Columbus City Council Meeting Summary - January 13, 2026
Columbus City Council Meeting Summary - January 13, 2026
This virtual meeting of the Columbus City Council convened amidst a historic snow emergency, featuring a prayer from Imam Horsat Noah, public safety updates, and the adoption of significant legislation regarding the city's budget, utility rates, and future growth strategy. The council acknowledged the city-wide level two emergency status, thanked emergency responders, and postponed several resolutions to the February 9th in-person meeting to allow for public participation and safety.
Consent Calendar
- Ordinance 2939-2025 and 2940-2025: Appropriated funds for city other funds and selected other funds (including debt service and tax incentive funds) for fiscal year 2026; Passed.
- Ordinance 0028-2026: Authorized a $1,400,000 appropriation from the debt retirement fund to the mobility subfund as a backstop for the Franklin County Convention Facility Authority; Passed.
- Ordinance 0234-2026: Authorized a contract with Greater Columbus Convention and Visitor Bureau (Experience Columbus) for $473,600 for destination marketing; Passed.
- Ordinance 3305-2025: Authorized a 10-year, 75% tax abatement for C5 Columbus SW Building 1, LLC, to invest $31,260,600 and create 48 jobs; Passed.
- Ordinance 3306-2025: Authorized a 10-year, 75% tax abatement for C5 Columbus SW Building 2, LLC, to invest $15,724,800 and create 25 jobs; Passed.
- Ordinance 3533-2025: Authorized $357,038 from the Federal Transportation Grant Fund for a "quick build" safety toolkit; Passed.
- Ordinance 0036-2026: Appropriated $3,312,787.59 for the Blossom Field Boulevard roadway improvement project in the Vision Zero high-injury network; Passed.
- Ordinance 0097-2026: Appropriated $8,250,000 from the municipal motor vehicle license tax fund for Public Service infrastructure; Passed.
- Ordinance 3467-2025: Authorized a $30,000 settlement for the lawsuit Ryan Pitts v. Emily Geyer et al.; Passed.
- Ordinance 0020-2026: Appropriated $4,921,832.27 from the Municipal Court special funds for anticipated expenses; Passed.
- Ordinance 0056-2026: Authorized $350,000 for the home roof replacement program, waiving competitive bidding to expedite repairs for naturally occurring affordable housing; Passed.
- Ordinance 0031-2026: Authorized $3,400,000 for the purchase of water treatment chemicals; Passed.
- Ordinance 0064-2026: Amended city code to pilot a summer recess shift from August to July for 2026; Passed.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Imam Horsat Noah (Abakar A Sadiq Islamic Center): Delivered an opening prayer asking for clarity in decision-making, compassion in leadership, and protection for vulnerable residents.
- Sarah Lewis (American Heart Association): Expressed strong support for Resolution 1X-2026, urging residents to recognize that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women and to seek medical attention for symptoms often dismissed in women.
- Max Dixon (Survivor & Board President, Columbus Fashion Council): Shared a personal testimony of nearly dying from congestive heart failure at age 39; emphasized the critical need for women to advocate for themselves when symptoms are ignored.
- Annalise Raka (Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund): Expressed full support for Resolution 0018X-2026, arguing that residents are unfairly asked to pay more for an unreliable energy system and urging a pause on further rate increases until 2027.
- Quasi Lowe (Co-founder, Columbus Stand Up): Explicitly framed Resolution 0018X-2026 as a moral imperative to resist an "exploitive monopoly," stating that the resolution must not just be a moratorium in spirit but a long-term commitment to holding the PUCO and AEP accountable.
- Carly Booz (Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio): Expressed support for the Columbus Growth Strategy, highlighting its ability to expand affordable housing through missing-middle policies and strip mall revitalization.
- Kathy Green (Columbus Southside Area Commission): Expressed support for the Columbus Growth Strategy, endorsing increased density on secondary corridors and the evolution of manufacturing parcels into mixed-use areas.
- Pat Hamill (Northland Community Council): Expressed support for the Columbus Growth Strategy, emphasizing the need for citywide land use policy to guide responsible development.
- Deborah Link (Columbus Northwest Resident): Expressed strong opposition to the Columbus Growth Strategy, stating that the proposed zoning changes lack a community mandate, pose a risk of displacement, and threaten 70 years of zoning protections.
Discussion Items
- Snow Emergency Response: Council President Harden and Councilmember Padilla detailed the historic snowstorm (10-14 inches), the lifting of the level three emergency, and the current level two status. Director James Young reported 98% service on Priority One arterials, 92% on collectors, and 24% on Priority Three residential streets, noting the ongoing difficulty of hauling snow in downtown.
- Rental Registry Hearings: Councilmember Bankston announced three upcoming budget hearings for 2026 and a third hearing on the proposed rental registry ordinance scheduled for February 19th, with virtual testimony options available.
- Budget Hearings: Announcements were made regarding virtual budget hearings for Public Safety (Jan 27), Public Utilities (Jan 28), and Neighborhoods/Recreation (Jan 29), subject to road conditions.
- Columbus Growth Strategy (Zoning): President Pro Tem Dorns Green provided a detailed presentation on the strategy adopted under the Columbus Zone In project. The presenter noted that over 19,000 changes were made to the land use map based on community feedback (65-75% support). The strategy aims to guide growth toward affordability, sustainability, and equity, transitioning from a 1950s zoning code to a modern framework.
- Utility Rates: Councilmember Weish led a discussion on rising electricity costs for AEP customers, with speakers highlighting the disparity between shareholder profits and consumer costs, and the disproportionate impact of data centers on residential rates.
Key Outcomes
- Passed Resolution 1X-2026: Designated February 6, 2026, as National Wear Red Day and February as American Heart Month, recognizing cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death for women.
- Passed Resolution 0018X-2026: Urged the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to implement no rate increases for AEP Ohio in 2026 and to extend disconnection protections.
- Passed Resolution 001X-2025 (Amended): Formally adopted the Columbus Growth Strategy as an amendment to the citywide planning policies (C2P3), establishing a new land use map and policy framework to guide future zoning (Zone In Phase 2) and capital planning.
- Passed Ordinances: All budget-related, economic development, public works, and settlement ordinances listed in the consent calendar and second reading sections were passed.
- Adjournment: The regular meeting was adjourned, followed immediately by the zoning committee meeting, which was also adjourned after passing two rezoning ordinances (0041, 0042) and a variance (0142).
- Postponements: Resolutions recognizing the 25th anniversary of Columbus Underground, Duane Casares (retirement), and Judge James Edward Green (retirement) were postponed to February 9, 2026. Resolution 0234-2026 was removed from the consent calendar for discussion before passage.
Meeting Transcript
Regular meeting number three will now come to order. May we have the playing of the national anthem? Councilmember Weiss, would you uh come off mute and lead us in the pledge? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and divisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Councilmember. This evening we were gonna have Imam Horset Noah from Abakar A Sadiq Islamic Center join us, and he is on now. And so with that, I'm gonna turn it over to Imam. Imam, thank you so much for being with us this evening. Um thank you. Uh let's pray. We gather today with gratitude for the opportunity to serve this community, all God, the source of our wisdom, justice, and mercy. We ask you to guide the leaders before us. Grant them clarity in decision making, fairness, in judgment, and compassion in leadership. Help them protect the dignity and the rights of every resident, especially those who feel unheard or vulnerable. Dear Lord bless this city in all its diversity and strengthen the bonds that unite us as neighbors and partners in the common good. May our actions be guided by concise, our words by respect, and our work by sincere desire to serve Amy. Amen. Thank you so much, Imam. Clerk, please call the role. Bankston, Barosa de Padilla, de Akaur Dorns Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Hardin. Any person who takes any action to obstruct or interfere with the conduct of tonight's meeting may be charged with disturbing a lawful meeting pursuant to Columbus City Code 2317.12. Any person who enters those areas of city council chambers reserved for city officials or invited guests may be charged with criminal trespass pursuance of Columbus City Code 2311. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Can I get a motion to smooth the reading of the journal? So move. Please call the role. Thanks, Tim Barosa de Padilla, de Akaward Dorns Green, Remy, Ross, Weiss, President Harden. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Are there any additions or corrections to the journal? Hearing none, the journal is approved. This week's communication received by a city clerk's office are listed on the agenda and will be published in the city bulletin. Are there any other uh communications we ran to the record? Not at this time. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Uh, before we go around the dais, I want to take a moment to recognize and thank our snow warriors and our frontline public service staff. They've been working long hours over time to keep our roads clear and our community safe. I'm sure uh our chair of public service who has been keeping the council members abreast of uh uh the situation over the last 48 hours will have more to say, but we're just grateful as a community for all those who have been stepping up, not just our staff, um, but also uh doctors and nurses, pharmacists and grocery store workers, uh, and the list truly goes on. Um we know right now from our city and county departments that uh we are now under a level two emergency, and many schools and offices remain closed, but our partners are stepping up. Coda remains free through tomorrow. Warming centers have been set up throughout the city, and shelter bids are open. Uh, so just thank you all. And thank the residents. Uh I want to thank you uh for um adhering and staying home yesterday, even driving down to City Hall today for this virtual meeting. Uh uh Arsenal warriors have done uh an amazing job, and I think that's because you were off the streets and gave them the space to do their work. So thank you so much. Uh and then it counts for our virtual meeting tonight. With that, I'm gonna uh go around the dias, the virtual dais, starting with Council Member Bankston. Thank you, uh Council President. Just a couple of announcements uh this evening. Uh as of today, council has three uh remaining hearings to hear presentations and deliberate on the city's 2026 operating budget.
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