Columbus City Council held its organizational meeting and elected Council member Shannon Harden as council president and Rob Dorns as president pro tem. The council also confirmed appointments for city clerk and city treasurer and read its 2026 committee assignments into the record.

Council members voted by voice roll call to confirm the nominations. The clerk announced that Harden was elected council president after a voice roll call of members, and later that Rob Dorns would serve as council president pro tem. A motion to appoint Toya Johnson as city clerk, effective Jan. 5, 2026, was approved by roll call, and the council likewise approved the appointment of Talia Brown as city treasurer effective the same date.

Per the council reading, committee leadership for 2026 was set under the Columbus City Code. The clerk read assignments including: Economic Development and Small and Minority Business Committee (Nick Bankston, chair; Lord Barossa de Padilla, vice chair); Finance and Governance Committee (Nick Bankston, chair; Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorns, vice chair); Health, Human Services and Equity Committee (Melissa Green, chair; Lord Esparosa de Padilla, vice chair); Housing, Homelessness and Building Committee (Tierra Ross, chair; Shannon Harden, vice chair); Neighborhoods, Recreation and Parks Committee (Nancy De Akauer, chair; Christopher Weiss, vice chair); Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee (Emmanuel Remy, chair; Tiara Ross, vice chair); Public Service and Transportation Committee (Lourdes Barroza de Padilla, chair; Nancy De Acower, vice chair); Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee (Christopher Wise, chair; Emmanuel Remy, vice chair); Rules and Policy Committee (Council President Shannon Harden, chair; Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorns, vice chair); Workforce, Education and Labor Committee (Rob Dorns, chair; Melissa Green, vice chair); and Zoning Committee (Rob Dorrance, chair; Shannon Harden, vice chair).

In remarks after the reorganization business, Council President Shannon Harden thanked members and stakeholders for their work and said housing will remain a top policy priority. "Housing continues to be one of my strongest policy priorities, and I will continue shepherding several key initiatives, including Yes In God's Backyard," Harden said. She welcomed new members filling a seat vacated after Shayla Faber was elected county prosecutor and expressed an intent to stay active in committee work while supporting chairs.

With no further business, the council adjourned the meeting.

Votes at a glance: the contemporaneous roll calls recorded affirmative responses from the listed members for each confirmation; where the transcript repeated member names in varying spellings, those names were read as recorded by the clerk during roll call.