Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Columbus officials outline $2.7 billion 2026 operating budget and a package of cuts and investments to close the gap
Summary
City finance officials presented the mayor's proposed 2026 operating budget (about $2.7 billion all funds, $1.26 billion general fund) and described balancing measures including removal of 200 vacant positions, a 15% cut to discretionary contracts, a lowered bargaining-unit increase (2%), $5 million for a resilient housing initiative and reductions to some public-health contracts.
Director Chris Long presented the mayor's proposed 2026 operating budget to the Columbus City Council finance hearing, saying the plan totals roughly $2.7 billion across all funds and that the general fund constitutes about 47% of that total. "One was to safeguard all current city staffed positions. In other words, no layoffs," Long told the council as he described the administration's guiding principles.
The administration framed 2026 as a tight budget year driven by personnel and insurance costs that outpace forecasted revenue growth. Long told the panel that personnel accounts for about 75% of the general-fund budget and that departments are budgeting a 19% increase in insurance costs for 2025 that will add roughly $23 million in department expenses. To close the gap, the mayor's proposal removes more than 200 currently vacant full-time general-fund positions, which Long said produces approximately $16 million in 2026 savings.
Long outlined other measures: shifting eligible expenses to the income-tax set-aside and other non-general funds (about $25…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
