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Columbus council advances 2026 salary ordinances, adds staff and IT funding; council pay increase clears first reading
Summary
On first reading the council approved multiple salary ordinances that move city payroll to a biweekly cadence, include a proposed 3% increase for sworn public‑safety personnel, a 2.7% COLA for eligible full‑time employees, and create new positions for data analysis, engineering technician support and IT; votes recorded varied by ordinance.
Columbus Common Council on Sept. 16 advanced multiple 2026 salary ordinances on first reading that collectively change pay cadences, set proposed increases and add several staff positions across departments. Council recorded 9–0 first‑reading votes on the Fire Department and Police Department salary ordinances and an 8–1 first‑reading vote on the ordinance fixing Common Council member pay. Other salary ordinances were moved forward on first reading; where the transcript did not record a roll call, vote tallies are not specified.
City human‑resources and finance staff described three common changes across the ordinances: conversion to a biweekly wage cadence (to match payroll), adoption of a payroll calendar year, and a 3% proposed pay increase for sworn fire and police personnel. "This was a work that took many meetings, 3 meetings,…
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