Votes at a glance: Council passes dozens of ordinances — grants, contracts and capital projects approved

Columbus City Council approved a wide range of ordinance and contract measures across its committees during the meeting, including grant awards, procurement contracts, capital appropriations, public-works projects, and zoning actions. Most items were adopted by roll-call vote with limited debate.

Key actions approved (ordinance or contract numbers shown as read in the meeting): Mid-Ohio Food Collective Eastland Prosperity Center grant (12-09-2025) — capital grant of up to $2,000,000 to renovate a former grocery store into a community services and health center; Department of Technology 0-trust network modernization (16-58-2025) — authorization of up to approximately $23,000,000 for a citywide zero-trust cybersecurity and network modernization project; Moody Nolan amendment for new municipal court design (17-75-2025) — contract modification and authorization of up to $12,594,678.11 in construction management taxable bond funds; multiple Department of Public Utilities water and sewer projects, including Bloomfield Drive waterline improvements (16-79-2025) and Blueprint Hilltop lateral lining (17-13-2025); Early Start Columbus pre-K contracts (17-05-2025) — up to $5,950,000 to continue Early Start prekindergarten partnerships; grants to community nonprofits including Clintonville Community Resource Center (18-51-2025) and Choice Network (19-66-2025); and numerous procurement contract renewals and service agreements (e.g., document scanning, transit resurfacing, janitorial services, helicopter maintenance, digital forensics licenses).

Zoning-related ordinances and variances on the agenda were also adopted, including rezoning requests and variances to allow mixed-use and residential developments at multiple addresses (examples: 18-40, 18-43, 18-50, 18-57, 18-62, 18-63, 18-66, 18-67, 18-68, and multiple variance ordinances 18-47, 18-63, 18-66, 18-67, 18-68). The zoning committee followed its standard procedure of entering staff reports into the record and then calling for votes.

Several procurement and grant items were authorized with emergency designations or waivers of competitive bidding where vendors were described as sole-source or transitional suppliers (examples: Exela environmental health platform migration 16-37-2025; Cellebrite software licenses 1560-08-2025; and multiple construction contracts for water and sewer projects). Council approved appropriations and budget transfers to support the projects from bond funds, revolving loan funds, or designated operating funds as outlined in each ordinance.

Most recorded items were adopted by roll-call vote; the clerk’s entries in the transcript list each item as “Passed” or “Adopted.” A number of items were moved off consent for additional consideration (for example ordinance 16-55 was removed from consent and heard on second reading). The meeting record shows the council proceeding through its committee blocks (rules and policy, finance and governance, economic development, public service and transportation, workforce and education, health/human services/equity, public safety, zoning, public utilities and sustainability, housing/homelessness and building) and voting on each listed item.

Below is a nonexhaustive representative list of adopted items from the meeting record (file numbers and short descriptions as provided during committee presentations):

- Ordinance 12-09-2025: Up to $2,000,000 grant to Mid-Ohio Food Collective — Eastland Prosperity Center (economic development) — Adopted - Ordinance 16-58-2025: Zero trust network and cybersecurity modernization — up to ~$23,000,000 (finance) — Adopted - Ordinance 17-75-2025: Moody Nolan contract modification for new municipal court building — up to $12,594,678.11 (finance) — Adopted - Ordinance 17-38-2025: Indianola Avenue resurfacing and bike lanes — up to $2,115,416.28 (public service) — Adopted - Ordinance 17-42-2025: Livingston Avenue right-of-way acquisitions — appropriation up to $1,000,000 (public service) — Adopted - Ordinance 17-80-2025: North Fourth and East Fifth bike and safety improvements — up to $2,102,730.19 (public service) — Adopted - Ordinance 16-37-2025: Exela environmental health platform migration — $258,000 (finance/public health) — Adopted - Ordinance 16-30-2025: Back-file scanning and shredding services for City Attorney — $96,018.10 (finance) — Adopted - Ordinance 17-47-2025: Audit services contract with Ria and Associates — up to $352,000 (finance) — Adopted - Ordinance 17-61-2025: Custodial services extension for Columbus Police Academy — up to $89,000 (finance) — Adopted - Ordinance 11-28-2025: Skid steer purchase for street maintenance — up to $68,409.30 (public service) — Adopted - Ordinance 15-70-2025 & 15-80-2025 and multiple public utilities contracts and loans (water treatment granular activated carbon, lead service line replacement, Bloomfield Drive waterline replacement, Blueprint Hilltop sewer lining) — Adopted - Ordinance 17-05-2025: Early Start Columbus pre-K contracts — up to $5,950,000 (workforce/education) — Adopted - Ordinance 18-51-2025: Grant to Clintonville Community Resource Center — $15,000 (health/human services) — Adopted - Ordinance 19-66-2025: Grant to Choice Network for family planning and assistance — $70,000 (health/human services) — Adopted - Public safety items including withdrawal of liquor objections (three items) and renewal/maintenance contracts (Cellebrite licenses, helicopter maintenance) — Adopted - Zoning rezonings and variances listed under the zoning committee (multiple items as read into the record) — Adopted

For each adopted ordinance, the transcript shows the clerk calling the roll and the item marked as “Passed” or “Adopted.” Where emergency declarations or loan contingencies were required (noted in a handful of public utilities and finance items), council approved the items with those conditions recorded in the ordinance language.

Council members frequently noted that numerous items were funded from bond funds, revolving loan funds, federal grants, or departmental operating budgets. Many items included instructions to encumber funds, set aside prevailing-wage allocations for Department of Public Service oversight, or make ordinances contingent on Ohio Water Development Authority loan approvals for specific water and sewer projects.

Because the meeting covered a large number of items across committees, staff will publish the formal ordinance texts and detailed appropriation amounts in the city bulletin and the city’s legislative information portal for reference.