Columbus mayor, council unveil $1.9 billion municipal bond package for November ballot

Mayor announced a proposed $1.9 billion municipal bond package on the site of the future Fire Station 36, saying the measure would be placed on the November ballot and that, if approved by voters, the city would use proceeds to finance infrastructure across neighborhoods without raising taxes.

The mayor said the bond package would be split among five categories: $500 million for affordable housing; $500 million for public utilities (water, sewer and power); $400 million for streets, highways and refuse collection; $250 million for public safety, health and infrastructure; and $250 million for parks and recreation. He said $17 million in prior voter-approved bonds is already funding construction at Fire Station 36, which is scheduled for completion in March 2026 "as long as it stops raining between now and March 2026." The mayor emphasized, "I wanna emphasize this is not a tax increase."

The package would be funded by issuing voter-approved general obligation bonds and repaid from the Special Income Tax (SIT) fund, the mayor said, explaining that the city directs 25 cents of every $1 of income tax into that fund to meet debt service. He added that the city's strong credit rating keeps borrowing costs low and that the city has not levied a municipal property tax since the 1950s.

Council President Shannon Hardy called the package "transformational" and said it represents a long-term investment in neighborhoods, infrastructure and services. Hardy said council will run "a robust process" of hearings on the package; she noted a scheduled housing-committee hearing on Tuesday, May 27, to review the housing portion of the proposal.

Leah Evans of Homeport, an affordable housing developer, urged support for the housing portion, saying housing is foundational to health and economic mobility. Evans cited recent local indicators: a 7.4% increase in people experiencing homelessness year-over-year and average rent increases of 17% from 2023 to 2024. She said Homeport has created 340 affordable apartments and invested more than $100 million in housing and credited prior bond packages with supporting more than 4,000 income-qualified rental units citywide, including 633 permanent supportive housing units.

Lehi Pugh, president of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Commission, described planned investments in aquatics and parks infrastructure funded by past bonds and said the package would continue that work, including a Northeast indoor aquatic center and further pool and trail projects. Pugh cited rebuilt Glenwood and Windsor pools and a planned Marion Franklin pool replacement as examples.

On public safety, the mayor said prior bond proceeds are expected to cover a police substation on the Hilltop but that property acquisition delays with the state have slowed that project; he said the new package would fund additional fire stations, police substations, equipment such as fire apparatus, dump trucks and snowplows, and a real-time crime center.

Reporters asked why the city could propose a larger affordable-housing ask than in prior cycles. The mayor said the scale of the housing crisis and plans for a Regional Housing Coalition, incubated at the Columbus Partnership, justified an unprecedented request for $500 million focused on affordable housing and intended to leverage private investment to increase overall housing supply in the region.

The mayor and council members repeatedly noted that the proposal must be approved by voters before funds can be issued. Council members said they will hold public hearings and provide additional project-level details as they finalize allocations. The mayor said the city will circulate background material to help reporters and the public understand how the SIT-backed bonds work.

Questions from the press also touched on whether the city would freeze funding to a West Side service provider after a contempt finding in court; the mayor said the organization provides "critical, critical services" and that the administration and council would work with the city attorney and the courts, adding, "they're gonna be held accountable if they're not a good neighbor, but they provide critically important services."