OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Columbus City Board Meeting - February 17, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, February 17, 2026
BodyColumbus, Indiana
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, February 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 18:19

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

I've got a sweat on a t-shirt on my long jokes.

0:07

Oh good, bro.

0:13

No, are we about done?

0:14

Do we even know?

0:17

Oh, I know.

0:23

Who do we need to get to be in the mouth?

0:32

Yeah.

0:43

Training for the clean house.

1:01

I mean, it's like whole new.

1:14

It was fun.

1:15

Yeah.

1:16

All right.

1:16

First up.

1:17

Roll call.

1:17

Melanie Henderson.

1:18

Present.

1:19

John Pickett.

1:20

I'm here.

1:20

Brenda Sullivan.

1:21

Present.

1:21

Eric Fry.

1:23

And I am here and will serve as chair.

1:26

First up is the approval of the February 10th meeting minutes.

1:31

I'll move to approve.

1:33

Do we have a motion and a second second?

1:35

I'm waiting for somebody else to do something.

1:37

We have a motion and a second to approve the minutes.

1:39

All in favor, please signify by saying aye.

1:41

Aye.

1:42

Aye.

1:42

Opposed, same sign.

1:43

Motion carries.

1:45

All right.

1:48

I see animal care.

1:51

Do you have something that you're presenting?

1:54

Okay, that comes later.

1:56

All right.

1:57

All right.

1:57

So we will start with Robin Chavez.

1:59

He's gonna talk about Maple Street.

2:02

Morning, Robin.

2:04

Good morning.

2:05

Hopefully you can hear me.

2:06

Try to talk up today.

2:08

Um can you talk a little bit louder?

2:11

Yes.

2:12

Okay.

2:12

Um I am coming to request a vacate condemn and legal action for 2313 Maple Street.

2:24

Um the house is actually uh vacant, um, but it's only about a week vacant.

2:30

But um it is not it is not fit to be linked in and should be condemned until they are able to do something with it, it should not be re-rented again.

2:40

I just I was just curious, have you had conversation with the landowner or the order yet?

2:45

The people that work for him were with me when I did the inspection and they walked through with me and because I just neighbor, I just happened to be with a neighbor this morning and they asked me about it, so I said, Oh gosh.

2:58

Yeah, I think we'll be please.

3:01

I'll move for approval of the recommendation for legal action.

3:05

I will second.

3:06

So um we're we have a recomm uh motion the second for um action at 2313 Maple Street.

3:17

So we're looking at a vacate, condemn and legal action, correct?

3:21

Yes, okay.

3:22

Um all in favor, please signify by saying aye.

3:25

Aye, opposed, same sign, motion carries.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████28%
Animal Welfare█████████████████████████25%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Technology and Innovation████████████12%
Code Enforcement██████████10%
Arts And Culture██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Columbus City Board Meeting - February 17, 2026

The board convened on February 17, 2026, with members Melanie Henderson, John Pickett, Brenda Sullivan, and Eric Fry (chair) present. They approved previous minutes, several routine items, and discussed key capital projects including a new animal care center. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of February 10, 2026 meeting minutes: Approved unanimously.
  • Approval of six dockets of claims: Approved unanimously.
  • Acceptance of uniform conflict of interest disclosure statements from Melissa Lynn (Utility Service Board) and Michael Tinsley (Police Review Board): Accepted unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • 2313 Maple Street Vacate, Condemn & Legal Action: Robin Chavez requested approval to vacate, condemn, and pursue legal action for the property at 2313 Maple Street, which is vacant and unfit for habitation. The board approved the recommendation unanimously.
  • IT Department Furniture Purchase: Jim Hartse presented a proposal to purchase furniture (seven desks, cubicles, meeting table and chairs) for the IT department's new location under a state QPA with Steelcase for $65,761.13. The board approved the purchase unanimously.
  • Nexus Park Bus Stop Concrete Work: Engineering presented a quote with Case Construction for concrete work at the Nexus Park bus stop, which will serve as the new transfer station when the bus loop system launches in March 2026. The deadline for concrete work is March 20. The board approved the contract unanimously.
  • 2026 Community Crossings Grant Contract: Engineering requested approval to sign a contract with Milestone for the 2026 Community Crossings grant, totaling $1,356,050 (under budget). The board approved unanimously.
  • Animal Care Center RFPQ Notice: Engineering presented the request for proposals and qualifications (RFPQ) for the new Wendy H. Elwood Animal Care Services Center. The center will be built through a build-operate-transfer process. The current facility (built 1987) is 4,900 square feet; the new facility will be 21,000 square feet. The shelter currently houses approximately 50 dogs and 24 cats, but in peak season can have 35–40 dogs and 75–80 cats in the building with 100 in foster. The RFPQ will be posted that week, with proposals due March 23, 2026. The board approved the RFPQ notice unanimously.
  • Special Use of Right-of-Way: Engineering requested approval of a special use right-of-way for emergency sewer work by Sullivan Excavating. The board approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • All eight agenda items were approved unanimously by the board.
  • The board accepted conflict of interest statements from two board members.

Announcements

  • Jody reminded the public that February is Black History Month, with programming at Black History Columbus.com. She also announced a free recreation day at Nexus Park on Thursday, February 20, from 2:30–4:30 p.m. for all ages (children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult).

Meeting Transcript

I've got a sweat on a t-shirt on my long jokes. Oh good, bro. No, are we about done? Do we even know? Oh, I know. Who do we need to get to be in the mouth? Yeah. Training for the clean house. I mean, it's like whole new. It was fun. Yeah. All right. First up. Roll call. Melanie Henderson. Present. John Pickett. I'm here. Brenda Sullivan. Present. Eric Fry. And I am here and will serve as chair. First up is the approval of the February 10th meeting minutes. I'll move to approve. Do we have a motion and a second second? I'm waiting for somebody else to do something. We have a motion and a second to approve the minutes. All in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed, same sign. Motion carries. All right. I see animal care. Do you have something that you're presenting? Okay, that comes later. All right. All right. So we will start with Robin Chavez. He's gonna talk about Maple Street. Morning, Robin. Good morning. Hopefully you can hear me. Try to talk up today. Um can you talk a little bit louder? Yes. Okay. Um I am coming to request a vacate condemn and legal action for 2313 Maple Street. Um the house is actually uh vacant, um, but it's only about a week vacant. But um it is not it is not fit to be linked in and should be condemned until they are able to do something with it, it should not be re-rented again.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com