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Columbus City Council adopts resolution backing neighborhood Social Security offices and SSA employees
Summary
Council unanimously adopted Resolution 0161X-2025 urging protection of neighborhood Social Security offices and support for Social Security Administration employees amid staffing cuts and proposed field-office closures.
Columbus — The Columbus City Council voted to adopt Resolution 0161X-2025 on Monday, urging federal officials to preserve neighborhood Social Security field offices and to support Social Security Administration (SSA) employees.
The resolution, introduced by a council member and presented at the dais by Patty Davissato, secretary-treasurer of American Federation of Government Employees Local 3448, says SSA employees “are dedicated, nonpartisan professionals” who handle benefit delivery and in-person services that vulnerable residents rely on. Davissato told the council that SSA had its lowest staffing levels in 50 years at the start of 2024 and that the agency has identified dozens of offices for possible closure across 28 states.
“The Social Security workforce has served and delivered more than $1,500,000,000,000 in benefits annually with an accuracy rate exceeding 99%,” Davissato said, quoting 2023 congressional statistics in urging passage.
Why it matters: City leaders said local residents — particularly seniors and people with disabilities — depend on accessible, staffed local SSA offices to apply for and manage benefits. Council members who spoke said the resolution is a local expression of concern about federal workforce reductions and potential office closures that could force residents to travel farther to access services.
Council action: A council member moved for adoption, the clerk called the roll and the resolution was adopted.
Context: Council members noted broader federal staffing trends and the city’s own experience with grant-funded positions cut after federal grant cancellation. Several members framed the vote as both a show of support for federal employees and an effort to safeguard services for vulnerable Columbus residents.
Ending: The council did not attach a binding enforcement mechanism; the resolution is a nonbinding expression of City Council policy and a stimulus for the city’s federal advocacy and communications to ask federal decision-makers not to close neighborhood SSA offices.
