and
[6:34] 2294-2026.
Public Utilities and Sustainability
[6:38] Committee ordinances 1305 2061 2062 2067
2074 21103 21109 2121 2122 2129 2139
[6:52] 2142 40 2148
2158 2171
[6:57] 2172 2179 2186 2187
2188 2227 2238 and 2247-20226.
[7:10] Uh zoning committee we have resoning 13
I'm sorry 1931-2026
[7:15] variances 1932 and 2073-2026.
>> Thank you madam clerk. We don't have any
[7:22] speakers on the first uh reading portion
or yeah [snorts] the first reading
[7:25] portion of the agenda. The following
ordinance appear on our agenda as
[7:27] consent. Would you read those into the
record now?
[7:29] » Yes. Resolutions of expression 176x,
177X,
[7:35] 162X, and 163X-2026.
Finance and Governance Committee. We
[7:41] have ordinances 1653, 1960, 1969, 2032,
2084, 2085, 2140, 2159,
[7:51] 2217, 2255, 2259, 2269,
2276, 2285, 2290, and 2300-2026.
[8:03] Economic Development and Small and
Minority Business Committee Ordinances
[8:06] 2221, 2224, 2225, 2279, 2310, and
2311-2026.
[8:14] Public Service and Transportation
Committee Resolution 174X, 175X-2026.
[8:22] Ordinances 21102, 21106, 2183, 20, and
2190-2026.
[8:28] Neighborhoods Recreation and Parks
Committee Resolution 167X-20226.
[8:34] Workforce Education and Labor Committee
Ordinance 2015 and 2027-20226.
[8:40] Health, Human Services, and Equity
Committee ordinances 1939,
[8:44] 2093,
2144, 2146, and 2264-2026.
[8:51] Public Safety and Criminal Justice
Committee ordinances 2119,
[8:55] 2143,
2147, 2157, 2219, 2220, and 2262-2026.
[9:04] Housing Homelessness and Building
Committee ordinances 2138, 2189, and
[9:09] 2241-2026.
Public Utilities and Sustainability
[9:13] Committee ordinances 2213 and 2261-2026.
[9:21] Thank you, madame clerk. Are there any
questions or comments on the consent
[9:23] portion of the agenda? Hearing none, may
I have a motion to approve for these
[9:27] items designated as consent?
>> Clerk, please call the role.
[9:33] » Banks, Barrosa, Deodia, de a dors, Remy
Ross, wife, president Harden
[9:39] » by voice. I apologize.
>> Yes, I'm sorry. There's Bankston.
[9:44] Yes, with the exception of ordinance
2147-2026
[9:48] from which I abstain.
>> Barosa deodia,
[9:50] » yes.
>> Deakau,
[9:53] » yes.
>> Dorren,
[9:55] » yes.
>> Remy,
[9:56] » yes.
>> Ross,
[9:57] » yes.
>> We
[9:59] » President Harden,
>> yes. With the noted exception, the
[10:02] consent agenda is passed. We'll now
proceed with the second reading of
[10:05] 30-day postponed emergency legislation.
Um, like I said just a second ago, we're
[10:10] going to go out of order and go to the
rules and policy committee. Council
[10:14] members will go back to uh announcements
and resolutions after we uh work through
[10:20] our two uh ordinances in the rules and
policy committee, but I chair that
[10:24] committee. And um we have two pieces uh
ordinance 2355-2026
[10:31] as well as 2354-2026.
[10:35] Before I throw it over to Press Pro Tim
to lead this portion of our meeting and
[10:40] conversation, I'd like to say a few
things about uh how we got here and um
[10:45] and and where we are are going. As
Columbus grows, we talk a lot about
[10:50] issues like housing, transportation,
zoning, economic development, and public
[10:54] safety. But foundational to all of those
issues are issues like democracy,
[10:59] transparency, representation, and
governance. And democracy is not static.
[11:04] And good government requires us to
periodically set back step back and ask
[11:08] whether the structures we created are
still serving their purpose. As our city
[11:13] grows, we need to give more folks a seat
at the table. And making sure that every
[11:18] neighborhood has a champion so that our
growth benefits everyone is a top
[11:22] priority. And that's why we're here
today to take a bold step toward change.
[11:28] First and and sincerely, we want to
congratulate our city RCA. the work that
[11:32] they you have done over the last year
talking to more than 23,000 of our
[11:38] residents. Um it can only be applauded.
Um you saw an issue. You went out and
[11:44] did the work. Um you advocated. I don't
think there was a a festival or grocery
[11:49] store that I went to that somebody did
not come up to me uh with a petition.
[11:53] That was good work and you got us to
this point and sincerely we say
[11:57] congratulations.
Um and then secondly, I also wanted to
[12:01] thank them for after they got their uh
the legislation or uh initiative to the
[12:08] ballot essentially. They also were not
afraid to come and have conversations
[12:12] with council. And for 7 weeks or so, uh
members of the coalition and members of
[12:19] this body um uh sat in a hot room
upstairs and tried to figure this thing
[12:25] out. And so I want to thank them for
that. I think those conversations were
[12:29] in good faith. Uh and uh I think that
that it was a good use of our time. With
[12:34] that, I also want to thank my
colleagues, many of whom joined those
[12:38] meetings and joined those conversations.
Um those were led by Prespo Tim Dorren,
[12:43] but specifically Council Member Bangston
and Barrosa Deia, but most of our
[12:47] colleagues set in those. Um and it led
to where we are today. Uh we ultimately
[12:52] couldn't get to one single ballot
measure, but they did encourage us to
[12:56] submit one to complement theirs, and
we'll do that this evening. I want to be
[13:00] very clear. I support putting both
measures before Columbus voters. I will
[13:05] be voting for both, and I will encourage
folks to vote for both. Um because, um I
[13:11] said it the other day, um my my mentor,
former mayor, said that a city state
[13:15] that a city that stays the same falls
behind. This is an opportunity for us to
[13:20] take a step forward together that I
believe will continue to have build
[13:25] trust in this institution and this body
um as well as being common sense in how
[13:31] we continue to govern for an entire
city. I am very proud of this process
[13:36] and where we got how we got here. With
that, I'm going to kick it over to our
[13:38] leader on this press pro Tim.
>> Well, thank you, Council President. And
[13:42] I think a lot of my comments are going
to echo yours, but um as I said earlier,
[13:46] tonight is a historic evening at
Columbus City Council. Uh we as a body,
[13:50] but more importantly as a community are
coming together to make a decision on
[13:55] how this legislative body should be
structured moving into the future. While
[13:59] the votes we're taking tonight are on
new proposals, this debate is certainly
[14:03] not new. It's one that for more than a
century has been debated by council
[14:07] members and the community. During this
past year, I've heard a lot of ideas and
[14:11] opinions about what people in Columbus
think would be best for our city. First,
[14:15] allow me to acknowledge, as I have in
the past, that our current system must
[14:19] change.
In that change, personally, to me, I
[14:23] personally support moving the majority
of council seats to true district
[14:26] representation. Again, echoing the
president Harden's comments, I want to
[14:31] thank uh and congratulate the RCDRC
coalition for the work to ensure that we
[14:34] move forward a real reform on this
aspect of council structure. Again, I
[14:39] also appreciate the good faith dialogue,
even if it was in a hot room um over
[14:43] many weeks uh with both representatives
from their coalition and council members
[14:48] um towards a potential framework that
both they and council could support. In
[14:54] those discussions, we identified, I
think, key variables that we need to be
[14:57] addressed in order to build a clear,
more transparent, and ultimately fair
[15:01] council system. Again, while those
discussions did not result in us being
[15:04] able to advance a single joint proposal
to voters this fall, I appreciate the
[15:08] coalition inviting council to move
forward its own charter amendment on
[15:11] this topic so long as it did not
conflict with theirs. I've worked very
[15:15] hard over the past several weeks with my
colleagues uh in attempt to do just
[15:19] that. Council's proposal seeks to
complement the RCR RCA proposal in a
[15:23] number of ways, adding a total of four
at large seats to the nine district
[15:27] seats established by the coalition
charter amendment. These at large seats
[15:31] will be phased in over the 2027 and 2029
election cycles. We've heard from
[15:36] leaders in the African-American
community and labor leaders that these
[15:39] seats are important for racial racial
representation and to have elected
[15:42] leaders that are focused on policy
issues that know no neighborhood
[15:46] boundary like addressing homelessness,
building more affordable housing,
[15:49] targeting infrastructure investments to
neighborhoods with the greatest need and
[15:53] more. Council's amendment will also
redraw the council district maps as soon
[15:57] as practically possible, slated to be
ready for the 2029 election cycle. While
[16:02] we further debate over how these maps
may or may not have an impact on
[16:05] minority representation on council, we
should all be able to acknowledge that
[16:09] learning from the lessons of how these
maps were drawn previously are critical
[16:12] to ensure that new maps and district
lines are better suited for
[16:15] representation concerns as they become
true district seats. In our discussions
[16:21] with the coalition, we also talked a lot
about the need for campaign finance
[16:24] reform to go along with these changes to
council structure. And that's why I'm
[16:28] announcing that at our meeting on August
31st, I will bring forward legislation
[16:32] to to reduce campaign finance
contributions by half for the first and
[16:36] for the first time cap inind transfers
between campaign committees.
[16:41] We will have that on first read on 31st
with expected passage in September. And
[16:46] before I open things open things up to
my colleagues and move into public
[16:49] testimony, uh I again want to thank
their coalition um for their willingness
[16:54] to engage and many other constituencies
that have got us here tonight. While I
[16:58] know there are many things that we may
disagree about on the pathway forward
[17:01] tonight, I believe that this council has
tried its best to listen and to learn
[17:05] and lean into into an effort to build a
system that hopefully end a debate that
[17:09] has endured for decades. Thanks to the
RCDR state leadership for taking a
[17:14] chance by engaging with us meaningfully
and directly. It would have been easy
[17:18] for folks to avoid this dialogue, but
you all the hard thing and helping to
[17:22] try and find a pathway that sought to
address the concerns articulated by
[17:25] those outside of your coalition.
Tonight, as President Harden is as well,
[17:30] I will be a yes vote on both of these
charter amendments. I'll be a yes vote
[17:34] this fall at the ballot box and I'll be
encouraging both my colleagues and all
[17:38] residents and voters in our community to
do exactly the same as we head towards
[17:42] this fall's election. With that, I want
to pause and open it up to my council
[17:46] colleagues.
Council Rosa deputy.
[17:50] » Uh thank you, President Prom Dorren. I
did write let's see how this goes,
[17:56] friends. Okay, I was going to talk in
first draft, but I did write something.
[18:00] So, I'm probably going to go off script
just a little bit. First, I want to say
[18:03] how grateful I am to the RCDRA coalition
and the more than 200 volunteers who
[18:10] gathered literally thousands of
signatures to put this effort on the
[18:14] ballot. I also want to thank and
acknowledge the longtime community
[18:19] leaders and advocates who have carried
this fight for representation forward
[18:23] for decades.
I believe that change h only happens but
[18:27] for the people and this is a perfect
example of that and in November the
[18:32] people will have their say. I'm proud to
support uh our city RA because Columbus
[18:38] residents deserve a city council that is
more directly accountable to the people
[18:42] and the neighborhoods it serves. I've
listened to longtime community leaders,
[18:47] communities of color, neighborhood
advocates, and residents across Columbus
[18:50] who have been asking for greater
representation and for continued
[18:53] leadership that reflects the communities
we serve. And though those voices
[18:57] matter, and after years of advocacy for
real district representation, I believe
[19:01] we have a responsibility to listen and
to act. Our city RSA is an important
[19:06] first step toward building a more
accountable and representative city
[19:09] hall. And at the same time, I believe we
must continue the work of ensuring our
[19:14] system protects the voting power of
communities of color, keeps
[19:17] neighborhoods meaningfully represented,
and gives us the tools to address
[19:20] challenges that affect the entire city.
I was proud of the work that we did
[19:24] together with my colleagues and the
negotiating team for our city. While we
[19:29] went through the process of challenging
ideas and concepts and pushing for
[19:33] progress, it was inspiring to see
diverse perspectives at the table,
[19:37] planning for a better Columbus for all
of us. I was also cleanly aware of the
[19:42] voices that for a myriad of reasons had
not been at the table to share their
[19:46] concerns. And at such a critical time
when we are restructuring how our city
[19:51] operates, it felt imperative to me to
not leave options on the table as we
[19:56] discuss representation and campaign
finance and access issues that would
[20:00] give us even closer to more
accountability and equity and
[20:04] representation.
And that's why I support this approach.
[20:08] It's a yes and nine district elected
members, additional atlarge
[20:13] representation, and an independent
process to redraw our district map so
[20:17] they make sense for our people. We can
strengthen neighborhood accountability
[20:22] while preserving the ability to tackle
citywide challenges together. For me,
[20:26] this is ultimately about who government
works for. It should empower the people,
[20:31] not protect the people who hold office.
And I trust that our people, the people
[20:36] of Columbus, know what their communities
need. They deserve to know who is
[20:41] accountable to them and to have the
power to demand change when our
[20:44] government falls short. And I believe
that this is an important step forward
[20:48] to a more accountable representative
city hall. And now it's time to let the
[20:53] people decide. Thank you.
>> Thank you, council member. Any other
[20:58] comments? Councelor Benson.
>> Thank you, President Pro Timoth. Again,
[21:01] thank you for your leadership on this.
I'll be brief and not to echo I think
[21:05] what my colleague said but just wanted
to again echo thanks to our city RCA for
[21:09] coming to that table. I said this at the
hearing and I think what I hope they
[21:14] came away with I know I know I did was
that this wasn't about political points
[21:18] or or posturing. It was really about
folks coming together who cared about
[21:22] the direction of this city. And so I
want to thank them because it's because
[21:26] of that simple fix of getting to
districts why we're now here to have a
[21:30] broader conversation about comprehensive
election reform that I believe will
[21:34] stand the test of time uh and shape this
city. So again, thank you to our city
[21:38] RSE. Uh and I echo and say this that I
will be voting yes on both issues. uh I
[21:44] will go proudly to my party and to other
folks and ask them to endorse uh both
[21:49] issues uh because it I think is going to
take both issues for us to really bring
[21:53] that comprehensive election reform to
this community uh for the next
[21:58] generation of Columbus residents. So
again, thank you council president for
[22:00] your leadership. Thank you again to the
residents for lifting your voices and
[22:04] pushing us to be here.
>> Any other comments from Council White?
[22:10] Uh first let I will echo the congrats to
the R city RCA folks uh as one of the
[22:16] signers. I was happy to see that you
guys were moving forward with the ballot
[22:19] initiative. I think even at the time
though I was pretty clear and felt like
[22:23] that was not enough to address a lot of
the concerns. I'm happy to see that
[22:27] we're doing the campaign finance stuff.
I'm happy to see that we'll have an
[22:30] atlarge view of the city. Um but I want
to encourage us not to be stagnant. Like
[22:35] what has been done is good. There is
more that needs to be done. This is not
[22:39] a part-time job. It needs to be a
full-time job. So, I would be one in
[22:44] favor of us seeing another charter
review commission at some point in time
[22:47] to kind of get us to that point. Um, but
I do want to congratulate you, President
[22:52] Prom, and all the work kind of going
back and forth because it is not easy to
[22:55] negotiate with folks, especially when
there is an assumption that trust is not
[22:59] there, right? And so, who wants to show
their cards first? I'm glad we got to
[23:03] this resolution, but I just want to
encourage us to say there is more we
[23:06] should be doing. Um, and this should not
be the only time that we change our
[23:11] system. Like it's should be fluid to
kind of move with the growth of the
[23:14] city. So,
>> thank you, council member. Um, any other
[23:18] comments from colleagues? Seeing none,
um, as the council president said, we're
[23:22] doing a few things out of order. And
since we have, I think, a number of
[23:25] speakers that are seeking to speak on
both um ordinance 2355 and 23 uh 54, u
[23:33] we're just going to actually have
speakers sort of come up um at one time
[23:36] for both before I ask for a vote of my
colleagues. So, I'm going to call folks
[23:40] a little bit out of order just to make
sure we have some semblance of keeping
[23:43] things in line here. But first, I want
to ask Mr. Jesse Vogle and Maitlyn, Mr.
[23:47] Mate Nef to come forward as they are
representing the RCD RCA coalition here
[23:51] this evening with us. Welcome back,
council gentlemen.
[24:08] Good afternoon, Council President
Harden, Prom Dorans, and members of
[24:12] council. My name is Mate Nef. I am proud
to be here tonight on behalf of our
[24:17] city, RSA, a nonpartisan coalition of
individuals and organizations
[24:22] representing varying areas of advocacy
that has since its inception been rooted
[24:27] in the belief that everyday people
deserve a meaningful voice in the in the
[24:31] decisions that shape the communities we
call home. Governments should not be
[24:35] static or unchanging. Their structures
should adapt to better represent the
[24:39] interests of the public. In this case,
our proposed charter amendment is simple
[24:44] to have only the people who actually
live in each of our nine districts vote
[24:48] on the council person who represents
them. Nationally, Columbus is an
[24:53] outlier. Among the 30 largest cities, we
are the only one in which the majority
[24:57] of people may vote for a candidate who
does not represent them. This summer, I
[25:02] spoke with over 1,500 residents who
understand that this system is not
[25:07] working for them and they are not being
heard. We believe that this change will
[25:12] be one step towards ensuring our local
government is beholden to the struggling
[25:16] and disenfranchised many rather than the
wealthy few who may have the financial
[25:20] means to fund citywide campaigns and as
a result have an outsized influence on
[25:25] politics and governing decisions in
Columbus. We also recognize that council
[25:29] intends to place its own charter
amendment on the November ballot. We
[25:33] want to be clear. We do not view this
measure as standing in direct
[25:37] contradiction to ours. Instead, we see
this as an opportunity for both choices
[25:42] to be placed before Columbus voters and
for the people to have the final say on
[25:46] how they want their city council to be
structured moving forward. However, I
[25:51] would like to focus my remaining remarks
on the citizen-led initiative of our
[25:54] city, our say, and the significance of
this moment for the people of our city.
[25:59] Tonight marks a historic moment in the
pursuit of meaningful municipal
[26:03] representation in Columbus. By formerly
refer referring the our city, our city
[26:08] proposal to the ballot, council has
ensured that this decision will not be
[26:11] made behind closed doors, but will
ultimately be placed in the hands of
[26:15] Columbus voters. We would like to take
this opportunity to thank the more than
[26:19] 250 volunteers who knocked on doors,
stood outside of coffee shops, attended
[26:23] events at Bsentennial Park, at Pride,
Confest, Junth, and more in the rain and
[26:28] summer heat to have this conversation
with Columbus, one person at a time.
[26:34] This includes one volunteer who knocked
on the door and spoke to an individual
[26:37] who was part of an effort to deliver
district representation in 1975.
[26:42] 23,188
people signed took the time to sign this
[26:46] petition in near unanimous agreement
that our local democracy needs to be
[26:50] more accountable and responsive to the
concerns of residents and neighborhoods
[26:55] in our city. We hope that all council
members will publicly support the our
[26:59] state our city our campaign as some of
you already have to varying degrees
[27:03] including and a special thank you to
council member green for a recent
[27:06] statement in support of our initiative.
We look forward to working with and
[27:09] being in community alongside city
council and to all those who believe in
[27:14] a government that is of, by, and for the
people of Columbus. We're also asking
[27:18] that Columbus vote yes on our charter
amendment. We are excited to continue
[27:22] engaging in this voter registration and
awareness campaign in the months leading
[27:26] up to November 3rd. We will continue to
meet residents where they are at in
[27:29] their neighborhoods, community events,
and doortodoor. Please join us in this
[27:33] effort. We would love to stand alongside
of you. Thank you.
[27:43] Good evening, council members. Um, and
and good evening to all those in the
[27:48] chamber and watching online. Um, my name
is Jesse Vogle. Um, and I am a member of
[27:54] the our city coalition along with
Maitlyn Nef standing next to me. Um, I I
[27:59] too want to celebrate what our city has
done, giving Columbus voters the
[28:04] opportunity to have a city council where
each member is elected in their district
[28:09] by the district um to have the council
member of their choosing. Um,
[28:14] congratulations to the coalition
partners, the 17 organizations, the over
[28:19] 250 people who gathered over 23,000
signatures in just 115 days in a few
[28:25] months. Today, council is taking this
required procedural step of referring
[28:31] our city RCA's proposal for nine real
districts to the November ballot, and
[28:35] that is because of the organizing that
this coalition has done.
[28:40] I must say I know firsthand something
about the importance of this change. Um,
[28:45] as a candidate for city council last
year, I heard questions and concerns
[28:49] about our system where a council member
is elected to represent a district, but
[28:54] the whole city votes. It doesn't make
sense to voters. It sews distrust, and
[28:59] it makes accountability hard. The result
in last year's election, where I won
[29:05] more votes in the district and came up
short citywide, I think it's safe to
[29:09] say, is one that no one wanted.
But that result provided an opportunity
[29:15] for this dialogue and hopefully for some
change. And I'm grateful for the
[29:20] organizers and volunteers who have taken
that opportunity and run with it.
[29:24] Building truthfully on decades of
advocacy around this issue for real
[29:28] words. We have a moment in politics and
we can take it or not take it and we all
[29:33] have decided to take it. I don't take
that for granted today. In addition to
[29:39] referring our city our city's proposal
for nine districts to the ballot, this
[29:43] council plans to vote to refer another
measure to the ballot for voters
[29:47] consideration, which in addition to
providing nine real districts would add
[29:52] four at large seats phased in over four
years, initiate a public process for
[29:57] looking at the maps, and reducing the
number of signatures required to get on
[30:01] the ballot for a district seat. This
council's leadership has also provided
[30:05] an opportunity to take a look at
campaign finance rules and make some
[30:09] change. I agree council member W on all
kinds of issues more is needed. To those
[30:14] who are skeptical of the decision to
refer something else to the ballot,
[30:18] adding at large seats in the coalition
that I've been working with, I hear you.
[30:22] I've been frustrated to watch at times
local government make choices that
[30:27] prioritize at times big money interests
over the needs of real people in our
[30:31] city. I don't like that either. And I
believe that these at large races at
[30:36] times can contribute to that disconnect.
And yet I also believe that this choice
[30:41] to put something on the ballot that also
provides the change that our city RCA
[30:46] has been demanding. Nine real districts,
you all are voting on that as well. That
[30:50] demonstrates the power of this
coalition's work. I believe it reflects
[30:55] as well how one might expect a
representative democracy and local
[30:59] government to work. People organize for
a change, others express concerns and
[31:04] additional demands, and elected
officials respond. The concerns shared
[31:09] by some union leaders, faith leaders,
and black community leaders that we have
[31:14] heard throughout this discussion are
genuine concerns, and I believe that
[31:19] this body's effort to incorporate those
concerns is in good faith, and that this
[31:23] whole thing reflects some progress.
Ultimately, we all know what we need is
[31:30] not just a council structure that
provides greater accountability and more
[31:33] responsiveness and more democracy, but a
council that delivers all of that. So,
[31:39] the work of the organizers, including
those here in this room tonight, those
[31:44] outside this hall earlier advocating not
just on council structure, but on other
[31:49] issues. That work must and will
continue. the people in November will
[31:54] decide our council structure and then
it's up to all of us to continue to
[31:59] build a city that works better for all.
So, thanks.
[32:06] Thank you both. Um, the next speaker
come for council on these charter
[32:11] amendments is uh Mr. Sorry, Mr. Will
Harvin.
[32:37] Good evening, President Harden, Pro Tim
Dors, members of city count, Columbus
[32:42] City Council. Thank you for the
opportunity to speak today. My name is
[32:46] Will Harmon and I am the president of
Ask Me Local 1632.
[32:50] Last week I submitted a statement that
was presented before you all and asked
[32:55] this council to maintain some some form
of atlarge representation on council to
[32:59] make sure that council could maintain a
citywide view while making needed
[33:04] changes to stay responsive to the people
of Columbus. Today I am here in person.
[33:09] I am happy to say that in Labor's view,
this amendment helps to accomplish that.
[33:15] Columbus is one of the fastest growing
cities in the country and the problems
[33:18] we face are growing right along with us.
The expansion of flock cameras across
[33:24] our neighborhoods, the desperate need
for more housing, and a a state and
[33:28] federal government that seem more inter
interested in making our job harder than
[33:33] helping us do it. None of those problems
stop at a district line. They are
[33:39] city-wide challenges and my members need
a council that can see the whole picture
[33:44] as well as they see the small details.
Adding four at large seats over two
[33:50] election cycles is a smart measured
approach to make sure that we can keep
[33:55] that whole picture view. It prevent it
prevents too big of a change too
[34:00] quickly. It avoids having to draw straws
to see who goes up for reelection first.
[34:07] and it makes sure that at no point do
the atlarge members control council.
[34:12] They will be just just another voice on
it. I also want to mention how I
[34:17] appreciate that this amendment calls for
the district map to be redrawn in 2027.
[34:23] As many people have mentioned, the
current maps were not designed to be
[34:28] voting districts, just equally sized
chunks of the city to avoid one
[34:32] neighborhood electing all of council. So
getting that redraw on the books is an
[34:38] important step toward making sure this
council actually reflects the city it
[34:41] represents.
A lot of attention has been put on to
[34:46] the importance of a simple solution and
I think that this is a much more complex
[34:50] problem than what people are giving it
credit for. So I want to thank you all
[34:55] for this reasonable thoughtful approach.
We urge council to move forward with
[34:59] this amendment. Thank you and I'm happy
to answer any questions.
[35:03] » Thank you President Harmon. Any
questions from councel?
[35:06] See none. Thank you for being here.
Appreciate it.
[35:09] » Uh the next speaker come for council is
Mr. Willis Brown.
[35:16] Mr. Brown with us.
Lays out the record flag that Mr. Willis
[35:21] Brown was not here. Uh next speaker is
Miss Rachel Wing.
[35:27] Miss Wenning here.
[35:31] Don't see her either. Uh next speaker
come for council is Cass Kamira.
[35:37] Mr. Kami here.
[35:41] Don't please let reflect that Mr. Kamra
is not here. Um I know I saw Mr.
[35:47] Nathaniel Wilkins. Mr. Wilkins
welcome back to council sir.
[36:04] Thank you for having me. Uh 1612
Arlington Avenue, Mr. Roth George
[36:08] Wilkins. First of all,
I would love to see a larger district.
[36:16] And let me tell you why I suggested 13
city council members and five large
[36:22] seats.
I think four large seats is not ethical.
[36:29] We're also leaving out the multi
disability people, visually impaired and
[36:32] multi- handicap. 13 seats will represent
the whole entire city and having not
[36:39] four seats but another seat that will
represent the multi disability people,
[36:45] the hearing impaired and
multi-handicapped.
[36:48] This is a good idea to step along with
the city of Columbus. Why did why the
[36:54] city is still growing? The reason why I
suggest this my own ideas is because I
[37:00] took and bought a house in London and I
came through all of this and instead I
[37:07] have this like this. This is a old book
I printed back in
[37:11] 2007. I got sell books like this. And so
again, see my neighborhood not to be
[37:18] this this empty empty properties, torn
up properties. That's what I see every
[37:24] day. And so with this idea, we want to
bring city council for steam ahead with
[37:30] 13 city council members and five seats
at large. that's dealing with domestic
[37:36] violence problems properties and things
businesses going under properties that's
[37:42] falling in disrepair. So again, I'm all
for this. Thank you for your time.
[37:47] » Thank you, Mr. Wilkins. Um, we do have a
couple of other speakers. Uh, is there
[37:52] Miss Becky Walcott with us?
Believe Miss Walcott's with us. Um, is
[37:59] Miss Sarah Cherry with us?
[38:04] believe that those are all the folks had
signed up to speak on either charter
[38:08] amendment. Do you want to pause and see
if any of the folks uh Miss Rachel
[38:11] Wenning, Mr. Willis Brown, Mr. Cass
Kamura, Miss Becky Walcott, Miss Sarah
[38:16] Cherry, if any of those folks are in
chambers.
[38:21] I am not seeing anyone. So, we will move
on uh to the legislation. Uh first is
[38:27] ordinance number 2354 uh-2026
to submit to the electors of the city of
[38:33] Columbus a special election to be held
concurrently with a regular general
[38:36] election on November 3rd. The question
of amending the charter of the city of
[38:39] Columbus. Such question shall be known
as proposed charter amendment number one
[38:43] city council district elections. Do my
colleagues have been questions comments?
[38:48] Seeing none, I move for passage. Second
clerk, please call the role. Is it two?
[38:57] 234
[39:01] » Bankston Verosa de Padilla de Akaw Dors
Remy Ross White President Harden
[39:08] » pass.
>> Thank you. Next we move to ordinance
[39:10] number 2355-2026
to submit the electors of the city of
[39:15] Columbus a special election to be held
concurrently with a regular general
[39:18] election on November 3rd 2026. the
question of amending the charter of the
[39:23] city of Columbus. Such question be known
as proposed charter amendment number two
[39:27] city council at large compliments. Do
any of my colleagues have any questions,
[39:30] comments?
>> Seeing none, I move for passage.
[39:34] » Clermen
as submitted.
[39:37] » Do you have amend by
>> Oh, I'm sorry. First, I move as
[39:40] submitted to the clerk.
>> Second.
[39:41] » Clerk, please call the role.
>> Bankston, Barbosa, Deodia, Deau, Dors,
[39:46] Remy, Ross, Swiss, President Harden.
>> Amended. Now I move for passage as
[39:50] amended. Second
>> clerk please call the role.
[39:53] » Bankston Barrosa de Padilla de Akawa
Dorne Remy Ross W president Harden
[39:58] » passed.
>> Thank you my colleagues.
[40:03] We'll now go back into somewhat
irregular order. I'm going to throw
[40:07] things over to Council Member Ross for a
special recognition.
[40:15] » Thank you Council Ross. Thank you,
President Proim Dorans. If I
[40:21] could ask
for representatives from our division of
[40:26] fire, representatives from our division
of police,
[40:30] representatives from our department of
wreck and parks, our department of
[40:35] public health,
from team Rubicon,
[40:40] representatives from Tent City Showers,
[40:45] representatives from Columbus Water and
Power,
[40:49] and the Department of Neighborhoods.
Could you all come to the front for me?
[40:54] I hate to call you out, but I need to
call you out.
[40:59] If you are already here, can you just
you can stand up, would you, please?
[41:05] Thank you.
[41:10] Yes. Thank you so much, Edward Jones,
for standing. [laughter]
[41:17] And are we still waving? Is David?
Is he gathering other folks?
[41:24] » Yes, there are.
[41:30] Department of Public Service, could you
also please stand? Thank you.
[41:34] [laughter]
>> Department of Development, could you
[41:36] also please stand? Thank you.
>> 10 City Showers, did you guys make it
[41:41] in? Can you all come up for me, please?
Thank you.
[41:49] You might as well stand. I asked for
both divisions to stand, but yes, public
[41:52] safety can also stand.
[41:59] Thank you. Do we have members of team
Rubicon here?
[42:06] » Okay,
I'll hold tight. Now I'm making you guys
[42:09] stand up for a long time and I
apologize, but
[42:25] Huh?
[42:43] Chief, is Team Rubicon actually coming
in or are they on their way to city
[42:48] hall?
>> Okay.
[42:52] I don't want to keep people standing
>> for too long.
[43:00] All right,
I'm going to start and then when Team
[43:06] Rubicon comes in, we can just give them
a round of applause. How about we do
[43:09] that? Um, so for the past several weeks,
we have been dealing with an
[43:14] extraordinarily difficult and
devastating uh issue for the city of
[43:17] Columbus, being hit by tornadoes, harsh
winds, and storms. and the recent
[43:23] weather emergencies have left many
residents without power, food, personal
[43:26] belongings, and in some cases a place to
call home. Um, my thoughts and prayers
[43:31] are certainly with every individual and
family who has been affected. And is
[43:36] oftent times during disaster and crisis
that the strength, resilience, and
[43:40] preparedness of our city are put to the
test. Having been at the forefront of
[43:44] crisis in our community, I knew
immediately that we needed to lean in
[43:48] and come together and galvanize as much
support as possible to assist our
[43:52] neighbors in their time of need. I'm
deeply grateful to my colleagues on city
[43:57] council who have stepped forward in
countless ways such as organizing
[44:01] cleanups, making calls, canvasing
communities, listening to residents
[44:04] stories, advocating for resources for
support, standing in the gap,
[44:08] brainstorming solutions, and deploying a
coordinated response and being boots on
[44:12] the ground. I want to also extend my
sincere appreciation to my team for
[44:16] their dedication for leaning in and for
working alongside me throughout this
[44:20] response. Also like to recognize in
particular council member Lordes Barosa
[44:25] de Padilla and her team, Council Member
W and his team, Council Member Green and
[44:29] her team for their tireless efforts and
commitment to our residents.
[44:33] And I'd also like to surprise someone.
Is she around? Is Katherine Cole here?
[44:41] are on their way.
>> We'll do that later. We'll do that
[44:44] later. Um, let me take a moment to
recognize our first responders,
[44:50] and the many organizations and
businesses that have answered the call
[44:53] to serve our residents, including
our administration, the division of
[44:58] police, the division of fire, the
department of building and zoning
[45:02] services. You were supposed to come up,
director Breezy, Director Messer, thank
[45:06] you for standing. Um, our Department of
Code Enforcement, Department of
[45:11] Neighborhoods, Columbus Water and Power,
Department of Public Service, Department
[45:16] of Safety, Team Rubicon, Bessa, Soul
Classics, Legal Aid, Charity Newsies,
[45:22] Southeast Lion, CME Bank, McDonald's,
and the Mendoza Company. Your
[45:26] partnership and compassion and
commitment have made such a meaningful
[45:30] difference in this time. And to Tint
City Showers, thank you to Team Rubicon
[45:35] that is coming in right now. Round of
applause. Thank you so much. These are a
[45:42] group of volunteers that came into our
community, answered the call without
[45:47] hesitation to support our residents, and
we are so thankful and so grateful to
[45:53] each and every one of you for all that
you have done for the residents of this
[45:57] city. And certainly, while the tornadoes
have passed and the flooding has
[46:01] seemingly subsided, we're going to cross
our fingers. Many people are beginning
[46:05] to find their way back toward a sense of
normaly.
[46:08] What I do also know is that far too many
of our neighbors are still without the
[46:13] necessities that they need to recover
and rebuild. And so our work here is not
[46:17] done. And so while I am thankful of
everything we have done to now, I
[46:22] certainly appreciate our continued
partnership in the days to come to
[46:25] ensure that all of our residents are
able to start over and to stabilize as
[46:30] we continue this work. So thank you to
everyone. Um, and before I wrap, I want
[46:36] to just give a little bit of an update
and brag on behalf of Team Rubicon. As
[46:40] of today, they have removed 35,000 cubic
feet of debris. They have served over 80
[46:48] families at 80 different unique
locations and they have generated over
[46:54] 145 different work orders in response to
this disaster. So Ralph, team Rubicon,
[47:01] again we applaud you, Tint City Showers,
to the administration and all of the
[47:07] directors who have stepped up to provide
a coordinated response. Thank you so
[47:11] much. To residents, if you are still in
need of support and if you are still in
[47:16] need of help, Team Rubicon will be here
through August 30th. You are free to
[47:22] call 614-6453111
[47:28] if you need support, if you need help.
They will deploy volunteers. Um they are
[47:32] not asking for information other than
your name, where you live, and what kind
[47:37] of help you need. Um so if you need
help, please, please reach out to them.
[47:41] They are incredible human beings who
have stepped up to help our city in a
[47:45] mammoth way. And so at this point in
time, I would ask all of my colleagues
[47:50] if we could just stand up and give a
round of applause to everyone who has
[47:53] helped us during this time.
[47:58] [applause]
[48:05] » All right. Uh, also
I have a a a partner in crime and and
[48:12] her name is Katherryn Cole. I I have I
have not seen uh someone step up in such
[48:20] a big way ever in my time as uh both a
city attorney and even as my short
[48:27] period of time as a council member. I
mean I'm talking spending her own
[48:31] resources. I'm talking spending over 12
14hour days to coordinate our
[48:38] volunteers. I'm talking 6:00 am in the
morning serving food, coming back for
[48:43] lunch, coming back for dinner. So,
Katherryn Cole, if you could just come
[48:47] up here and allow us to thank you in a
big big big way.
[48:53] [applause]
[48:56] » You you
[applause]
[49:00] Katherine, Katherine, you are the
epitome of what public service is and
[49:05] should be. Thank you for Thank you for
your sacrifice. Thank you for the long
[49:10] days, the long hours that you have
worked to support council and to support
[49:14] the residents of this community. You are
absolutely necessary. We would not know
[49:19] what we would do without you and we
appreciate all that you have done. Thank
[49:22] you all.
[applause]
[49:26] » Council member,
>> before I wrap with this recognition
[49:30] moment, do I have any comments? Yes.
Council member Ross, I just also wanted
[49:35] to say um I just also wanted to thank
you for your leadership. I think one
[49:39] thing that we are learning as a city is
that um we we talk about how Columbus is
[49:44] growing. We talk about how we need to
pivot a lot, but we don't also talk
[49:47] about the conditions of the world and
how they're rapidly changing. You know,
[49:51] we have seen uh some of the worst snow
storms this year. We have seen high
[49:55] temperatures this year. We have seen um
record rainfall this year. And so I
[50:01] think as a city one one muscle muscle
that we are building is how do we
[50:06] respond? And so understanding you know
in the midst of this storm there were
[50:10] many things happening from folks being
displaced to trees that folks can't take
[50:15] care of. We want a tree canopy but when
you have a 40ft tall tree it's expensive
[50:19] to take care of. And so there's lots of
questions that we're grappling with as a
[50:23] city. And so I just want to thank you
for your leadership of stepping into
[50:26] those gaps of working from the council
side of figuring out how we could meet
[50:31] especially for you and I where you know
some of the hardest hit places were in
[50:35] your district and in mine. I also just
want to thank team Rubicon. This is a uh
[50:39] first of all they have served our
country as veterans but then decided to
[50:44] serve and they're coming to different
places. They're sleeping on CS. were
[50:48] providing you good meals, but still um
uh which Katherine has been instrumental
[50:53] in getting to all of you. But um you
know, I was an Americanore volunteer, so
[50:58] I know what this is like when you're
working in disaster relief and traveling
[51:01] to different places. And so I just
really want to thank you for your
[51:05] service. I think that this is when we
talk about communities coming together
[51:09] to stack hands, you know, from Bessa to
uh we talked about uh folks giving us
[51:14] not just meals for folks here, but meals
for folks at the shelter, the Red Cross,
[51:19] shoes for kids who were starting their
first day. Imagine that your first day
[51:22] of school comes and you're sleeping in a
gym in one of our rec centers. And that
[51:26] was a reality that some of our families
are facing. And I know that there are
[51:29] still folks out there because in a mini
in a city of a million people, it's
[51:33] sometimes hard to find the resources
that are there. But just please know if
[51:37] folks are seeing this, please continue
to call 311. Please continue to call to
[51:42] these folks who we have for um another
week or so in our city um so that we can
[51:48] continue to address the issues. But I
think that this is also just a moment
[51:52] for us as a city to really build this
muscle of how we're showing up for our
[51:56] folks as the world is really rapidly
changing. So, thank you again for um
[52:01] your leadership and thank you for all of
our colleagues who pitched in at
[52:04] different times.
>> Absolutely. Thank you, council member.
[52:07] » Any other comments, questions?
All right, one last round of applause
[52:12] for all of you. Thank you so much from
the bottom of our hearts. [applause]
[52:24] Thank you, Council Member Ross. I think
we're going to get ourselves back in
[52:28] regular order. Do you have any any other
announcements?
[52:30] » I did, but I didn't know how we wanted
to.
[52:32] » Why don't we just go go around? So,
we'll go ahead and uh get back into
[52:35] regular order. Go back around the dis.
Uh we any
[52:39] » uh we're here with the safety not
surveillance coalition and we are here
[52:43] to deliver our our written signatures.
We have just about 700 signatures and we
[52:49] will not be ignored. So
>> yeah, if you could hand those to staff.
[52:54] David, you can take those. We'll make
sure that all the council
[52:56] » Can we see them? Give it to you
>> here. Bring them over here.
[53:05] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[53:08] » Pass down.
[53:37] Thank you very much. All right, back
into regular order. Uh we will go around
[53:42] for announcements. Uh Council Bankston.
[53:50] » Well, uh good evening everyone and
welcome back to to council. Again,
[53:53] echoes of thanks and gratitude to our
first uh responders as well. Uh a couple
[53:59] announcements from me this evening. Um
uh first I want to discuss our voice,
[54:04] our choice uh budget. We have one week
left for idea collections. uh and so
[54:10] excited to see what has come in so far.
Uh right now uh we have over 350 ideas
[54:16] that have been submitted. Uh and I can
confidently say that the engagement so
[54:20] far has been incredible and I've
thoroughly enjoyed reading the great
[54:24] ideas submitted on the platform. A lot
of them over a million dollars, but
[54:28] we'll figure that out uh in the next
phase. Um next Monday, August uh 31st.
[54:33] And again, I want to say that you have
till the 28th to submit those ideas. So,
[54:37] please uh go on to the website, submit
those ideas, work with our community
[54:42] based organizations to get those in. Uh,
next Monday, August 31st, we'll be
[54:46] stepping into the most critical phase of
this entire process, and that is the
[54:50] proposal development phase. And we need
you to help lead it as a budget delegate
[54:56] or a budget facilitator. As we have said
throughout this entire process,
[55:00] participatory budgeting is really about
uh the people and making sure that they
[55:03] are involved every step of the way.
Budget delegates will work with city
[55:07] staff and experts to evaluate those
community ideas that we've been
[55:11] gathering, check the feasibility and
transform those raw suggestions into
[55:15] fully cost proposals ready for residents
to vote on later this year. Our budget
[55:20] facilitators will man will mediate these
discussions to help keep them inclusive,
[55:25] fair, and focused and make sure that it
reaches the essence of the proposals
[55:29] themselves. Budget delegates and
facilitators are truly the backbone of
[55:33] this next phase. So, we need your
leadership and expertise and community
[55:37] ideas to to come together to make the
final ballot. Uh, so please, if you are
[55:42] interested in being a budget delegate or
a budget facilitator, uh, it's really
[55:45] simple. Just check the volunteer box
when you submit an idea online. You can
[55:49] apply at common.pro.org/colus
[55:53] or email us at
participatorybudgeting@colus.gov
[55:58] to confirm your interest or with any
questions you may have. uh please lean
[56:03] in and volunteer to ensure that we can
continue the success that we have seen
[56:08] so far. So really looking forward uh to
again uh those ideas coming to fruition
[56:13] and voting on them later uh this year. I
also want to get ahead of September. Uh
[56:19] September is cickle cell awareness month
and we'll be kicking it off here in the
[56:24] city of Columbus. Uh as many of you know
for me this is very personal. Uh my wife
[56:28] Habiba lives with cickle cell disease.
Uh and cickle cell disproportionately
[56:32] affects black and brown communities
across the country. In fact, one out of
[56:37] every 365 black children that are born
in this country lives with the disease.
[56:43] And also Latino communities are impacted
as well. So how fitting in September for
[56:47] us to both celebrate both of those
milestones of Latino Heritage Month as
[56:51] well as cle cell awareness month. Uh so
join me on Thursday, September 3rd. The
[56:56] city of Columbus is partnering with the
American Red Cross for our cickle cell
[57:00] awareness month kickoff blood drive at
the Fran Ryan Center from 12 to 6:00
[57:05] p.m. And this will not be your typical
blood drive. Okay? We're going to have a
[57:09] good time, y'all. Uh so if you get uh
what they say is deferred and you can't
[57:14] give today, stick around cuz we going to
have a DJ. We'll have a mocktail bar.
[57:18] That means no alcohol for folks don't
know what mocktails is. Okay? You can't
[57:22] drink and give blood. Okay? But we I got
some juice for you. Uh there will be
[57:26] free health screenings and also a chance
to connect with local health
[57:29] organizations uh during uh that that
day. Uh again, we're really excited. We
[57:34] want to bring some energy to this. I
always say this that when it comes to uh
[57:38] the blood supply, we are uh the the
chain. We are the supply chain for that.
[57:44] And so when we talk about shortages and
we talk about that, it's our
[57:48] responsibility to step up for our
neighbors and to give uh blood. Uh so
[57:52] one donation, one hour of your time, uh
it can save up to actually three lives.
[57:56] So please join us September 3rd at the
Fran Ryar Center and let's show up for
[58:00] our neighbors together. Again, that's
the kickoff to the blood drives as
[58:03] always. Every year in September, we will
have different blood drives throughout
[58:07] the entire city. Want to say thank you
in advance to all of our city employees.
[58:11] Every single year, you guys knock it out
of the park and we exceed our goals. And
[58:15] so thank you. Thank you. Thank you for
showing up for our neighbors every
[58:18] single day. showing up for our neighbors
when we're in midst of crisis like
[58:22] extreme weather, but also just showing
up by giving blood and saving lives. Uh
[58:27] you guys are amazing. Uh so with that,
that's all I have.
[58:30] » Thank you, Council Member Makes Crosa
Depia.
[58:33] » Thanks, Prom. Um just a few
announcements. First, uh welcome back to
[58:39] school for all of our kiddos who started
last week. Uh it's funny as we have
[58:44] many, um kindergarteners starting. I
have a college student who's starting.
[58:48] So, uh, sending love to all the people
who sent out their babies to colleges
[58:53] all around the country. Um, but with
that, now that school is back in
[58:58] session, this is just another reminder
to all of our drivers that we are going
[59:03] to in the mornings and in the afterchool
time that there will be young people.
[59:09] Actually, we just have a great sidewalk
project that we're going to talk about
[59:12] in just a little bit, but we are going
to have more young people on our roads
[59:15] riding their bikes to school, walking to
school, etc. So, just be aware of your
[59:20] surroundings, especially in our
neighborhoods as our kids are walking to
[59:24] and from school. We want everyone to get
We always want everyone to get to where
[59:28] they're going safely and get back home
safely, but especially during this time
[59:31] of the year. Um, that also goes for our
college campuses that have been a little
[59:36] quiet, especially at OSU when you're
traveling down High Street. Watch out
[59:39] for all of those pedestrians. Also, I
want to September's a funky month
[59:44] because we don't have a lot of council
meetings. So, uh, coming up, it is
[59:48] Latino Heritage Month. Thanks for the
tea up, Council Member Bangston. Uh,
[59:52] please save the date for September 17th.
We will be hosting the Padrino ceremony
[59:57] and the illumination for Latino Heritage
Month here at um, Columbus City Hall. I
[1:00:02] also want to congratulate Fetiva Latino
that celebrated this past weekend in a
[1:00:08] new venue which unfortunately was moved
because of some things that were
[1:00:13] happening in our community to make our
community feel a little safer. Um, but
[1:00:17] it was a tremendous success. So, I want
to thank everyone who came out to
[1:00:21] support our Latino businesses. We had a
record number of Latino businesses that
[1:00:25] were local representative of Festival
Latino this year. And so, we want to
[1:00:29] keep that energy going. So, make sure
you join us on the 17th and on October
[1:00:33] 3rd for our big um Latino Heritage Month
event, Laia. You will be hearing much
[1:00:38] more. If you don't follow us on social
media, please look up Latino Heritage
[1:00:42] SEAB bus. That's all for me. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Council Council Deakau.
[1:00:47] » Thank you. Um, President Prom. Um,
first, um, I'd like to make everybody
[1:00:53] aware that we have our last two RiseUp
SEA SEAB bus events happening this year.
[1:00:59] Um, this will be on August 27th at
Colrain Elementary and the other will be
[1:01:05] on September 10th at First Church of
God. And both of these will take place
[1:01:09] from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. As always, these
are free family-friendly outdoor
[1:01:15] community gatherings hosted by the
Department of Neighborhoods. There will
[1:01:19] be complimentary meals, live music,
local performances, and children's
[1:01:23] activities like games or bounce houses.
Additionally, residents can engage
[1:01:27] one-on-one with city staff and community
partners to navigate municipal programs,
[1:01:32] utility resources, and safety
initiatives. So mark your calendars um
[1:01:36] and let's close out this summer season
of community events aimed at uh building
[1:01:41] up our community ties. Secondly, my
Getting Grant Ready Academy initiative
[1:01:47] has been accepting applications from
eligible nonprofits since the beginning
[1:01:50] of August and will continue through the
end of the month. As a reminder, this
[1:01:55] program is a nocost 9-month program for
young grassroots Columbus nonprofits
[1:02:01] looking to create sustainability and
build a diversified funding foundation
[1:02:06] that doesn't depend solely on government
funding. You can head to the council
[1:02:10] social media pages or my social media to
learn more and get the link to apply or
[1:02:16] you can contact my office if you have
any questions. And finally, before
[1:02:20] council went on recess, I was proud to
sponsor along with my colleagues Remy
[1:02:25] and Ross a new initiative with the
National Veterans Memorial and Museum
[1:02:30] aimed at reimagining how we memorialize
the tragedies of September 11th, which
[1:02:35] is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Instead of the traditional remembrance
[1:02:40] ceremony this year, the memorial museum
will be leading the community in a
[1:02:45] national day of service um that honors
how our country came together after one
[1:02:50] of our darkest days by hosting community
focused service projects. These projects
[1:02:56] will be happening at our community
centers in the weeks leading up to and
[1:03:00] following 911 where neighbors can come
together in service. This will culminate
[1:03:05] on September 11th at the Memorial Museum
with a meal packing service event where
[1:03:10] hundreds of volunteers from our
neighborhoods, businesses, and
[1:03:13] nonprofits will come to together to pack
117,000
[1:03:19] that's 117,000
meal kits to be distributed through
[1:03:24] local food pantries. We also encourage
people to create their own day of
[1:03:28] service. For example, pick up trash in
your neighborhood, help an elderly
[1:03:32] neighbor, volunteer for a nonprofit,
come out into your community and make
[1:03:39] 911 a day of service. There will be um
announcements coming up on our social
[1:03:45] media, both city council and the
memorial museum, on ways to get involved
[1:03:49] in service projects in your community.
And that's all for me this evening.
[1:03:54] » Thank you, Council Member. Council Remy.
Council Ross. Okay, I'm gonna do this
[1:03:59] right and talk in the mic in the right
way. Hopefully, I'm still learning. Just
[1:04:04] bear with me. Uh, just a couple
announcements. So, um, I did want to
[1:04:08] give a quick shout out. Um, last week
the Urban League hosted pitches from
[1:04:14] small businesses in the King Lincoln
Bronzeville neighborhood as a part of
[1:04:17] the Clean and Safe Corridor. So, I want
to take a moment just to shout out the
[1:04:20] winners of those pitches. Um, so shout
out to this year's award recipients,
[1:04:25] Glamour Girls on the Go, Elite Beauty
and Barber Supply Avenue, Dominique
[1:04:30] African Hair Braiding and Learning on
Mount Vernon. Um, we certainly
[1:04:34] appreciate all of our small business
businesses and particularly our minority
[1:04:38] small businesses which uh serve as the
heartbeat of many of our communities.
[1:04:42] And so it was very cool to spend some
time at the Urban League and with those
[1:04:46] small businesses understanding all of
the work that they are doing to invest
[1:04:49] back in our community. So,
congratulations to all of you. On August
[1:04:54] the 25th at 6 PM, I have the fortune of
spending some time with the Italian
[1:04:59] Italian Village Society and the Short
North Civic Association for their
[1:05:02] monthly meeting. Uh, it will be at Seven
Suns Brewing, 11:01 North Fourth Street.
[1:05:08] And we are going to engage in
conversation around transportation, safe
[1:05:12] streets, small business growth, housing,
and quality life qual quality of life
[1:05:16] issues. And I would invite any of you
who either live in the Italian Village
[1:05:21] community or the Short North community
and want to hang out with me and have
[1:05:24] some fun conversation to attend. Again,
we are there on August the 25th at 6 PM
[1:05:30] at 7th Sun Brewery.
On Saturday, August 29th, the Kingdom
[1:05:35] Image Arts will host a back- tochool
festival at 25501 Mock Road, Columbus,
[1:05:40] Ohio 43219
uh to help families to prepare for the
[1:05:44] school year. So, if you are in need and
or just want to hang for some
[1:05:48] entertainment and food, you can meet
Kingdom Image Arts from 12 to 300 PM on
[1:05:54] August the 29th. Last announcement is
there is a free Franklin County Criminal
[1:06:00] Record Sealing and Expungement Clinic on
Saturday, August 29th at 9:00 a.m. It is
[1:06:04] from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the
Westgate Community Center, 455 South
[1:06:08] Westgate Avenue. It is a resource fair
open to all and will be held in
[1:06:12] conjunction with this event. Space is
limited. pre-registration deadline has
[1:06:16] passed, but if you uh need access,
please give my office a call and we will
[1:06:20] try to make that happen for you. That is
it for me.
[1:06:23] » Thank Counelor W.
>> Thank you, President Prom. Just one
[1:06:26] quick announcement. Our next Wednesdays
with White will take place this
[1:06:30] Wednesday, August 26, from 5 to 7:00
p.m. at Smoky Brother Church located at
[1:06:35] 7260 Smoky Row Road. great opportunity
to discuss issues you're seeing in the
[1:06:40] community or to provide feedback on
policy initiatives that I'm currently
[1:06:43] working on. RSVPs are encouraged, but
walk-ins are always welcome. So, hope to
[1:06:48] see folks there on Wednesday. Thanks.
>> Thank you, council member. Uh, we're
[1:06:52] going to do one more thing out of order,
then I swear we're going to get back to
[1:06:55] how things normally run around here. Um,
so we're going to stick in the rules and
[1:06:59] policy committee and I'm going to bring
forward resolution number 0183-2026.
[1:07:04] I want to invite the zone in team up to
the podium as I introduce the ordinance
[1:07:08] to declare this council's intention to
amend the zoning map by reszoning
[1:07:12] certain properties from title 33 zoning
code district regula designations to
[1:07:17] title 34 2024 zoning code district uh
designations and declared emergency two
[1:07:23] years ago. This council stood together
to launch the first phase of zoning. We
[1:07:28] made a commitment to the people of
Columbus. We looked at a zoning code
[1:07:31] that's trapped in the 1950s, a code that
was defined by outdated standards, red
[1:07:36] lines, and red tape. We knew that
modernizing our code along our major
[1:07:40] transit corridors, we could build the
housing our growing city desperately
[1:07:43] needs and actually make Columbus more
affordable. And now, two years later, we
[1:07:49] know that zoning is working. This
summer, we've started to see positive
[1:07:52] data from our efforts as reports show
that Columbus is punching well above its
[1:07:56] weight class. While housing permits have
stalled across the country, Columbus has
[1:08:00] defined that national trend. In fact, we
achieved the third highest multif family
[1:08:05] permit rate out of the top 50
metropolitan areas in the entire entire
[1:08:09] country. And most importantly for
working-class families, this surge in
[1:08:13] building is doing exactly what it was
designed to do, stabilize housing costs.
[1:08:17] This past June, the meeting asking rent
in Columbus was actually down compared
[1:08:21] to the previous year. Zoning is not just
a policy concept anymore. It's a proven
[1:08:25] success is keeping more money in the
pockets of our residents.
[1:08:29] But this first phase wasn't enough. It
only touched about 13,000 parcels within
[1:08:34] the city, roughly about 4%. If we truly
want to see an affordable, walkable, and
[1:08:39] sustainable future for our next
generations, we cannot stop at just the
[1:08:43] major corridors. That's why I'm so
incredibly proud to stand here today to
[1:08:46] help launch the second phase of Zone M.
We're expanding this initiative to
[1:08:50] tackle over 70,000 parcels representing
over 40% of Columbus. And we're taking
[1:08:56] the lessons of phase one and using them
to zone uh the city comprehensively.
[1:09:02] Before I turn it over to the zoning team
for a presentation, I want to offer the
[1:09:05] floor of the director building zoning
services, Scott Messer. Director Messer,
[1:09:08] floor is yours.
>> Thanks, uh, President Proen Dorren,
[1:09:12] other members of council. Um, I'm very
excited about this resolution and phase
[1:09:16] two of the zonein in initiative. Um,
first I would like to say thanks um to
[1:09:22] the chair of zoning uh Mr. Dorne and as
well as his team and other members of
[1:09:27] council and your teams as well,
department of development, the zone in
[1:09:30] team, our consultants, everyone has
collaborated and uh collaborated and
[1:09:35] contributed to this phase two. Um we
continue to look forward to the
[1:09:39] community input that we're going to be
receiving to help shape this phase as it
[1:09:43] did in phase one. Um, as we have
throughout the zone in initiative, we
[1:09:48] remain committed to responsibly creating
more housing, growing strategically as a
[1:09:53] city, supporting highquality develop and
connect development and connecting
[1:09:57] housing, jobs, and transportation. Um,
there's still a lot of work to be done.
[1:10:02] Um, but I'm excited about where we are
and I'm looking forward to what we can
[1:10:06] accomplish with uh this phase 2
initiative and zone in. Thanks.
[1:10:10] » Thank you, Director Messer. Any
questions from my council likes for
[1:10:13] director Messer?
Seeing none, uh, want to invite Lewis
[1:10:17] Taba, our project manager from the zone
in team forward to make a presentation.
[1:10:21] Taba, welcome back to council, sir.
[1:10:27] » So, thank you for um well, President
Prom Dorne, members of council, thank
[1:10:31] you so much for having me here again
today. We're very excited uh to present
[1:10:35] to you this resolution to reszone for
phase two. [snorts] Uh as we continue
[1:10:41] our work to update the zoning code
comprehensively for the first time in 70
[1:10:44] years. Uh we are excited to present this
resolution which will expand economic
[1:10:48] and housing opportunities to all
Columbus residents. Our proposal will
[1:10:53] modernize the zoning code to support job
growth, build more housing, and foster
[1:10:58] prosperity citywide.
So this is our timeline. Uh we are
[1:11:03] currently on schedule for our zonein
timeline where we had planned to get u
[1:11:08] phase two before council for con
consideration in fall of 2026.
[1:11:16] You were provided with a packet uh as
part of this resolution. This packet
[1:11:20] includes a mayoral letter, a proposal
summary, zone in phase 2 goals and
[1:11:25] priorities, policy review, community
engagement summary, technical summary,
[1:11:31] capacity report code which is the public
review draft. Then we have a map series
[1:11:37] and a parcel uh list as well as part of
this packet.
[1:11:44] Uh this packet is based off of the
council adopted phase 2 priorities which
[1:11:50] to touch base on are leverage additional
corridors to create more housing, grow
[1:11:54] the local economy to support
neighborhood investment, connect
[1:11:57] housing, jobs and transportation and
promote highquality development.
[1:12:04] So in 2025 we focused a lot on the
Columbus growth strategy. Uh it created
[1:12:09] the policy basis for phase two by
categorizing the phase 2 parcels into
[1:12:15] three main buckets mixed use industrial
warehouse and business and institutional
[1:12:21] campus land use categories.
These provided the policy basis and the
[1:12:27] mapping locations for the zoning
districts which are part of this
[1:12:31] resolution.
So, since the adoption of the growth
[1:12:36] strategy in January of 2026, we've been
working with our consultants Lisa Wise
[1:12:40] Consulting and Opticose to create zoning
districts that work for the city of
[1:12:44] Columbus and achieve the goals of zone
in and the uh growth strategy.
[1:12:51] This phase will include 15 mapped
districts. Six of them will be from
[1:12:56] phase one, the mixeduse districts
adopted in 2024. [snorts] And we have
[1:13:00] nine new districts. Three which will be
industrial, three which will be office
[1:13:05] and institutional campus. Uh and three
which will be um industrial and I got
[1:13:12] out of order but three will also be
mixed use. So nine new mix
[1:13:16] nine new districts.
The code before you uh has gone through
[1:13:22] a lot of technical analysis and
community engagement. I want to touch
[1:13:25] base on that but it was heavily informed
by an internal review process which
[1:13:29] included 12 city departments and
divisions which provided comments uh to
[1:13:34] our earlier versions of the draft and
their input helped change and shape uh
[1:13:40] this proposal before you at this point
in time.
[1:13:44] Community engagement we have been
conducting for two years very robust and
[1:13:48] extensive community engagement. So, not
just what we did in 2025 where we
[1:13:53] engaged with thousands of residents and
had our survey and made over 19,000
[1:13:57] changes based off of their engagement to
the growth strategy. But in 2026, we
[1:14:03] have engaged and attended over 122
community events. We've shared our
[1:14:09] updates with over 1,800 community
members. We've had area commission and
[1:14:14] major civic engagement. One thing we've
done is we go one month to the area
[1:14:17] commissions and present to them an
update and the next month we have a
[1:14:21] one-on-one uh reser reservation time
where they can come meet with us and we
[1:14:27] discuss the project with them. The
zoning advisory committee made up of
[1:14:32] community members and um members from
the different development sectors have
[1:14:36] reviewed this proposal and for the most
part they are highly supportive of the
[1:14:39] work we've done. We've been doing
newsletters and social media posts.
[1:14:44] We've been doing stakeholder meetings.
We've been doing riseup events. And this
[1:14:47] is all just leading up to the heavy
engagement that we plan on doing as part
[1:14:51] of the 60-day public comment period.
So, this public review draft, a couple
[1:14:57] proposal highlights. We have over 70,650
parcels as part of this phase, which
[1:15:04] represents over 40% of the city. And we
have the capacity based off of our
[1:15:10] Cascadia housing analysis for an
additional well for 119,000
[1:15:16] plus uh units
in this area up from the original which
[1:15:21] was 13,000.
Couple code highlights is that we
[1:15:24] continue housing incentives uh in a lot
of the districts as was adopted in the
[1:15:29] 2024 zoning districts. We continue to
have market driven parking and removing
[1:15:34] parking minimums. We have cleaner design
standards which create predictability
[1:15:39] for the community and the development
community. We expand mixeduse
[1:15:43] opportunities throughout the city. We
have modern employment districts and we
[1:15:47] have improved industrial neighborhood
compatibility which should assist in a
[1:15:51] lot of the older pre-1950s areas of the
city.
[1:15:56] So, with adoption of this resolution, we
would begin our uh fall timeline where
[1:16:01] we plan on having the 60-day public
comment period starting after adoption
[1:16:05] of this resolution. Uh that will be
kicked off by 205,000 mailers going out
[1:16:10] to property owners, renters, and tenants
in the city and those within 125 ft of
[1:16:15] affected properties. We will have a
public survey, which is partially a map
[1:16:19] survey and a code survey. We're going to
have a zoning gallery. We're going to
[1:16:24] have our public webinar. We're going to
have a Reddit ask me anything, which are
[1:16:27] quite popular, actually. Uh we're going
to do two public hearings, stakeholder
[1:16:31] interviews, and scheduled events at the
gallery. After that 60-day public
[1:16:36] comment period, we'll look at all public
comments, uh analyze it, take it in, and
[1:16:40] see what changes we need to make to our
proposal based off that public comment.
[1:16:46] Uh we're going to have two public
hearings during the 60-day public
[1:16:48] comment period and then we're going to
have two additional public uh hearings
[1:16:52] after the 60-day public comment period
and then we hope to come to council for
[1:16:56] a first and second reading for this
phase of work.
[1:17:01] So with that, we look forward um to your
support on this proposal. Uh we ask that
[1:17:06] you adopt this resolution so we can
begin our community engagement and help
[1:17:09] expand economic and housing
opportunities to all Columbus residents.
[1:17:13] » Thank you, Mr. Dava. questions for my
colleagues.
[1:17:17] So, uh, Lewis, couple of things just for
you to underline yet again. You know,
[1:17:21] this is something we've talked a lot
about in the in the first phase of
[1:17:24] zoning, but, uh, here as well about what
the potential change could be from a
[1:17:29] housing development standpoint, uh,
compared to what the current land use
[1:17:33] rules are, compared to what is being
proposed here today, what what is that
[1:17:37] change based upon what that the analysis
of the experts say?
[1:17:41] » Yes. So based off of uh the housing
analysis report uh which was created by
[1:17:46] our consultant uh currently um the phase
2 focus areas uh allow for 13,637
[1:17:54] units and as I indicated that with
adoption of the zoning code as it would
[1:17:59] stand right now we would go to 119,000
units
[1:18:03] » and you know the projections for here
within central Ohio not just Columbus
[1:18:06] but in central Ohio is that we need
about 200,000 housing units for the next
[1:18:11] 10 years just sort of stabilized costs.
So we're talking about the first phase
[1:18:15] went from you know four to 6,000 or so
to 88,000. Here we're talking about a
[1:18:21] jump up to 100 plus thousand. So this is
a really big deal when we think about
[1:18:24] the land use rules and as it relates to
one of the most important issues that's
[1:18:28] affecting Columbus. I think the other
thing is that this phase isn't just h
[1:18:32] about housing and housing can look a lot
of different ways in different areas of
[1:18:35] the city. I think one thing when we
think about, you know, council members
[1:18:38] that represent areas of Columbus that
are more suburban in nature about how
[1:18:42] this really affects commercial and
retail and industrial developments there
[1:18:46] and if you could talk a little bit about
that that focus in this phase on that
[1:18:49] because I know um we talked and we're
going to continue to talk a lot about
[1:18:53] housing in the second phase but this is
something that is also very very
[1:18:56] important towards when we think about
how do we encourage uh you know job
[1:19:00] growth, how do we encourage how do we
get ahead of things as retail and
[1:19:03] commercial environments may be changing
you we don't shop the same way we did 10
[1:19:07] 20 years ago, let alone 70 years ago. Uh
and what these what these changes could
[1:19:11] mean for that kind of proactive approach
rather than being reactive.
[1:19:15] » Yeah. I mean, so two things that we're
looking at is a lot of additional
[1:19:18] commercial corridors throughout the city
that weren't uh picked up in phase one.
[1:19:22] Things like Hillyard Rome Road,
Henderson Road, sections of Carl Road,
[1:19:27] these major corridors that for up until
now have been zoned purely commercial.
[1:19:31] What we're trying to do is open up uh
uses on these corridors to allow more of
[1:19:37] a mix of uses. So, it's not just purely
commercial, but would allow for mixed
[1:19:41] use. It would allow for light industrial
other kinds of uses in some of these
[1:19:45] areas. Uh the other thing we're trying
to do is looking at older kind of office
[1:19:49] sites. um things that you know back in
the 1980s and the 70s and the '90s these
[1:19:56] standalone office um developments that
were kind of isolated surrounded by
[1:20:01] parking. How do we allow that to change
with time? How do we allow that to open
[1:20:05] up to be in a more mixeduse environment
that supports class A office? Uh and so
[1:20:10] what this proposal does is it creates an
opportunity uh a byight residential
[1:20:16] development in some of these uh areas
which would allow for the modernization
[1:20:21] of these uh office districts of these uh
purely single-use districts into more of
[1:20:27] a mixed use and allow more flexibility.
>> Thank you. Uh other questions, council
[1:20:32] members?
So we do have a couple public speakers
[1:20:36] signed to speak on the ordinance. Um,
but I do want to make a a couple of
[1:20:39] things clear before we get to those
public speakers. Uh, what we're voting
[1:20:42] on here is merely the resolution that
begins the 60-day public comment period.
[1:20:46] So, I think we went through this a
couple times the first phase about sort
[1:20:49] of where we're at in the process and Mr.
Tavis sort of outlined that in his
[1:20:52] presentation. Um, but the point of this
60-day public comment period is just
[1:20:57] that is to make sure that the public has
the opportunity to be well informed that
[1:21:02] the public has their voice heard by this
body. I think that we've demonstrated in
[1:21:07] in the first phase that this body will
expect to make changes based upon the
[1:21:11] feedback that we hear from individuals
at the public hearings uh at council and
[1:21:16] other types of events. Um we had city
planners that literally looked at over
[1:21:20] 1,900 individual comments and
suggestions. If folks submitted a
[1:21:25] comment, folks had a question. Literally
every single one of those was analyzed
[1:21:29] by one of our planners to see whether or
not we should make changes uh based on
[1:21:33] both public hearings and the hundreds
and hundreds of hours of community
[1:21:36] engagement. Um that led to well over a
100 changes both between the map and and
[1:21:42] the code itself. Um so as we think about
the second phase and it expands to
[1:21:46] revitalize commercial hubs, industrial
sectors and institution campuses, uh
[1:21:50] that feedback is going to be vital
towards what ultimately gets voted on by
[1:21:54] this body. uh because again what we have
two things here. We have both zoning
[1:21:58] districts which are sort of the rules of
the road but then we apply those zoning
[1:22:02] districts to the map. And I think as we
continue to have these zoning
[1:22:06] discussions uh we're able to hopefully
have folks you know understand more and
[1:22:10] more about how this ultimately is going
to affect you know their lives and their
[1:22:15] neighborhoods. Uh you can view a a draft
code online. Um you can visit the
[1:22:20] interactive gallery which is here
downtown which also comes with free
[1:22:23] parking. Right Mr. Taba? That's correct.
>> Free parking. Um or at an upcoming
[1:22:28] public hearing. The first of four will
take place a week from today. Um that
[1:22:32] will be I'm sorry, a week next week. Uh
actually this week, I'm sorry. Um we
[1:22:39] will have uh Thursday, August 27th at 6
p.m. at Galloway Ridge Intermediate
[1:22:43] School at the Far West Side in the
Westland area. uh where we'll hear an
[1:22:47] overview of the proposed code uh and map
from our zoning team and certainly
[1:22:51] encourage members of the public to tune
in uh and certainly join us for that. Uh
[1:22:56] and again we do have two public speakers
who signed up to speak on this
[1:22:59] ordinance. I want to invite the first
forward Mr. Wade Wade Jordan. Mr. Mr.
[1:23:04] Jordan, welcome back to council, sir.
[1:23:17] » How's everybody? Um, thanks, uh,
President Promp Dorance and, uh, members
[1:23:23] of council. Uh, my name is Wade Jordan.
I'm the CEO of WJ3 Enterprises.
[1:23:29] I'm a local builder, developer, and
contractor, and a lifelong resident of
[1:23:34] the Hilltop uh Westside Columbus.
Um I'm um I'm moving I'm need support to
[1:23:42] move phase two of the zoning uh zone in
initiative forward. Uh my perspective
[1:23:48] comes from working in these
neighborhoods every day. I'm not only
[1:23:52] reviewing plans on paper, I'm working
towards uh permitting and developing uh
[1:23:58] the process of building buildings. And I
also get to watch these neighborhoods
[1:24:02] change in real time. Um I see both
opportunities
[1:24:07] uh Columbus has and uh obstacles created
by the zoning code uh largely written
[1:24:14] for the [clears throat] city um that
existed over 70 years.
[1:24:19] Columbus is growing and we need zoning
rules that affect where our city is
[1:24:24] going. Phase two can help create more
mixeduse areas where people can live
[1:24:29] closer to their jobs, shops,
restaurants, services, and public
[1:24:34] transportation.
We need more walkable neighborhoods and
[1:24:38] more opportunities for housing and
places where residents can easily
[1:24:42] connect with the rest of the community.
We also need modern zoning for business
[1:24:49] and institutional campuses including
hospitals, universities and office
[1:24:54] parks. These are major centers for
employment and services. Their zoning
[1:25:00] should pro provide flexible flexibility
to grow and useful amenities where
[1:25:06] appropriate.
um incorporate housing while fitting uh
[1:25:12] responsibility into surrounding
neighborhoods.
[1:25:17] As someone who works directly in
development, I also understand the value
[1:25:21] of clear and predictable rules. When
builders,
[1:25:26] property owners, businesses, and
residents understand what can be built
[1:25:31] from the beginning, it reduces
uncertainty and makes it easy easier to
[1:25:36] produce thoughtful, highquality
projects. Clear standards also give
[1:25:41] neighborhoods a better understanding of
what the future development will also
[1:25:45] look like.
This uh proposal is not the end of the
[1:25:50] conversation. Advancing the res
resolution will only begin the 60-day
[1:25:54] public review period where residents,
renters, property owners, area
[1:25:59] commissions, and other stakeholders can
study the proposal and help improve it.
[1:26:04] I encourage council to move phase 2
forward and give the public that
[1:26:09] opportunity. I support this work because
I want Columbus to remain a city where
[1:26:14] people can find housing, reach jobs and
services, start businesses, and build
[1:26:21] strong neighborhoods. As the city grows,
our zoning code must grow with it. Thank
[1:26:26] you for your time.
>> Thank you, Mr. Jordan. Any questions for
[1:26:29] my colleagues for our public speaker?
See none. Thank you, sir. Appreciate you
[1:26:33] being here. Thank you.
>> Our next public speaker is Mr. Lonnie
[1:26:36] Watson. Mr. Watson, welcome back to
council.
[1:26:50] Good evening, President Pro Tim Doran,
council members. My name is Lonnie
[1:26:55] Watson. I am the executive director for
Eastland Development for Growth and
[1:27:00] Equity, also known as EDGE.
I am here today in support of advancing
[1:27:06] the zone in resolution.
Zone in is basically about preparing
[1:27:11] Columbus for the future. It's about
expanding job opportunities,
[1:27:15] increased housing options, and laying
the foundation for infrastructure
[1:27:19] investment that connects people
to where they live, work, and play
[1:27:26] in Eastland, the area of Columbus that
I'm representing.
[1:27:31] » I'm sorry, what district is that?
>> It's Eastland.
[1:27:35] [laughter]
[1:27:39] you took my minutes. [laughter]
Uh we um we we face the challenges that
[1:27:46] I just outlined. Um but they can only be
addressed through effective through
[1:27:51] effectively better planning and
processes that reflect both the
[1:27:56] realities of the neighborhoods and the
future needs of the city. Zone in is all
[1:28:01] about strengthening our economy and
providing greater flexibility for
[1:28:04] businesses, developers, and institutions
while establishing clear expectations
[1:28:09] for how job centers and new developments
integrate into surrounding communities.
[1:28:14] As Columbus grows, we must take a
holistic approach to assessing how
[1:28:20] development affects traffic, transit,
pedestrians, parking, and the overall
[1:28:25] quality of life of our residents. If
this resolution passes this evening, the
[1:28:30] 60-day public comment period begins and
it begins on August 25th. So, I strongly
[1:28:36] encourage all the residents of every
part of our city to engage in that
[1:28:40] process. I also encourage the zone in
project team to cast a wide net in
[1:28:45] promoting its public webinars by
utilizing traditional and social media
[1:28:50] platforms and reaching as many people as
possible. I would even suggest holding a
[1:28:54] citywide town hall meeting.
I think public engagement should not end
[1:28:59] with the comment period closes.
Residents should have a platform to
[1:29:04] share feedback, raise concerns, and help
shape how zonin is implemented. Ongoing
[1:29:10] public engagement will build trust and
help ensure that policies remain
[1:29:15] responsive to the needs of the people
that they serve. I respectfully request
[1:29:20] the city council advance this resolution
and the public comment period can begin
[1:29:26] and residents will have a chance to
shape the future of Columbus. So in
[1:29:29] closing, I want to reiterate that when
the public speaks, the city should not
[1:29:33] only listen, but the city should act. By
listening and responding to public
[1:29:38] input, we can strengthen community
trust, promote equity, and build a
[1:29:43] stronger,
more prosperous Columbus for everyone.
[1:29:48] That's my
>> Thank you, Mr. Watson.
[1:29:50] » Any questions?
>> Yeah.
[1:29:52] » All right.
>> You can beat the clock even with council
[1:29:54] members interrupting you. [laughter]
>> What What district number is that,
[1:29:59] council member?
>> No problem.
[1:30:00] » Eight. District eight.
>> Um I I just wanted to just also thank
[1:30:05] you uh thank you chair for giving me the
opportunity. I just also wanted to thank
[1:30:09] you um for coming. I think, you know,
we've been having lots of conversations
[1:30:14] about CDC's in particular and how we
think about community development
[1:30:18] corporations. You know, they were
started during the civil rights movement
[1:30:22] for to ensure that as the public was
getting cut out of many deals that this
[1:30:28] was a way for them to say these are the
things that we want to see in our
[1:30:31] community. And I think this second phase
of zone in also allows for that clarity,
[1:30:36] especially as I think about our last
speaker who is a local, you know,
[1:30:41] housing provider. as I think about
Eastland and all of the local businesses
[1:30:46] that we have there and as we think about
um investing in that prosperity of
[1:30:50] Eastland so it can be what it once was
that um this having clear zoning
[1:30:56] guidelines is going to be um crucial to
so many of our business owners that are
[1:31:01] the lifeblood of our community and
ensuring that as they think about how
[1:31:06] they grow their business or where they
put their business that they have clear
[1:31:09] guidelines because we've heard a lot
about how that is challenging,
[1:31:13] especially as I think about the Eastan
area for our um uh blackowned and
[1:31:19] immigrant-owned businesses that
sometimes have some e extra barriers for
[1:31:24] how they grow and how they develop. And
so having processes that are clear,
[1:31:28] having processes that they can
understand is going to be vital. And I
[1:31:32] especially appreciate you um also
stating how we continue to get better
[1:31:37] because I think you know I think if
there was a theme for this council
[1:31:40] meeting it's about that is how do we
continue to get better and better um at
[1:31:45] serving our residents and so um that in
that that also means making it easier
[1:31:51] for them to participate and having that
lower barrier. So thank you.
[1:31:55] » Thank you council member. Any other
question or comments council members?
[1:31:59] Thank you Mr. Podson. Um before I call
for a vote on this resolution, I just
[1:32:04] want to again I think reemphasize the
first phase of zone in I think was the
[1:32:08] closest collaboration I I have seen
during my near eight years on this body
[1:32:12] between council and this administration.
I think the most intense public
[1:32:16] engagement I've seen between those two
branches of government and folks across
[1:32:22] uh the city. It's something I was very
very proud of that expect us to to do
[1:32:25] handing glove again uh to make sure as
we make what will be a big change for
[1:32:29] for residents and for the city uh that's
that has done so with the community um
[1:32:34] to make sure they come along with us
because this has um decadesl long
[1:32:38] generational change attached to it to
address so many things that we know we
[1:32:42] have to do both as a council and as
administration to uh help bring this
[1:32:47] type of land use rules and regulations
uh from the 1950s
[1:32:53] not only into the 2026 but into you know
the next 50 and 60 years ourselves. So
[1:32:58] with that uh I move for adoption on
resolution number 0183X-2026.
[1:33:04] » Second.
>> Clerk please call the role.
[1:33:05] » Bankston Barrosa de Padilla de AOA Dors
Remy Ross Swiss
[1:33:10] » resol resolution adopted.
>> Sorry I did that backwards.
[1:33:13] » Sorry that again. Do that again.
Bankston, Barrosa, de Padilla, De Akaw,
[1:33:18] Remy, Ross W, President Pro Tim Dorren.
>> Resolution adopted. Uh, is there a
[1:33:24] motion to go into recess?
>> Clerk, please call the RO.
[1:33:28] » Thanks. Timber Rosa, Deia, De Akawa,
Remy, Ross, Wish, President, Pro Tim
[1:33:32] Dorren.
>> We are in recess. Uh, we'll break for
[1:33:35] zoning for five minutes.
[1:33:54] » [music]
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[1:53:41] » Reading the journal. Clerk, please call
the role.
[1:53:44] » Bankston Barrosa de Padilla de Aower Rei
Ross White, President Pro Tim Dorren.
[1:53:50] » Are there any additions or corrections
to the journal? Hearing no additions or
[1:53:54] correction, the journal is approved.
We'll now go to the zoning committee. I
[1:53:57] chair that committee and all members
serve. Um, before we begin tonight's
[1:54:01] agenda, first a little bit of housekeep
housekeeping. Will the clerk please read
[1:54:04] the numbers of legislation in zoning
committee this evening that require
[1:54:07] waiver of second reading
>> resonings ordinance 185 and two
[1:54:12] 2167-2026
variances 1930
[1:54:18] 2040 I'm sorry 2240 and 2252-2026
>> thank you clerk and I move to wave
[1:54:25] second reading on those items clerk
please call the role
[1:54:28] » bankosa de padilla de aawa rei ros vice
president prom doran
[1:54:33] waved. Uh, as always, allow me to
briefly explain our rules. Speaking
[1:54:37] before council on reszonings and
variances, we'll only hear staff
[1:54:40] presentation for ordinance that have a
disapproval from a recommending body or
[1:54:44] if we have a public speaker sign to
speak against an ordinance. We permit up
[1:54:48] to three speakers on each side of an
ordinance, three proponents, three
[1:54:51] opponents. We ask those speakers limit
their remarks to three minutes for the
[1:54:54] Santa Rosa City Council. All speakers on
the council variance, including city
[1:54:57] staff, air commissioners, applicants,
and members of the public will be sworn
[1:55:00] in before they give testimony. A
representative area commission is always
[1:55:03] able to speak on ordinance and do not
need to fill a speaker slip, but we do
[1:55:06] ask you alert of city staff of your
intentions to speak at this committee
[1:55:09] hearing. Representative of a civic
association do need to file a speaker
[1:55:13] slip because civic associations are not
formally recognized under Columbus City
[1:55:16] to code this evening. We do not have any
public speaker slips signed up to speak
[1:55:19] on any ordinance on the advice of city
attorney's office. I will now swear in
[1:55:24] city staff who stand and raise your
right hand be sworn in. Do you swear
[1:55:26] affirm the testimony you're about to
give shall be the truth? nothing but the
[1:55:29] truth as you shall answer under pains of
penalty perjury. If so, please say I do.
[1:55:32] » Thank you. Please let the record reflect
that Tim Dietrich from the department of
[1:55:35] millions zoning services have been sworn
in. First, we have ordinance number
[1:55:38] 0185-2026
to reszone 1100 Frank Road being 2.25 25
[1:55:43] plus acres located the northwest corner
of Frank Road and Brown Road from Rural
[1:55:47] District to CPD commercial plan
development district set that consists
[1:55:50] of 11 parcels to both a mix of uses
including significant dwellings, auto
[1:55:54] sales and a billboard all currently
zoned our rural district as a result of
[1:55:58] annexation in the city of Columbus.
Proposed reszoning will allow limited
[1:56:02] commercial development including auto
sales and a fuel sales within two sub
[1:56:06] areas. Proposal is consistent with the
Columbus growth strategy and the
[1:56:09] development text includes commitments to
traffic improvements and buffering and
[1:56:12] screening from adjacent residential
uses. Proposals approved from city staff
[1:56:16] and the development commission and
southwest area commission. Any questions
[1:56:19] or comments from colleagues? Seeing
none, move for passage. Is there a
[1:56:23] second?
>> Clerk, please call the role.
[1:56:25] » Bankston Barrosa de Padilla de Akawa
Remy Ross, Vice President Pro Tim Dors.
[1:56:30] » Passed. Next we have ordinance number
2167-226
[1:56:34] to reszone 865 North Wilson Road being
1.05 plus acres located in the northwest
[1:56:38] corner of North Wilson Road in Pharaoh
Place from CC C4 commercial district to
[1:56:42] C4 commercial district. Second consist
of one parcel developed with a
[1:56:45] automotive sales facility and requested
reszoning will allow regional scale
[1:56:49] commercial uses and are consistent with
both the Quill's growth strategy and
[1:56:52] existing development zoning patterns
along the section of North Wilson Road.
[1:56:55] Proposal is approved from city staff
development commission and the greater
[1:56:58] hilltop area commission. Any questions
or comments my colleagues? Seeing none,
[1:57:01] I move for passage.
>> Clerk, please call the role.
[1:57:04] » Bank Simber Padia de Akawa Remy Ross
vice president proim dors
[1:57:08] » passed. Move on to the council
variances. First, we have ordinance
[1:57:11] number 1 1930-2026
granted variance provisions effect
[1:57:14] section 333 2.033 all residential
district 3312.49 49C require parking in
[1:57:19] the Columbus City Codes for property
located at 1 190 I'm sorry 1930 Walnut
[1:57:24] Hill Park Drive to allow shared living
facility reduce park in the R1
[1:57:28] residential district. This site consists
of a single unit dwelling and the
[1:57:32] requested council variance will allow
the site to be used as a shared living
[1:57:34] facility with a maximum of six
residents. A council variance is
[1:57:38] required because a shared living
facility with six occupants is not
[1:57:41] allowed in the current zoning district.
A variance to reduce required parking
[1:57:44] from seven to four spaces is also
included in the request proposals has
[1:57:48] the proposal has approved from city
staff and the far east area commission.
[1:57:52] I first move to accept the entire staff
report into evidence as an exhibit.
[1:57:56] » Clerk, please call the role.
>> Banks Roa de Padilla de Aawa Remy Ross
[1:58:00] vice president proim dorren
>> accepted. Next I move to adopt the
[1:58:03] finance of staff at the finance of
council.
[1:58:05] » Clerk please call the role. Bankston
Barrosa de Padilla de Aawa Remy Ross
[1:58:09] vice president pro Tim Dorne
>> adopted and finally move for passage
[1:58:13] clerk please call the role
>> banks bar roa de padia de aawa reie ros
[1:58:17] vice president proim dorren
>> passed next we have ordinance 2240-226
[1:58:21] to grant variance provisions of section
33553
[1:58:24] C4 permitted use of the Columbus city to
go to property located at 445 East 17th
[1:58:28] Avenue to allow allow parking and rental
of I'm sorry to allow parking and rental
[1:58:34] of moving trucks in the C3 commercial
District site consists of two parcels
[1:58:37] developed a retail establishment. The
council of variance requests allow
[1:58:41] parking of rental of moving trucks. The
council of variance is required because
[1:58:45] the current zoning district does not
allow parking and rental rental moving
[1:58:49] trucks to be uh located on site.
Proposal is consistent with the Columbus
[1:58:52] grow strategy and design guidelines with
fencing landscaping screening of the
[1:58:56] parking lot is also included.
Additionally, the department of public
[1:58:59] service has imposed additional
conditions requiring the number and size
[1:59:02] of vehicles stored on site and
maneuvering of said vehicles. proposals,
[1:59:05] approvals from city staff and the
university area commission. Uh do my my
[1:59:10] colleagues have question comments?
Seeing none, I first move to accept the
[1:59:12] entire staff report into evidence as an
exhibit.
[1:59:15] » Clerk, please call the role.
>> Banks Rosa de Padilla de Akawa Remy Ross
[1:59:19] vice president pro Tim Dorren.
>> Uh accepted. I next move to adopt the
[1:59:23] staff of council.
>> Clerk, please call the role.
[1:59:26] » Banks Rosa de Padilla de Akawa Remy Ross
vice president pro Tim Dorren.
[1:59:31] » Accept or adopted and finally move for
passage. Clerk, please call the role.
[1:59:35] » Banks Denver Rosa de Padilla de Akawa
Remy Ross Vice President Pro Tim
[1:59:39] Dorance.
>> Uh, passed. Uh, next we have ordinance
[1:59:42] number 2252-2026
grant of variance provisions section
[1:59:46] 34.E E dot I'm sorry 34E 2000A use uses
use table 34E9090
[1:59:54] C regional activity center building
permit 30 34E9090F
[1:59:59] regional activity center uh facade 34E20
uh 090G regional activity center onsite
[2:00:06] parking in 34F um 04030
A1A a prop procedures for large sites
[2:00:15] site plan for large development velment
sites. Uh the Columbus City Coast
[2:00:18] property located at 2675 Bryce Road to
allow light industrial uses with reduced
[2:00:23] development standards in the RAAC
regional activity center district. This
[2:00:27] site consists of one parcel developed
existing big box retail store. The
[2:00:31] requested council of variance will allow
the the site to be redeveloped with up
[2:00:34] to 1,000 or 144,000 ft of light
industrial uses. A council of variance
[2:00:40] is required because the current zoning
district only allows up to 10,000 square
[2:00:43] foot of artisan manufacturing uses while
the applicant proposes limited
[2:00:47] industrial uses including storage distri
distribution and wholesaling. The
[2:00:53] requested use which includes a mix of
industrial and office uses while
[2:00:57] utilizing existing development site and
notes the building elevations landscape
[2:01:00] plan are also consistent with the
Columbus growth strategy mixeduse design
[2:01:04] guidelines. proposal as approv staff in
the far east area commission. I first
[2:01:09] move to accept the entire staff report
into evidence as an exhibit. Clerk,
[2:01:13] please call the role.
>> Bank Rosa de Padilla de Akawa Remy Ross
[2:01:17] W president pro Tim Dorren
>> accepted. Next move to adopt the finance
[2:01:21] of council. Clerk, please call the role.
>> Bankrosa de Padilla de Aawa Remy Ross
[2:01:26] Vice President Proim Dorren.
>> Adopted and finally move for passage.
[2:01:30] » Clerk, please call the role. Bank
Simberosa Deia de Akawa Remy Ross vice
[2:01:35] president pro Tim Dorne
>> passed. Seeing no other business come
[2:01:38] before the zoning committee this
evening. Can I get a motion to adjurnn?
[2:01:41] » Clerk please call the role.
>> Thanks Tim Simber Rosa de Padilla de a
[2:01:45] Remy Ross vice president pro Tim Dorren.
>> We are adjourned.
[2:02:28] » [music]
>> Heat. Heat. N.
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Heat. Heat. Heat.
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[2:04:09] Heat. Heat. [music]
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[2:04:34] » [music]
[2:04:39] » Hey,
[music]
[2:04:51] hey,
[music] hey.
[2:05:00] » [music]
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[2:05:12] » Heat. Heat.
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[2:05:21] » [music]
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[2:06:05] » Simosa de Padilla de Akawa Remy Ross
Weiss President Pro Tim Dorne. We need a
[2:06:11] motion.
>> I'm sorry. Is there a motion to
[2:06:13] reconvene uh meeting number 35?
>> So moved. Clerk, please call the role.
[2:06:17] » Banks Barber Rosa, de Padilla de Akawa,
Remy Ross, vice president, pro Tim Dors.
[2:06:21] » We are reconvened. We will now move back
to regular order. Uh and our first
[2:06:26] committee come council is the finance
and governance committee. Council Banks
[2:06:29] and chairs of that committee. Council
floor is yours.
[2:06:31] » Uh thank you, President Pro Tim. First
up in the finance and governance
[2:06:34] committee for second read, we have
ordinance 1868-2026
[2:06:38] to authorize the finance and management
director on behalf of the fleet
[2:06:41] management division to enter into a
contract for the purchase of two
[2:06:45] hardware thermals supporting uh the fuel
focus fuel management system with asset
[2:06:51] works LLC to wave competitive bidding
provisions of Columbus City Code to
[2:06:54] authorize the director of finance and
management to associate all general
[2:06:58] budget reservations resulting from this
ordinance with the appropriate universal
[2:07:02] term contract purchase agreement and to
establish related purchase orders for
[2:07:06] electrical repairs for the fleet
management division to authorize
[2:07:09] expenditure of $97,000 from the Fleet
Management Capital Fund and to declare
[2:07:13] an emergency. As stated in the title,
this ordinance purchases two fuel focus
[2:07:18] hardware terminals from asset works LLC
and authorizes the installation of
[2:07:23] upgraded power and data for the city's
five fueling stations. Fuel Focus serves
[2:07:28] as the fleet management division's
primary platform for monitoring,
[2:07:32] managing, and analyzing fuel
transactions and consumption. The system
[2:07:37] enables real time tracking of fuel
receipts and usage through integrated
[2:07:42] card reader technology, enhancing
operational efficiency and data accuracy
[2:07:47] in fleet fuel operations. Asset Works
LLC provides fleet management with a
[2:07:52] suite of software solutions to assist
with the operations of the city's over
[2:07:57] 6,000 vehicles and monitored uh
motorized equipment. The waiver of
[2:08:02] competitive bid is because of the use of
a universal term contract and emergency
[2:08:06] action is requested so that the fuel
sites can be upgraded and available to
[2:08:10] provide fuel to designated locations
without interruption. Are there any
[2:08:14] questions or comments from my
colleagues? Seeing none, I move for
[2:08:16] passage.
>> Clerk, please call the role. Banks
[2:08:19] Temporarosa Deodia de Akawa Remy Ross
vice president pro Tim Dorren
[2:08:23] » ordinance passed.
>> Next we have ordinance 21104-2026
[2:08:26] to authorize the finance and management
director to enter into a contract with
[2:08:30] buyers mitten and associates LLC for
consulting services contract related to
[2:08:34] state government relations to wave the
competitive bidding provisions of
[2:08:37] Columbus city codes chapter 329 to
authorize the expenditure of $60,000
[2:08:41] from the general fund and to declare an
emergency. This ordinance authorizes a
[2:08:45] contract with Buyers Mitten LLC. Buyers
Mitten serves as a consultant for the
[2:08:49] city and provides state of Ohio
government relations. Waiver of
[2:08:53] competitive bid is for the ongoing
nature of this contract. Are there any
[2:08:57] questions or comments from my
colleagues? Uh council member watch.
[2:08:59] » Yeah, chair. Appreciate you um kicking
it to me. I'm really surprised that we
[2:09:03] are moving forward with this agreement.
As someone who has had to allow
[2:09:08] departments to realize that there are
state issues impacting their business as
[2:09:11] well as policy decisions that are
happening at the state house and not
[2:09:14] being informed, why are we choosing to
go with this consultant?
[2:09:19] » Uh, thank you for the concerns. Uh,
council member White, I know that this
[2:09:22] is primarily a contract that the mayor's
office utilizes, but director, I don't
[2:09:26] know if you want to speak to that
question. [snorts]
[2:09:30] » Yes. Uh, thank you, Chair Bangston and
Council Member W. Yeah. uh buyers mitten
[2:09:35] has partnered with us in the past to uh
keep us advised of you know uh state
[2:09:39] legislature changes that could impact uh
city operations and so we you know
[2:09:44] respectfully request to continue that
partnership.
[2:09:47] » I appreciate you mentioning that
director but don't they also consult for
[2:09:51] others who would come before us for
business? It seems a little like a
[2:09:54] conflict of interest to utilize someone
else who is utilizing their services to
[2:10:00] get in front of us.
>> Uh thanks Council W. I'm not aware of
[2:10:04] that. Um,
>> do we have a full accounting of the the
[2:10:07] contracts that they have with other
external entities
[2:10:10] » with ex I'm sorry, with external
entities?
[2:10:13] » Yes. Outside the city of Columbus?
>> I do not. I
[2:10:16] » Is that something we can get prior to
approving this agreement?
[2:10:20] » I can certainly work towards that, sir.
I I don't have that information. Uh,
[2:10:25] it's not something we keep in the
finance department. their engagement
[2:10:28] with, you know, entities outside the
city. But certainly,
[2:10:32] » yeah, I'm I'm just I'm really concerned.
There have been things that have come up
[2:10:35] that impact the work of Columbus Water
and Power that we had to notify Columbus
[2:10:39] Water and Power of And. And if their job
is to be at the state house and see the
[2:10:44] bills coming through there, that might
impact the city of Columbus, that should
[2:10:48] be their responsibility. So, I'd be
curious from the mayor's perspective in
[2:10:51] terms of what is the ROI? Are they
actually doing the work that we're
[2:10:54] paying for or or what?
[2:11:02] Director, I don't know if you want to
answer. I mean, think absolutely,
[2:11:04] Council W. You think it bring up some
good points. I think we can definitely
[2:11:07] get those answered. I don't know if we
want to get uh the conflict question
[2:11:12] answered by our city attorney's office
because I think that they would probably
[2:11:15] have a better uh weigh in there. Um
possibly. If not, I'm putting you on the
[2:11:22] spot here.
>> Thank you, Council Member Bankston. I am
[2:11:26] not specifically aware of the other
clients that are represented by Buyers
[2:11:30] Mitten. I have worked with their
representative on various issues uh
[2:11:34] specifically related to legislative
changes at the general assembly that
[2:11:38] might impact the city of Columbus. Um
I've personally worked with the
[2:11:42] consultant that we're referring to here
on matters pertaining to um misdemeanor
[2:11:47] investigative subpoenas was one that was
fairly recent. Um worked with him on
[2:11:51] matters pertaining to crim I'm trying to
remember what they all are. Um, but the
[2:11:55] nature of the of the relationship as I
understand it in terms of how the city
[2:11:59] engages this particular contractor is if
there is an issue related to state law
[2:12:04] that's negatively impacting how the
city's operations are happening or if
[2:12:08] there's an issue with maybe an
interpretation of state law that's
[2:12:11] making it challenging particularly in
the area of of criminal justice which is
[2:12:14] where I was working on on these issues
with him. um we would use the advice and
[2:12:19] guidance of this particular individual
to assist us in getting the appropriate
[2:12:24] general assembly men and or woman to
help us move those legislative changes
[2:12:28] forward.
>> Uh thank you for that.
[2:12:33] » Ju just real quick just because I'm not
sure if that's clear. If there is
[2:12:37] somebody who has business before the
city of Columbus and they have Buyers
[2:12:42] Minton as their contracted lobbyist,
does it create a conflict of interest
[2:12:47] for us to also utilize them too?
>> And that's going to depend on who their
[2:12:51] third party contractor would be. There
could be circumstances in which there is
[2:12:55] a conflict and we would have to know
whether or not there is specifically a
[2:12:59] conflict in between that representation
and the representation of the city. Um,
[2:13:03] but this individual contractor doesn't
always represent the city's interests in
[2:13:07] all things. Um, they are reached out to
when we need representation and so we
[2:13:11] would have to look at that on a case- by
case basis and we'd be happy to do that
[2:13:14] for you, but I don't have that the
particular set of client lists in front
[2:13:17] of me at the moment.
>> Thank you. I I I would not feel
[2:13:20] comfortable moving forward without the
client list, but I'm one of nine.
[2:13:24] » And I think it's fair to get you a scope
uh of the work as well. Uh, Council
[2:13:29] Member White, um, is there any other
questions or concerns from my
[2:13:33] colleagues?
>> Is this a is this a retainer whereby
[2:13:36] we're just paying on it or do we owe
this particular vendor money
[2:13:41] » at the moment? Is this a
>> This is This is a renewal contract. It
[2:13:45] is a retain retainer that we have had
for
[2:13:48] » many years standing with buyers.
>> Thank you.
[2:13:54] » Any other questions or comments from my
colleagues?
[2:13:58] Seeing none, I move for uh passage by
voice.
[2:14:01] » Cler, please call the role.
>> Bankston,
[2:14:04] » yes.
>> Barbosa de Podia,
[2:14:08] » yes.
>> Deakau,
[2:14:10] » yes.
>> Remy,
[2:14:13] » yes.
>> Ross,
[2:14:14] » yes.
>> W
[2:14:16] » no.
>> President Proim Dorren,
[2:14:18] » yes. Ordinance passed.
>> Thank you. Um, next we have ordinance
[2:14:23] 2194-2026.
[2:14:26] Uh this is to authorize the director of
finance and management to enter into
[2:14:30] contract with SGI Matrix LLC for
security system parts installation
[2:14:35] maintenance monitoring repair and
support services for security access
[2:14:39] equipment at various city facilities to
wave the competitive bidding provisions
[2:14:43] of city code and to authorize the
expenditure of $160,000 from the general
[2:14:48] fund for the division of facilities and
to allow for the payment invoices for
[2:14:53] expenses incurred for the period
beginning August 1, 2020. 26 to the date
[2:14:58] of issuance of a purchase order for the
new contract and to declare an
[2:15:02] emergency. This legislation authorizes a
contract with SGI Matrix LLC for
[2:15:08] security system support. SGI Matrix
provides both the access control
[2:15:12] hardware panels and card readers as well
as the software to monitor control
[2:15:17] access and secure facilities under the
purview of the facilities management
[2:15:22] division. Due to the pro proprietary
nature of the security software and
[2:15:27] compatibility with existing security
equipment, it is in the city's best
[2:15:31] interest to maintain consistency with
existing security infrastructure and
[2:15:36] continue its contractual relationship
with SGI Matrix LLC. Uh, are there any
[2:15:41] questions or comments for my colleagues?
Seeing none, I move for passage.
[2:15:48] » Uh, clerk, please call the role.
>> Thanks. Timber padia de a rei ros
[2:15:54] president proim dorren
>> passed uh I would like to make a motion
[2:15:58] to reconsider ordinance number 21 I'm
sorry 21104-2026
[2:16:03] » second
[2:16:06] clerk please call the role by voice
>> bankston
[2:16:10] » yes
>> barosa deodia
[2:16:12] » yeah
reconsider
[2:16:15] » so we are going to reconsider ordinance
number 21 I'm sorry 21104- 2026. The
[2:16:21] clerk did not have a second um to move
that forward. And also because that's uh
[2:16:26] currently up as an emergency measure, um
there needs to be seven votes in order
[2:16:30] for that u to to be passed.
>> And we only have six.
[2:16:37] » Yeah. So, uh Council Member Bson, just
so you're aware, um that needs seven
[2:16:42] votes for for passage under these rules.
>> Got it.
[2:16:44] » Okay. Okay.
>> So, u I'm I'm making a motion to
[2:16:48] reconsider ordinance number 21104-2026.
>> Okay.
[2:16:52] » Clerk, please call the role by voice.
>> Okay. Bankston,
[2:16:55] » yes.
>> Barosa de Padilla,
[2:16:59] » this is to reconsider. Yes. This is to
reconsider the vote.
[2:17:02] » So, Deakau,
>> yes.
[2:17:04] » Remy,
>> yes.
[2:17:06] » Ross,
>> yes.
[2:17:07] » We
>> President Pro Tim Dorne,
[2:17:09] » yes.
>> Okay.
[2:17:12] » Um, do I need to read Reread the
ordinance?
[2:17:14] » Yes. Okay. Uh, ordinance 21104-2026
to authorize the finance and management
[2:17:20] director to enter into to a contract
with buyer mittens and associates LLC
[2:17:23] for a consulting services contract
related to state government relations to
[2:17:27] to wave the competitive bidding
provisions of Columbus City Code Chapter
[2:17:30] 329 to authorize the expenditure of
$60,000 from the general fund and to
[2:17:34] declare an emergency. At this time, I
will move to refer this uh ordinance
[2:17:38] back to committee.
>> Clerk, please call the role
[2:17:42] » by voice.
>> By voice.
[2:17:44] » Yep. Bankston,
>> yes.
[2:17:45] » Barosa de Padilla,
>> yes.
[2:17:47] » Deakau,
>> yes.
[2:17:49] » Remy,
>> yes.
[2:17:51] » Ross,
>> yes.
[2:17:52] » We
>> President Pro Tim Dorne,
[2:17:56] » yes. Referred to committee.
>> Thank you, President Pro Tim. That's all
[2:17:59] I have in my committees this evening.
>> Thank you all. Um, next we have
[2:18:02] committee come for council is the public
service and transportation committee.
[2:18:05] Uh, that committee is chair by council
member Rosa Deedia. Floor is yours,
[2:18:08] council member.
>> Thank you, President Prom. Uh this
[2:18:11] evening we have three items on second
read for public service and
[2:18:15] transportation. Um, the first is
ordinance 1712 2026 to amend the 2025
[2:18:21] capital improvement budget to authorize
a transfer of funds within the streets
[2:18:24] and highways bond fund to appropriate
funds within the federal transportation
[2:18:28] grants fund to authorize the director of
public service to enter into contract
[2:18:31] with access civil construction LLC for
the pedestrian fra
[2:18:37] Sunberry Agler road project to authorize
the expenditure of up to 1,869713
[2:18:45] 13, no, $69,7138
[2:18:52] from the streets and highways bond fund
and the federal transportation grants
[2:18:55] fund for the project to repay any unused
grant funds at the end of the grant
[2:18:59] project or period and to declare an
emergency. So, I'm really excited about
[2:19:03] this project because this is about
sidewalks and we just talked a little
[2:19:07] bit about making sure that our kids have
safe passages to school. So this project
[2:19:12] consists of constructing sidewalks along
Agler Road from Sunberry to Cassidy
[2:19:17] along Sunberry from Agler to North
Mifflin Middle School and from Cassidy A
[2:19:24] from Agler Road to North or to Cassidy
Alternative Elementary School. Feels
[2:19:30] very confusing. Sidewalks all the way
around. Um, installation of the sidewalk
[2:19:35] will include curb ramps, drive
approaches, and signing and pavement
[2:19:40] markings. Storm water drainage
improvements will also be made where
[2:19:43] necessary. Portions of the sidewalk
project are located on the Vision Zero
[2:19:48] high injury network due to the number of
serious or fatal crashes and or crashes
[2:19:52] involving vulnerable road users like
people walking, biking, or on a
[2:19:56] motorcycle. These Vision Zero safety
improvements are designed to increase
[2:19:59] visibility of people walking and
separate those vulnerable roadway users
[2:20:04] from vehicle traffic. The estimated
notice to proceed date is July 15, 2026.
[2:20:10] Director, is there anything that you
want to say about these sidewalks? I'm
[2:20:13] always excited when we can talk about
how we are putting in sidewalks, but
[2:20:17] especially when they again create those
safe passages to school.
[2:20:22] » All right. Good evening, President um
Pro Tim Dorans and Chair Barros Pad
[2:20:27] Padilla and other members of council. We
are very excited about this project as
[2:20:31] well. Um our partners over at the Ohio
Department of Transportation helped to
[2:20:36] fund this project. This is a safe routes
to school project that will be
[2:20:40] connecting safe connections that provide
greater walking and biking access to
[2:20:44] students and families to two Columbus
City school buildings. You had kind of
[2:20:49] said it. um Cassidy Elementary and
Mifflin Middle School. And the new
[2:20:53] sidewalks and shared use path will also
make access to Northeast Park and Howard
[2:20:58] Community Center safer as well for that
whole community. And this is a part of a
[2:21:01] much larger network that we're building
that's going to connect to the Allen
[2:21:05] Creek Trail all the way down Cassidy
through a Franklin County project and to
[2:21:11] um the city of Beexley, but also into
the Alen Creek Trail that way. I mean,
[2:21:15] it's going to make a really nice
connection.
[2:21:17] » Yeah. which is amazing because if folks
didn't know, you could actually start at
[2:21:20] Wolf Park and go all the way to
Cleveland Avenue through our trails. And
[2:21:24] so this is um I think also just another
I think when you look at roads like
[2:21:29] Sunberry Agler that are highly, you
know, trafficked roads and don't have
[2:21:34] that safe passage for folks to walk. Um
I just want to you know give credit to
[2:21:39] um the department and also thanks to
ODAP for partnering with us on this. Um,
[2:21:44] you know, we the director and I were
just talking today about sidewalks on
[2:21:48] Barnett. Uh, I'm lo lifelong eastider.
I've taken Barnett. It is definitely a
[2:21:53] scary path and there's no sidewalks
along that street. And so, um, I just,
[2:21:58] uh, am very excited about what this
means for folks who are living in that
[2:22:02] area. We've had folks who have come in
and talked about Sunberry and the
[2:22:06] challenges and Agler. And so, again,
that bigger walkable connected community
[2:22:11] is just so important. So, do my
colleagues have any additional questions
[2:22:15] or comments? Seeing none, I move for
passage.
[2:22:18] » Clerk, please call the role.
>> Thanks. Timber Rosa de Padilla de Akawa
[2:22:22] Remy Ross, Vice President, Pro Tim
Dorren.
[2:22:24] » Ordinance passed.
>> Thank you. Next, we have ordinance 1966
[2:22:29] 2026 to amend the 2025 capital
improvement budget to authorize the
[2:22:33] director of public service to enter into
contract with Strawer Construction
[2:22:36] Incorporated for the resurfacing 2026
slurry seal project to authorize the
[2:22:42] expenditure of up to 1,223,682.86
[2:22:48] from the streets and highways bond fund
for the project and to declare an
[2:22:51] emergency. So, this contract includes
slurry ceiling and I'm going to stop
[2:22:56] there for just a second. Director, can
you tell us what slurry ceiling is?
[2:23:01] [laughter]
[2:23:03] » Good evening.
>> Just so the people know.
[2:23:05] » Good evening again, members of council.
Um, Chair Broady Padilla, the um this is
[2:23:10] a preventative maintenance strategy that
we use. Um, it performs preventative
[2:23:15] maintenance when we're going to use it
to prevent it extends the life of
[2:23:19] pavement. it kind if the pavement starts
cracking, we slurry seal it into there
[2:23:24] and it helps extend the life of the
mainten or the pavement.
[2:23:27] » So, this is essentially getting like
those little cracks, right?
[2:23:30] » Yes.
>> And slurry seal is that black stuff that
[2:23:34] looks like somebody drew crayons all
over black crayons all over or tar all
[2:23:38] over the uh the pavement, but it is
actually extending the life of the
[2:23:43] pavement.
>> Perfect. Especially when we're talking
[2:23:45] about street resurfacing, this is like
the in between. Um so slurry se c se c
[2:23:50] se c se c se c se c se c se c se c se c
se c sealing on uh 33 city streets micro
[2:23:54] surfacing on 16 city streets and this
contract will also apply asphalt
[2:23:59] rejuvenation agent to 17 city streets
and apply a seal coat to eight shared
[2:24:04] use paths and other work as may be
necessary. The estimated to uh proceed
[2:24:08] date is September 16, 2026. Director,
will there be a list of the streets
[2:24:13] online that folks can look at?
[2:24:20] Yes, there will be. Um, we've got a
there's 66 streets and eight shared use
[2:24:26] paths around the city that we are going
to be slurry sealing with this contract.
[2:24:29] » Perfect. And also, I just encourage
folks, I know that um we're a little bit
[2:24:34] past high pothole season, but obviously
with the rains and other things, some
[2:24:39] more have popped up. So, if you do see
those potholes or there is a condition
[2:24:44] of your street that is, you know,
challenging, please put in those 311
[2:24:48] requests. That's how we make
determinations on the streets that we
[2:24:51] will be slurring or other things. Um, do
my colleagues have any additional
[2:24:57] questions or comments? Seeing none, I
move for passage.
[2:25:00] » Clerk, please call the role.
>> Bank Rosa de Padilla de Akawa, Remy
[2:25:04] Ross, Vice President, Pro Tim Dorren.
>> Ordinance passed.
[2:25:07] » Thank you. And last but not least, we
have ordinance 21412026
[2:25:12] to amend the 2025 capital improvement
budget to authorize the transfer funds
[2:25:16] within the streets and highways bond
fund to authorize the director of public
[2:25:19] service to enter into a contract
modification with Canvas Consulting LLC
[2:25:24] in connection with the vision zero
multilingual outreach research and
[2:25:27] education project and to authorize the
expenditure of up to $500,000 from the
[2:25:31] streets and highways bond fund to pay
for the project and to declare an
[2:25:34] emergency. The Vision Zero multilingual
outreach research and education project
[2:25:39] may be used to create signage in
English, Haitian Creole, French,
[2:25:43] Portuguese, Nepali, and Spanish to
communicate with those directly impacted
[2:25:46] by roadway safety projects specifically
around the high injury network corridors
[2:25:51] like Livingston Avenue, Hamilton Road,
and Roberts Road. This equitable
[2:25:55] multilingual outreach approach to those
living and traveling where new traffic
[2:25:58] patterns are being constructed will help
reduce serious injuries and fatal
[2:26:02] crashes as part of vision zero. So I
just want to say uh one quick thing and
[2:26:07] then I'll hand it over uh director Scott
if there's something else that you want
[2:26:10] to add. But part of this is to ensure
that again that we have equitable access
[2:26:16] for all of our communities. So vision
zero is again uh our vision that we will
[2:26:21] have zero uh injuries or fatalities due
to crashes. And so the department has
[2:26:26] been doing really amazing work with a um
both our outreach teams and then a um
[2:26:32] our uh kind of a commission around
vision zero. But this will really help
[2:26:38] to ensure that we really have a campaign
that reaches everybody and that
[2:26:42] everybody understands the vision zero
principles. Director, is there anything
[2:26:45] that you would add?
>> Okay, good evening again, President Pro
[2:26:49] Tim Doran's uh chair broia, members of
council. This contract modification
[2:26:54] continues to advance the implementation
of key vision zero action plan strategy
[2:26:59] to broaden vision zero awareness through
an education campaign and multilingual
[2:27:03] approach. Uh the focus is
straightforward to highlight Zero
[2:27:09] principles that prioritize protecting
lives on our roadways to educate
[2:27:13] everyone about the traffic safety laws
no matter how they get around and to
[2:27:17] encourage safe behaviors to save lives.
I think I will note so far that this
[2:27:22] year our Vision Zero team has interacted
directly with more than 3,000 people at
[2:27:26] over 50 community events. So, we use
this contract to do all of that
[2:27:31] outreach. And I also want to just shout
out Canvas Consulting because that is a
[2:27:36] local blackowned business, also a
Columbus Kid, Yavez, who um has helped
[2:27:42] to uh I mean, I think with anything in a
city this large, it you know, running a
[2:27:47] campaign, we are not going to have all
of the resources in which to do that.
[2:27:50] And so when we spend these kind of
dollars, it's just important for us to
[2:27:54] get the word out. We've done that around
pay equity and other campaigns that
[2:27:57] we're running. And so, um, the fact that
not only that we're doing this for, you
[2:28:03] know, for the to ensure that we're
including everyone in this effort, but
[2:28:07] also that we are investing those dollars
right back into our community, right
[2:28:11] back into a small local business is also
um something that should be um
[2:28:15] highlighted as well. Do my colleagues
have any additional questions or
[2:28:19] comments? Seeing none, I move for
passage.
[2:28:24] » Clerk, please call the role. Bang Barosa
de Padilla de Akawa Remy Ross vice
[2:28:28] president pro Tim Dorne
>> ordinance passed.
[2:28:31] » Thank you so much. That's all for me
this evening.
[2:28:33] » Thank you chair. Uh the next committee
come for council is the public safety
[2:28:36] and criminal justice committee. That
committee is chaired by council member
[2:28:39] Remy. Floor is yours sir.
>> Thank you very much president Tim
[2:28:42] tonight in the public safety and
criminal justice committee. We have
[2:28:45] three ordinances on second read. The
first is 2066 2026 to authorize the
[2:28:49] director of public safety on behalf of
the division of fire to enter into a
[2:28:53] contract with Deacon International for
live mum annual maintenance and support
[2:28:56] services for the division of fire for
year 2 starting September 1st, 2026 to
[2:29:01] authorize the expenditure of $24,441
from the general fund to wave the
[2:29:06] competitive bidding provisions of the
Columbus City Code and to declare an
[2:29:09] emergency. This ordinance funds year two
of the live mom, the fire division's
[2:29:14] real-time deployment tool that helps
dispatchers identify coverage gaps and
[2:29:18] reposition apparatus when units are
already on calls. A bid waver is
[2:29:22] requested because Deacon owns the
proprietary, highly customized live mum
[2:29:26] software already in use by the division
of fire and the city is not seeking to
[2:29:31] replace the system. Emergency action is
requested to avoid a lapse in funding
[2:29:35] and keep live mum maintenance and
support uninterrupted. Are there any
[2:29:39] questions or comments from my
colleagues? Seeing none, I move for
[2:29:42] passage.
>> Cler, please call the role.
[2:29:44] » Bankston Barosa de Padilla de Avery Remy
Ross Weiss, president proim dorren.
[2:29:49] » Order is passed. Next step 2223 20226 to
authorize the department director of the
[2:29:54] department of public safety on behalf of
the division of police to enter into
[2:29:57] contract with Pin Link Limited to
provide computer software licenses and
[2:30:01] subscriptions that aid in obtaining and
analyzing electronic information crucial
[2:30:06] to solving cases to wave the competitive
bidding provisions of the Columbus City
[2:30:09] Code to authorize the expenditure of
$139,680.33
[2:30:14] from the law enforcement contraband
seizure fund and to declare an
[2:30:18] emergency. This ordinance renews pin
link software used by police
[2:30:22] investigators to collect, organize, map,
and analyze electronic evidence from
[2:30:26] sources such as phones and social media
during criminal investigations. A bid
[2:30:30] waver is requested because Pinlink is
the sole provider of its software,
[2:30:34] training, and maintenance updates,
hardware, and configurations. And the
[2:30:37] system must be purchased and serviced by
Penlink to protect existing warranties.
[2:30:41] Emergency action is requested to keep
these investigative software licenses,
[2:30:45] subscriptions, and training available
without interruption. We do have one
[2:30:49] public speaker on this ordinance and I'd
like to ask Cat Finner to come down to
[2:30:53] the podium.
Welcome back to council. You have three
[2:30:58] minutes to share your remarks. Please
share any organization you may represent
[2:31:02] as well.
[2:31:11] All right.
Bring this up. Hello, my name is Cat
[2:31:16] Finan and I'm here speaking again as a
participant in 614 ICE Watch, a citywide
[2:31:22] community defense and rapid response
network tracking ICE and other fascist
[2:31:26] activity across central Ohio. So,
correct me if I'm wrong. Penlink is a
[2:31:31] law enforcement technology company that
sells a suite of digital intelligence
[2:31:36] and surveillance products. Council is
considering the renewal of those two of
[2:31:40] those products, PLX and Geotime.
PLX is Penlink's core investigative
[2:31:46] platform, allowing police to collect,
analyze, search, and connect
[2:31:50] telecommunications and other digital
evidence. While Geo Time is a geospatial
[2:31:55] analysis tool for mapping and analyzing
location data over time. So, if data
[2:32:00] integration is the point of these tools,
a question I have is whether or not
[2:32:04] Columbus takes flock data and puts it
into the PinLink Geotime analytical
[2:32:09] environment. And of course, regardless
of whether or not it does, do you know
[2:32:13] who can access that information we know
it collects and under what
[2:32:17] circumstances?
I would also like to know whether
[2:32:20] Columbus PLX and Geotime Systems have
any interoperability
[2:32:25] or data sharing relationship with other
products sold by Pinlink considering the
[2:32:30] fact that Immigration and Customs
Enforcement ICE also contracts with
[2:32:35] Penlink through some of their other
products namely we block and tangles.
[2:32:40] So, is there a corporatewide
interoperability or data sharing
[2:32:44] relationship between the products that
you have tracking us and the ones ICE
[2:32:48] uses to abduct our immigrant neighbors?
Is there a very clear wall between those
[2:32:53] products inside of the company? Simply I
would like to better understand if this
[2:32:59] is another backdoor to our personal data
collected by Flock and if not is it by
[2:33:04] itself similar to Flock and how widely
the information collected from us is
[2:33:09] accessible to other law enforcement
agencies particularly the Department of
[2:33:13] Homeland Security and its sub agency
Immigration Customs Enforcement and its
[2:33:18] sub agencies enforcement and removal
operations and Homeland Security
[2:33:23] Investigations HSI And reminder that HSI
is not separate from ICE. It is a sub
[2:33:28] agency within ICE. All HSI agents are by
definition ICE agents. Wanted to clarify
[2:33:34] that because there was some confusion
about it at the meeting at Flock last
[2:33:37] week.
I'm asking these questions because I
[2:33:41] noticed when you all initially entered
into these contracts, none of you asked
[2:33:44] them. And in order for me to not lose my
damn mind about that, I have to believe
[2:33:49] that you council have just been naive
about surveillance technology like Flock
[2:33:53] and Pin Link up to this point because
unlike these contracts uh where you do
[2:33:58] have agency, I know you we I have so
little agency over what is happening to
[2:34:02] immigrants in our city right now.
This morning, a Haitian woman with a
[2:34:07] surveillance monitor on her ankle, whose
husband had already been detained by ICE
[2:34:11] earlier this month, walked into the
Westerville ICE field office. And with
[2:34:15] four children waiting at home, she was
also detained.
[2:34:19] Those that were able to leave the field
office this morning told community
[2:34:22] members who sat outside the building
providing resources to our immigrant
[2:34:25] neighbors how this mother started
screaming and crying and didn't stop for
[2:34:30] a long time. I wasn't there to hear her
screams in person this morning, but I
[2:34:35] heard them nonetheless all day. I really
think it's important that you try and
[2:34:39] hear them right now, too. Try and see
her four children right now without
[2:34:42] their mother and father. Because I, for
one, continue to find it profoundly
[2:34:46] offensive that I have to keep taking
time away from the spreadsheet that we
[2:34:50] all maintain as a community with the
faces and names of people abducted and
[2:34:54] disappeared to come down here and beg
y'all to stop making it so easy to add
[2:34:59] names to the goddamn list. Like I said,
I have to believe you didn't know
[2:35:03] better, that you didn't know what
questions to ask. But you do now, don't
[2:35:07] you? Will you take the time to ask them
and wait to have them answered this
[2:35:12] time? I hope so.
[2:35:18] » Thank you, Miss Feneran. Um, Deputy
Director, I I want to get a little bit
[2:35:25] of feedback from you, but also, you
know, it's my understanding that none of
[2:35:29] this information is accessible without a
warrant. Is that correct,
[2:35:33] » President Pro Tim Dorne? Uh, Council
Member Reie, members of council, that is
[2:35:37] correct. This uh piece of software is
utilized um to obtain information,
[2:35:44] electronic information um and it is
obtained uh with a warrant.
[2:35:49] » And they're pulling that information off
of existing um cell phones like like it
[2:35:54] said and then also social media. Is that
correct?
[2:35:56] » That's correct. Yes.
>> Do any of my colleagues have any
[2:36:00] additional questions? Yes,
>> President Pro Tim. Uh, deputy director,
[2:36:03] I think one of the specific questions
from the public speaker was about who
[2:36:06] has access to information that is held
by the database with internally at the
[2:36:11] city. So, I know you mentioned that the
platform is utilized for information
[2:36:14] that's gained through a warrant through
the judicial system. So, once the
[2:36:18] information is housed on this platform
within the city of Columbus, um, can any
[2:36:23] other law enforcement agencies access
that or is that an internal tool only to
[2:36:27] to the city?
[2:36:31] That information would be accessed by
the investigators who are investigating
[2:36:35] the crime and and the authorization
that's permitted by the warrant.
[2:36:39] Correct.
[2:36:43] » So again, a follow up on that. So again,
it's it's not as if I'm just asking that
[2:36:48] question out loud here.
>> So that that information is held within
[2:36:52] the city of Columbus for our division of
police to access the information for
[2:36:56] investigative purposes. is not like an
external data a database that can be
[2:37:00] accessed by external entities.
>> That's correct.
[2:37:06] » That's pretty good.
>> All right. Are there any other
[2:37:09] questions? Council member Roa Deputy.
>> So to that point,
[2:37:17] there's no d there's no data sharing
with this particular tool. It is only a
[2:37:22] data collection tool.
To my knowledge, that's correct. Uh,
[2:37:27] council member, this isn't open.
It's not akin to flock, if that's your
[2:37:33] question.
>> Well, no, that isn't my question. My
[2:37:37] question is there's a data there's data
collection that I'm holding and there's
[2:37:42] data sharing that I'm sharing. And so
what I'm asking is the data that this
[2:37:47] collects, are we just collecting it to
what I I just want to know like in very
[2:37:52] simple English terms, we collect this
data. Does it go anywhere? Do we share
[2:37:57] it with anyone or do we just hold on to
it?
[2:38:01] » It's the data that's collected is used
as part of criminal investigations. So I
[2:38:05] I can't say as a general matter that it
wouldn't be shared with other entities
[2:38:11] that are involved in that criminal
investigation. Um, but I can confirm
[2:38:15] that.
>> I would feel comfortable if we could
[2:38:18] confirm that.
>> I mean, if we could do it by voice, I'm
[2:38:23] not sure where everyone else is feeling,
but I'm just saying I I if we pass it
[2:38:29] and then you confirm it, that's not
helping
[2:38:31] » because I don't feel comfortable voting
on something that I'm unsure of.
[2:38:36] » I hear you.
>> Thank you.
[2:38:38] » I move to refer to committee. Second.
>> Cler, please call the role.
[2:38:44] Bankston Bara Deia de Akaw Remy Ross
Weiss President Pro Tim Dorne
[2:38:49] » refer to committee.
>> Next is 2260 2026 to authorize municipal
[2:38:53] court clerk to modify and extend the
contract one year plus an additional
[2:38:56] option year with Huntington National
Bank for bank credit card and electronic
[2:39:00] payment services for the municipal court
clerk's office to wave the competitive
[2:39:03] provisions of the Columbus city code to
authorize the expenditure of 22,000 from
[2:39:07] the general fund and to declare an
emergency. This ordinance extends the
[2:39:11] municipal court clerk's banking, credit
card, and electronic payment services
[2:39:14] with Huntington for one year with an
additional option year. The a bid waiver
[2:39:19] is requested to give the clerk
additional time to evaluate the recently
[2:39:22] added electronic payment service and
prepare a new RFP that includes banking,
[2:39:26] credit card, and electronic services
together. Emergency action is requested
[2:39:30] to maintain un uninterrupted banking,
credit card, and electronic payment
[2:39:35] services while that RFP is prepared. Are
there any questions or comments from my
[2:39:39] colleagues? Seeing none, I move for
passage.
[2:39:41] » Okay.
>> Clerk, please call the role.
[2:39:43] » Bankston Padia de Aari Ross Weiss,
president proim dorren.
[2:39:48] » Thank you very much. Thank you very
much. That is all I have this evening.
[2:39:51] » Thank you, chair. The last committee to
come for council is the public utilities
[2:39:54] and sustainability committee. Councilor
White chairs that committee. Floor is
[2:39:57] yours, sir.
>> Thank you, uh, President Proam. I have
[2:40:00] one ordinance in public utilities and
sustainability committee this evening.
[2:40:03] That is ordinance 2001-20226
to authorize the director of finance and
[2:40:08] management to enter into a con uh
contribution agreement with the solid
[2:40:12] waste authority of central Ohio SUO for
the department of public services
[2:40:16] Georgeesville refuge station in Suco
transfer station phase 2 project to
[2:40:21] authorize the receipt deposit
appropriation expenditure of 1,255,6862
[2:40:29] within the streets and highways non-bond
fund to authorize an amendment to the
[2:40:33] 2025 capital improvement budget and to
declare an emergency. Uh this ordinance
[2:40:37] enables the city to conduct necessary
renovations and improvements at the
[2:40:40] Georgeesville Road Refu and Transfer
Station. The city and Suco have agreed
[2:40:45] to jointly undertake this renovation
since both entities conduct operations
[2:40:48] at the facility. Emergency designation
is requested in order to adhere to the
[2:40:52] project schedule and meet project
commitments. Let me stop there. See if
[2:40:56] any questions or comments from my
colleagues. Seeing none, I move for
[2:40:59] passage.
Clerk, please call the role.
[2:41:02] » Bankston Baria de Aka Remy Ross Vice
President Pro Tim Dors
[2:41:09] has passed.
>> Thank you. That is all I have for my
[2:41:11] committee this morning.
>> Thank you council member. Is there a
[2:41:14] motion to adjurnn?
>> Clerk, please call the role.
[2:41:18] » Bankston Aari Ross vice president prom
dorren.
[2:41:22] » Thank you. Regular meeting number 35 is
adjourned. We will move into non-aggenda
[2:41:26] speakers.