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Columbus council hears first reading on COAAA separation as staff and unions demand job protections
Summary
City council held a first reading of ordinance 19-28-2025 to authorize transferring $1 million in COAAA grant funds to a newly formed regional council of governments; COAAA staff and union leaders urged the city to negotiate binding job, pay and benefits protections before separation proceeds.
Councilmembers heard public testimony and a legal briefing Monday on an ordinance (19-28-2025) that would authorize the director of Recreation and Parks to enter into an agreement with a newly formed regional council of governments and transfer $1,000,000 in accumulated Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) federal and state grant funds to that entity.
The ordinance was discussed during first reading; council did not take a final vote. COAAA leaders and union representatives pressed the city for written guarantees for employees before any separation or transfer of start-up funds.
Katie White, administrator of the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, told the council that the agency serves nearly 11,000 individuals across eight Central Ohio counties and is facing a mandated operational change. She said Ohio will roll out “MiCare NextGen” in January 2026, shifting long-term services and supports case management from cost-reimbursable grants to risk‑based, fee-for-service contracts. White said the agency needs flexibility to enter new contracts with managed-care organizations, and the ordinance would allow COAAA to operate through the end of 2025 while…
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