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Committee of the Whole adopts month-long employee recognition program
Summary
Columbus City’s Committee of the Whole voted to replace the annual evening employee banquet with a month-long recognition program in June featuring weekly events and quarterly awards, citing low prior banquet participation and a statutory per-employee spending limit of $50.
The Committee of the Whole voted to adopt a new employee recognition program that replaces the single annual evening banquet with a month-long schedule of weekday events, the committee announced at its meeting.
Human Resources Director Tammy Orinder presented the plan, saying the city will “take the whole month of June, and each week, we would do something,” including a breakfast with awards in the first week, a coffee truck, an ice cream truck and a food truck in subsequent weeks. Orinder said the change responds to low turnout at evening banquets in past years and aims to make recognition accessible during work hours.
City Captain Doug Malcek of the Columbus Police Department, a member of the planning committee, said the program will move some recognitions to a quarterly cadence so more employees can be honored. “We’re going to actually . . . be quarterly instead of just once a year,” he said, arguing the change will increase visibility and staff morale.
On budget, Orinder told the committee the change is not expected to increase costs and cited an existing state spending limit that allows up to $50 per employee for such awards. A councilmember asked whether the revised schedule would cost more; Orinder replied it would likely cost less because the change excludes spouses and spreads events over work hours.
A member moved to adopt the recognition program as presented; the clerk conducted an electronic roll call and the motion passed, according to the transcript. The transcript does not record who made the motion or who seconded it, nor does it include a vote tally. The meeting adjourned immediately after the vote.
City officials said the program will be treated as a pilot and may be revised if it does not achieve improved participation. The HR director described a nomination process in which forms will be distributed by email, supervisors will forward nominations to department heads, and department heads will review nominations at their meetings. Winners’ photos will be displayed on whiteboards in city buildings.
The Committee gave no additional directive in the transcript beyond adopting the program; next steps—such as final scheduling, formal adoption of award names, or reporting back on participation—were not specified in the meeting record.
