Columbus hears pay-transparency ordinance; enforcement delayed to 2027

Columbus City Council held a public hearing Oct. 23 on proposed pay-transparency legislation that would require employers who recruit for jobs that will largely take place in Columbus to include a reasonable salary range in job postings. Councilmember Barroso de Padilla opened the hearing and said the measure builds on a 2023 salary-history ban "because in Columbus, we do not want pay disparities to follow anyone from job to job."

The ordinance would amend Columbus City Code chapter 2335 to add a pay-transparency requirement. Senior legislative analyst Kirsten Lisonbee told council the code would require employers to "provide a reasonable salary range or scale for potential employment in employment postings," and that "by reasonable, we mean a good faith estimate or a realistic expectation." Lisonbee said the proposal lists factors for determining reasonableness, including employer budget flexibility, anticipated applicant experience, variations in responsibilities and local cost of living.

Why it matters: witnesses and advocates at the hearing said the change would help reduce pay inequities — especially for women and people of color — and save time and recruiting costs for employers. Councilmember Barroso de Padilla and several public witnesses cited local and national wage-gap figures; Lisonbee noted Columbus women earn about 83 cents for every dollar earned by men and referenced national figures for Black women and Latinas.

How enforcement would work: the proposal places enforcement with the Community Relations Commission, which would verify complaints and work with employers to gain compliance. If an employer refuses to comply, the commission may hold a hearing and refer violations to the director of the Department of Neighborhoods, who may impose civil penalties, Lisonbee said. She said the general ordinance would take effect on the normal statutory schedule (30 days after passage), but the pay-transparency enforcement requirement would be suspended until Jan. 1, 2027, to give employers, nonprofits and small businesses time to prepare.

Scope and exemptions: Lisonbee said the rule would apply to employers in the city and to jobs that will "largely take place in Columbus" even if the employer is located elsewhere. The legislation retains an exemption for employers with 15 or fewer employees; Lisonbee said that threshold was used previously in the 2023 salary-history ban and was chosen after consultations with small-business stakeholders and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. She said the exemption reflects a policy choice to avoid imposing enforcement costs on microbusinesses while encouraging voluntary adoption of best practices.

Public testimony: more than a dozen community witnesses — including representatives of Zora's House, YWCA Columbus, the Women's Fund of Central Ohio, Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD), the Columbus Women’s Commission and the Central Ohio Labor Council AFL-CIO — supported the proposal. Liz Gordon Candles, managing director of Zora's House, said seeing a salary range in a posting gave her confidence in an employer’s commitment to fairness: "That transparency told me immediately that Zora's House was an organization committed to fairness." Elizabeth Brown, CEO of YWCA Columbus, and other witnesses described internal steps their organizations had taken, such as publishing pay bands for staff and conducting compensation studies.

Discussion points from council members and staff included: the purpose of the exemption for very small employers; the one-year (or multi-year) education and outreach period to prepare employers; whether the city should later require benefit postings; and the business case for transparency (increased applicant pools and reduced hiring costs). Councilmember Beatty, drawing on small-business experience, urged continued outreach during the compliance runway to address market changes and internal pay-compression issues.

Next steps and public input: Councilmember Barroso de Padilla said she plans to introduce the ordinance at the Nov. 3 Columbus City Council meeting and that staff will continue to accept public comments and suggestions during the outreach period. Lisonbee and council staff said they expect to provide toolkits and education for employers and job seekers. The hearing concluded with the chair encouraging stakeholders to submit further testimony before the introduction.

The hearing included no formal vote. The legislation as presented would: amend Columbus City Code chapter 2335 to require reasonable salary ranges in job postings; exempt employers with 15 or fewer employees; define employment posting broadly; delay enforcement of the pay-transparency requirement until Jan. 1, 2027; and rely on the Community Relations Commission and the Department of Neighborhoods for enforcement.