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Columbus council reviews draft 2025‑26 budget; staff outlines personnel changes and 2% COLA
Summary
Council members reviewed draft budget documents including a proposed 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment, personnel reallocations and a capital/discretionary list that defers half the cost of two fire apparatus to next year.
City staff presented draft materials for the 2025‑26 budget during the Aug. 18 Columbus City Council meeting, summarizing proposed personnel changes, a 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment and capital/discretionary items.
Staff said the draft materials include the capital improvement plan, a discretionary capital list and a personnel sheet. The personnel changes described include eliminating an administrative assistant position (projected savings of over $100,000), adding a director of general services position, reallocating public‑property director duties, creating a park and rec coordinator, renaming a community coordinator position to community building outreach associate (about $20,000 in savings), promoting a project engineer to assistant city engineer, several library staffing adjustments (net cost of about $5,000) and changing a wastewater collection position classification.
Staff reported a net change to the general fund of less than $50,000 based on these draft personnel items. The proposed cost‑of‑living adjustment is 2%.
On discretionary items, staff said the draft funds half the cost of a fire engine and half the cost of a ladder truck this year, with the remaining half planned for next year. A council member noted the lead time for apparatus builds is lengthy: "14 month build, at the best." A council member testing the discretionary list said they had their questions answered after follow‑up research.
The items presented were draft materials; staff emphasized they are not final and will depend on final valuations and further council direction. No budget adoption vote took place at the meeting.
