[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6645962,"mediaKeyId","3449831-93fc488aac5cea4f706909fc340982a6","parentId",3449831,"title","City committee advances pollinator‑garden code changes after wide public comment","audioSeconds",3170,"startMs",3747000,"endMs",6917000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3449831-93fc488aac5cea4f706909fc340982a6&start=3747&end=6917","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3449831-93fc488aac5cea4f706909fc340982a6/thumbnail_3747000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6645962/Ohio/City-committee-advances-pollinatorgarden-code-changes-after-wide-public-comment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6645962-07b79e14afa799b61f1b6e6194dc4df0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771038166&Signature=C~l9qcm1J43CPsyTgbi8GGUuB9NoRX0wonaHdzmFeKeID0DEZ5S9d7aKc~QJU3VSWZfObGHDeF0cdpnQSfXkhpgJM5SGqReV8sej-HUGxyv6W~ER6GM74FWE~y~tKkeq52rIXaTm639jcNeQBCfkzvu9JyHciRlWhHEouuakWFofotYHR58wEE3rbBr0z4sddJYH8GamNQXgc70oRkNvfG7q4WKeyMexcFlIvIVsQztDylXCuKrT~P1h4rmGamO68aVb4b9~vO~5HTzQMWKTa33xQ-BDzF9TSq3oAqsv3uHeqz4lN92Ur7j4CzH845hv5yEUFikesK2hJNg6OOmLpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Columbus","date","2025-05-22T18:53:32.06Z","article","The Columbus City Council Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee heard public testimony May 16 on proposed revisions to city code intended to make pollinator and native‑plant gardens easier to install and to clarify enforcement of the noxious‑weed standard.

Deputy Director Tony Celebrizi of the Department of Building and Zoning outlined revisions made after an earlier hearing. “We went ahead and removed the 50% maximum for the front yard, so the entire parcel can be a pollinator garden,” Celebrizi said. He added that the draft also removes a previously proposed 30‑inch buffer around property lines and removes shrubs from the definition of weeds. The draft retains vision‑triangle and sidewalk safety limits and adds language that distinguishes “live or dormant” plant material to address fall and winter plant appearance.

Advocates and neighborhood volunteers generally supported the changes but urged clearer, less subjective language for enforcement. David Rosemond, vice president of Friends of Allen Creek and Tributaries, asked whether the right‑of‑way or tree lawn between sidewalk and curb would be restricted and requested a clear list or guidance about what is allowed there. “What about green landscaping around the mailboxes that’s fairly typical that you see all over the community?” Rosemond asked. He also asked whether references to “native” plants would mean native to Ohio or to some other region.

Multiple speakers requested that pokeweed (pokeberry) be removed from any city list of “noxious weeds.” “Pokeberry should be removed from the noxious weed list immediately and encouraged as a beneficial and historically significant Ohio plant species,” said Ken Kaizen, who described ecological and avian benefits of the plant.

Local conservation groups praised the proposal while asking for small wording changes to reduce ambiguity. Craig Tuthman, president of Franklin County Pollinator Pathway, told the committee that his organization “finds [the proposal] to be a very positive improvement over the existing code” and urged referencing a dependable external noxious‑weed list so enforcement staff and residents have a single source.

Several residents described direct experience with code enforcement. Committee staff said enforcement is complaint driven: code officers respond to neighborhood complaints, document sites and close cases where a parcel appears to be an intentional pollinator garden rather than simple neglect. Celebrizi said the department will include the item in ongoing training and that officers have access to identification apps and prior inspection records when they review complaints.

Speakers also emphasized benefits for stormwater management, wildlife and children’s connection to nature. “Native plants and pollinator gardens…help to bring nature back into the city,” Bettina Cooper of NatureWise Columbus said, noting educational benefits for children. Former city and environmental practitioners urged the committee to adopt language that distinguishes intentional, maintained naturalized plantings from neglected lots.

The committee did not vote on any ordinance language at the hearing; staff said the draft will be refined based on testimony and circulated before returning to committee or the full council for consideration.

What’s next

Committee staff will post revised code language and written testimony on the council website and schedule follow‑up stakeholder meetings; staff invited residents to provide additional written comments.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Council Public Utilities & Sustainability Committee: Utility Reselling & Pollinator Gardens","oneSentenceSummary","The Columbus City Council Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee heard testimony May 16 on proposed city‑code changes to allow pollinator gardens and clarify noxious‑weed enforcement.","taxTitle","Columbus City Council, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio","taxId",75950,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6645967,"Columbus committee hears residents, advocates on utility reselling, tenant harms",3684,92000,3776000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3449831-93fc488aac5cea4f706909fc340982a6&start=92&end=3776","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3449831-93fc488aac5cea4f706909fc340982a6/thumbnail_92000.jpg","/articles/6645967/Ohio/Columbus-committee-hears-residents-advocates-on-utility-reselling-tenant-harms","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6645967-e96c63ec9e5d2a0f970ce8c3f6e0f0cd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771038166&Signature=H3z1v~H2PhLX1sHI9lL2VS1Uca-Ov--XVAH421o5r0RJLpZdL4vYhgUZVqItf9O86R7dYsrP9nZqIEUdjox4s1fzydjiSWb9J~Gbgyp38j1TrkQceQd09ZWKPvD5bEAlAE0huhEJB7UJCFikE7EsBJrZyp3MAcM09q0o93OmRKkd9Opzr3JO6ZryUoXSpUFHy-43UJN8kXTJV-AULyVsIpPbAxT9n2z7973crJvv8n7rwO4sCcg31Xl83-6JXHZgBvGz8AIUI2rM1t~5k1KJSv2eXpO34KOs-gYWzLFHyw87HM14MHDs2Gwa~m3VUhFMq4kRqOszSCo4djyWHowlHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Columbus City Council Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee heard more than two hours of testimony May 16 on draft legislation to regulate utility reselling and submetering in the city.

The committee’s chair opened the hearing saying the draft remains under revision and that staff are taking testimony to inform the final language. “Everything that has been proposed is still in draft form as we take in additional feedback, before it is brought to the full council for a vote,” the chair said.

The Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund and several tenants and housing advocates urged the committee to tighten protections for renters who receive utility service billed by third‑party resellers rather than the regulated utility. “This proposed ordinance is a positive step towards equitable and transparent access to utilities in Columbus,” Nolan Rutschling, managing director of energy policy for the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund, told the committee. Rutschling added that submetered customers can lose access to low‑income payment plans, disconnection moratoriums and the complaint process at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO).

Resident witnesses described personal and financial harm. Mark Witt, a regulatory lawyer who said he has litigated submetering cases, called the practice “an outrage” as it currently operates in parts of Central Ohio and warned that submetering companies often decline legal duties to the end‑use customer. “They do not owe any duty legally or otherwise to anyone who pays their bills,” Witt said, summarizing his experience in litigation and enforcement proceedings.

Several residents offered examples of how reselling played out in rental housing. Rachel Wenning read an anonymized tenant letter in which the writer said management applied a water charge against a rent payment and then served an eviction notice; Wenning said the tenant paid contested charges to avoid eviction. Another resident, Shranda Link, said she lost housing after disputed submetered charges affected her rental record. “Now I have bad rental history. When I was perfect before, now I’m homeless living couch to couch,” Link said.

Joe Ritchie, chief executive officer of Community Building Partners, said third‑party billing can undercut affordable‑housing goals by removing transparency and by making tenants ineligible for assistance programs. “Tenants often do not have a choice. They cannot shop for a different provider,” Ritchie said, adding that programs such as HEAP and other assistance often require a direct relationship with a regulated utility provider.

Witnesses and advocates urged the city to act while state legislation remains uncertain. Rutschling said there are competing bills at the Ohio Statehouse; one would remove PUCO jurisdiction over submetering companies while another would explicitly subject resellers to PUCO regulation. “We encourage council to act as if those bills could not move because they very well could not,” he said, and added that the city ordinance would not resolve every statewide issue but could protect vulnerable residents.

Committee staff said the draft ordinance still includes exceptions intended to allow legitimate submetering for common‑area charges and to permit a property owner or operator to participate in energy markets, while preventing price gouging. Staff encouraged residents with experiences to continue providing written testimony and to meet with council offices as draft language is revised.

The committee did not take a vote on the ordinance during the hearing. Members said the testimony would inform additional drafts before any measure is scheduled for a council vote.

What’s next

Committee staff said revisions will be posted and additional stakeholder meetings will be scheduled; the draft will return to the committee before a full council vote. The city encouraged residents with related concerns to contact the council office for follow‑up.","City committee heard testimony from residents, energy-policy advocates and housing experts describing how third‑party submetering and utility reselling can leave renters without consumer protections, disconnect recourse and access to assistance programs. Committee staff said the draft ordinance remains in revision and will incorporate feedback.","actionData","errors"]

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City committee advances pollinator‑garden code changes after wide public comment

Columbus committee hears residents, advocates on utility reselling, tenant harms