Deputy Director Bill Webster of the Department of Development told the council at a Jan. hearing that the department’s 2025 general fund proposal totals $34.5 million and that $6.8 million of that is dedicated to economic development and small‑business activity.

Webster said the $6.8 million is about a 2% increase over the prior year and covers staffing and program costs; he emphasized that the city programs and manages substantially larger capital and incentive pools, including roughly $50 million in tax increment financing and $71 million in bond funding that the department administers.

The presentation highlighted specific small‑business initiatives and recent 2024 outcomes: Accelerate Columbus (which Webster said invested $925,000 in 2024 and, with partners, supported over 500 small businesses); the Ground Floor Growth program (noted as receiving $1.2 million in prior investment and proposed continuation funding of $1 million for 2025); the Power of 1 program and a Small Business Equipment Grant; and $16 million in contracts supporting community partners (Webster itemized $4.9 million to special improvement districts, $2.5 million to the Affordable Housing Trust for the EDAP program, $1.5 million to Freedom Equity, $500,000 for equipment grants, and $200,000 for Power of 1).

Webster also reviewed incentive and jobs metrics: he said the city’s incentive programs have supported the creation of over 19,000 new jobs and retention of more than 5,300 jobs over the last five years, and that those incentives have helped attract roughly $5.4 billion in private investment. He named a recently approved project, Gift Health, which he said will add 751 pharmaceutical jobs in Columbus.

On return on public investment, Webster told council that “for every $1 of public investment that we make, we are seeing approximately $17 to $20 in return private investments,” and he described plans to expand Accelerate Columbus funding to about $1.1 million and to increase Power of 1 grants by $300,000 in 2025. He also said the department expects to program roughly $121 million in total project dollars in 2025 and projected roughly $14 million in incentive payments next year.

Public comment at the hearing included John Sidnor, representing ECDI, who described ECDI’s role as a micro‑lender and partner serving immigrant, women and veteran entrepreneurs and urged continued support for small business capital and technical assistance. Sidnor said ECDI aims to complement city efforts by expanding access to capital and mentoring for entrepreneurs.

Webster identified selection criteria the department uses for incentives — including investment in opportunity neighborhoods and above‑average wages — and said he would be available to answer council questions about program details.