Please stand for the playing of the national anthem.

This evening we're going to do something a little different.

We have a live version of the national anthem that will be sang by Rose and Ketche.

Rose, welcome.

Oh say can you see the light?

Who are suppridly at the twilight light last gleaming?

Whose broad slight um bright stars through the parts we're sucking streaming.

And the cat's the bombs ting through the night that our flight was steel there's the land of the free and the breath.

Rose, I hope you are free every Monday at five PM now going forward.

Councilmember wise would you lead us in the pledge?

And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

This evening I am so grateful to have one of my dear friends, Rabbi Alex Braver from Congregation's Toper Israel here to lead us in prayer.

Rabbi, welcome back to council.

Thank you.

In my tradition, in the Jewish tradition, we hope and pray that the work of our lawmakers and our leaders is in furtherance of Tsedek, which means justice in Hebrew.

In Hebrew, Tsedek can mean many things.

Sedaka, for example, from the same root commonly means charity, whether that's giving spare change or millions of dollars.

And it means that we give not only because we are moved to, or because it's a nice thing, but because it is tzedek, it is an obligation and part of what makes for a just and righteous society.

Justice is also something that we are commanded to pursue, as in the book of Deuteronomy, which says Tedek Tsedek Terdov, justice, justice shall you pursue.

It is emphatic.

We must actively pursue it and seek it out, not just hope that we stumble on to it.

It can feel like justice is always a few steps ahead of us.

And if we're not sprinting after it, and if we're not constantly in pursuit of it, and if it's not our relentless focus, then it will elude us.

At the same time, justice is also something that flows from God, something whose progress is inevitable.

It is God's vision for our world, a vision that we believe will eventually come to pass, no matter what obstacles stand in its way.

As the prophet almost declared in a verse that is famously quoted by Dr.

King.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who marched with Dr.

King and Selma spoke about this same verse saying righteousness is not a trickle.

It is God's power in the world, a torrent, an impetuous drive full of grandeur and majesty.

And so we pray Baruch Ohev Tedaka Mishpat.

Blessed is the source of blessing, and blessed is the one who loves righteousness and justice.

May you bless this gathering with your sense of tsetec of righteousness and justice.

Help those gathered here not just to seek out justice, but to pursue it and to chase after it and to not let it slip away as it so often does.

And at the same time, bless all those gathered here with the vision and the faith to see that God's justice is also a mighty stream and an inevitable force that will with time sweep away all obstacles.

Give those gathered here the strength to chase justice with all their strength and with all their heart and all their might, and to know that in the end, with your help and with our efforts, justice will always well up as a torrent of grandeur and majesty.

May it be God's will.

Amen.

Thank you so much, Rabbi.

Clerk, please call the role.

Banks Temperosa de Podia, de Akaur Dorns, Green, Remy, Ross, Weiss President Harden.

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 pursuant to Columbus City Code 2311.21.

Can I get a motion dispense with the reading of the journal?

Clerk, please call the role.

Banks Denver Rosa de Podia, de Aka or Dorns Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Hard.

Are there any additions or corrections to the journal?

Hearing none of the journals approved.

This week's communications received by the city clerk's office are listed on the agenda and we published in City Bulletin.

Are there any other messages to be communicated?

Not at this time.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

We'll go around the dais with uh updates and resolutions by my colleagues starting with Council Mr.

Banksman.

Uh thank you, uh President Harden.

I do have uh just one announcement this evening, just as a reminder on Wednesday, April 29th.

Uh, I uh will be holding a hearing uh to unveil and discuss the steering committee's recommendations on the establishment of the city's first participatory budgeting pilot.

Uh I am uh looking forward to sharing all the progress made on this initiative to date and how residents can engage in this process moving forward.

All speakers wishing to speak during the hearing in person must email uh Jonathan Brown and my office at JB Brown at Columbus.gov by 10 a.m.

the day of the hearing with the subject line participatory budgeting hearing.

Written testimony must also be received by 10 a.m.

on the day of the hearing and email to Jonathan Brown again at JB Brown at Columbus.gov.

The speaker will be limited to remarks lasting no longer than three minutes, and as of course I will be streamed on all of our uh channels uh for folks as well.

Really proud of the work uh that we've done so far around participatory budgeting.

This has been a resident-led effort behind the scenes, and uh the committee has done so much work, and so we will be revealing that guidebook on how it will help shape and guide us through this participatory budgeting process as we move through the year.

Uh so again, looking forward to having that discussion on Wednesday, April 29th.

Uh again, uh, that's all I have.

Thank you, sir.

Councilmember Rosa de Abadia.

Thank you, Council President.

First of all, good evening, everyone.

It's so good to see this council chamber full.

How many of you folks, is this your first time in Council Chambers?

Amazing.

Democracy is a beautiful thing.

I hope it's not your last, and I hope you continue to come back for the things that you care about.

So uh this week is traffic safety awareness week, and I think we have a little show and tell of a flyer, maybe perhaps yes.

So uh traffic safety week.

Uh, we partner with Columbus City Schools and Vision Zero, Vision Zero is the idea that one day we will have zero fatalities or serious injuries due to crashes on our roadways.

This week we're engaging students and staff in conversations about safe ways to travel to and from school throughout the week.

Students will participate in a variety of activities and programs focused on pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, and traffic awareness.

So this morning we kicked off uh traffic safety week at Hiltonia Middle School, where we put in a flashing beacon on West Mound Street.

We added a turn lane, some other things to curb uh speeding and other things along um West Mound Street.

So it was amazing to start off our week with um students at Hiltonia.

Um secondly, this week is also National Work Zone Awareness Week.

And really, uh, this is just a reminder that there's lots of construction happening along our roadways.

I know it's frustrating for us, but it's our friends and our neighbors who are working on those roadways.

So paying attention, locking in when you're driving to ensure that as folks are on the roads that we're thinking about their safety as well.

There have been opportun or there have been unfortunate incidences where some of our folks have been hit by cars or have been injured while they're working, uh, doing those really important infrastructure improvement projects along the roadways.

And then last but not least, uh this April is National Safe Digging Month in the city of Columbus.

So it's just this is a quick reminder to all residents.

You're gonna see this everywhere.

As the weather gets better, we want to work outside in our gardens.

We want to make home improvements.

So make sure that you're calling Ohio 811.

It's a simple free step.

It helps prevent injuries, protect property, and keep our families and neighborhoods safe.

Whether you're a contractor or homeowner planting a tree, working in your garden, uh calling 811 helps to keep our entire community safe.

Um so call, wait for utilities to be marked, and then dig with care.

Uh, Director Scacco, did is there anything I've missed?

Or is there anything that you would like to add?

Lots of lots of good safety reminders.

Good evening, President Harden, Chair Burst APDO, uh, members of council.

You hit you summarized it very well.

Traffic safety week, very important.

We need to be sure to be out there driving the speed limit, um, looking out for those kids walking home from school or to school or to biking or recs or going to the rec centers or the libraries, and just really um going out there and overall be safe driving.

And I just wanted to commend the department.

We were talking this morning.

There's 18 of our schools that are somewhere within the high injury network.

And so that crosswalk, while it seems like a little thing in terms of safety, it is a really big thing in terms of making sure that our kids, our families are able to safely cross the road.

So these flashing beacons are the big um crosswalks that flash.

I know folks are not used to them, but please, please, please make sure that you're paying attention.

It's gonna be a lesson for all of us to learn, and that's why uh traffic awareness week is so important.

I have two teenage drivers in my house now.

Um, so as we're thinking about them being on the road, training them early for the things that they need to watch out for to keep everyone safe is incredibly important.

So thank you for your work.

Um, this is more to come, especially as we think about safe walks to school and how we uh continue to keep our kids safe.

So that's all for me this evening.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Deyakaur.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, happy to announce that I will be hosting a second community meeting to discuss deer management in the city and provide further updates on our work and upcoming legislation.

This meeting will be held in Clintonville at Whetstone Library on Tuesday, May 5th from 5.30 to 6.30 p.m.

This meeting will be open to all, but attendees are encouraged to RSVP as space is limited.

Um, more information on how to RSVP will be announced on council's social media page soon.

And also the moving day walk in support of Parkinson's foundation is this Sunday, 10 a.m.

at Wolf Park.

It is free to participate in the walk and event info can be found on my socials.

That's all for me.

Thank you, Press Pro Tim.

Thank you, Council President.

I want to invite uh I do have one resolution.

I'm sorry, I should have said that first.

Uh, I wanted to invite uh David Babner uh to the podium as I introduce uh resolution number 0099x-2026 to recognize the 23rd uh annual How Health Capital City Half Marathon.

Um Half Marathon was founded right here in Columbus back in 2004.

And it's become a spring right of passage for many runners here in Columbus.

I'm excited to join near 11,000 uh of my fellow residents being out there this weekend running this race.

Uh this has uh grown into one of the largest and most recognized half marathons across the country.

Uh the this is the third straight year that the CAP City has been recognized as the second best um half marathon according to USA Today.

Uh and I don't know what's gonna take to move us up to one, but you know, we'll we'll go for that next year.

Um, but it's been a really great race.

And if if folks have participated in the past know uh what a great atmosphere is created by uh the the folks that put on this event, and certainly it's uh also served as just a great place for partnership.

Uh national organizations like Black Black Girls Run have used this event as a national meetup um for their members, and this year they're they're doing that as well.

Uh also it's very exciting.

This body uh is deeply invested in the Columbus Promise, um the city partnership to help provide uh free Columbus State tuition to uh Columbus City school students.

Uh the 5K is branded under that Columbus Part or that the Columbus Promise program to help raise money for that integral program.

Uh so wanted to again every year be able to acknowledge this great event that happens downtown uh and want to turn the the mic over to David to talk a little bit more about the importance of this race and sort of what's going on this year.

David.

Well, thank you very much.

Uh Council President Hardin, President Pro Temp Dorans, members of City Council, thank you so much for the recognition tonight.

My name is David Babner.

I'm the founder and race director of M3S Sports in the 23rd annual Ohio Health Capital City half marathon, quarter marathon.

And as Councilmember Doran said, the Columbus Promise 5K taking place this Saturday.

So we are we are in Cap City Week now.

Well, Saturday the 25th at 8 a.m.

We'll kick off 11,000 runners through our street.

I wanted to take just a few minutes tonight to thank you for your continued and unending support of our team and the event.

When we founded the event back in 2004, my hair was a lot darker, and our mission was to create the best celebration of the healthy active lifestyle and help make Columbus one of the best running and walking communities in the country.

This year, we can't wait to welcome the 11,000 participants to our remarkable city for an amazing tour of Columbus.

Everyone's invited, and everybody's included at Cap City.

Each year, the event continues to bring in millions of millions of dollars of economic impact, but more importantly, changes lives by engaging our community in the healthy active lifestyle.

We know we have the best city in the country, and for now, the third straight year, Cap City has been recognized as being one of the best half marathons in the country.

We could not do what we do without the tremendous city services in Columbus, who give us unwavering support.

The division of police and division of fire and all public safety.

I know Deputy Director Speak is here tonight.

Thank you for so much.

Uh Department of Public Service and Director Scaco and Recreation and Parks, uh, Director Reese, thank you so much for all your support and everything you do for us and our uh citizens and the community to be able to produce an event like this.

We understand the important programs you have developed and continue to develop, and we strive to support them.

Since Cap City was funded or since founded, we've supported the Capital Kids After School Program, the City Leaders Program, the Columbus Promise Program, and now starting this year, the Columbus Wreck and Park Foundation.

Now we have running groups and organizations coming to Cap City on an annual basis from all over the country, and this year for other countries.

Bringing hundreds of women from 27 different states around the country here to Columbus.

I hope many of you will join us on Friday, this Friday night for the National Black Girls Run welcoming reception as we celebrate women in endurance sports.

Women represent over 60% of the participants in Cap City, and at M3S Sports, we're excited to celebrate along with them and you.

Thank you, David.

And you beared the lead there.

Rose's husband is not just going to be participating, but I don't know what costume he'll be wearing this year.

I don't know if this is Superman or which Avenger.

I think he's not yes, Superman.

All right.

Man runs the entire half marathon in a superman costume.

I barely finished these events and let alone a man out there dressed as a superhero.

But I think it leans into this.

This is such a festive atmosphere and such a great race and really a showcase of the city.

It's really an opportunity for a lot of folks to have a lot of fun downtown.

And again, as you said, sort of really promote a healthy lifestyle.

And it's really accessible when you talk about uh there being a 5K, a quarter marathon, which is really unusual.

That's sort of a tough race to find out there, and then have that that half marathon option for folks as well.

If folks are interested in throwing on the running shoes, is there still spots available?

Absolutely.

Capital City Half Marathon.com.

We'd love to have them.

They can volunteer, participate.

We don't care how they participate, just participate.

Run, walk, volunteer.

We'd love to see them out or cheer.

It's amazing after on these 23 years how organic a lot of our chair groups can.

When you run and you've participated in the event a number of times, we'll from every one of the uh of the communities that we run through.

It's amazing how many people come out and share on the runners and runners and walkers.

So, yes, absolutely, Capital City Half Marathon.com with all the information.

Councilmare.

I just also wanted to share.

I'm so excited about um Black Girls Run being part, having such a big role this year in the marathon.

Um, quick fun fact in 1967, the first woman snuck into the Boston Marathon.

She actually registered under a name that could have been a male's name and ran the marathon.

That was 59 years ago this year.

So kind of crazy that within our lifetimes uh we did not believe that women could physically run a marathon, and now 60% of the women or 60% of our runners are women.

So uh just a fun fact to celebrate how far we have come and uh what this marathon means.

So thank you.

And M3F Sports produces 15 different events in Columbus.

We touch about 55,000 race registrations a year, and those numbers of 60 percent female hold true across all platform of events.

Thank you, Councilmember.

And again, last thing I'll say, I'm just really excited about that partnership with the Recreation Parks Foundation again to help raise money for you know our kids across Columbus to make sure that they're having access to youth sports and all the things that are so near and dear to the recreation park.

So just really excited to see that partnership come together.

Uh if there's no other comments, I uh would like to move for adoption.

Banks Timberosa DePadia, De Ach our Dorns Green, Remy Ross, wise president hard.

Thanks, Council Presidents all I have.

Thank you, Press Pro Tim.

Councilmember Green.

Councilmember Remy.

Thank you very much.

Council President.

There we go.

Um I just got two quick announcements.

I have um where are my notes right now?

I have uh short-term rental um hearing tomorrow afternoon here in chambers that will begin at 3 30.

If anybody has any um public testimony or would like to speak, please get in touch with my aide Pedro Mejia at Columbus.gov.

So PD Mejia at Columbus.gov.

That's P D M E J I A at Columbus.gov by noon tomorrow, and he will make sure that you are signed up.

Also, I'd like to uh remind people that um our annual cleanup for cleaner Columbus is um the fifth annual cleaner Columbus citywide cleanup will be on May 9th.

We hope to see you and your organizations there.

They will be um you can uh sign up at CleanerColumbus.org.

We will be working across the city on May 9th.

So please go to Cleaner Columbus.org to sign up.

Thank you very much, Council President.

That's all I have.

Councilmember Councilmember Ross.

Thank you, Council President.

We just had one resolution on the agenda, but I am going to request that we uh postpone resolution 00958-2026 to recognize and celebrate April S Fair Housing Month in Columbus.

We are still celebrating it, but we are going to wait to present said resolution until next Monday on the agenda.

So I would like to move to postpone.

Second Clark, please call the road.

Postponed.

Thank you.

That's it from the Councilmember White.

Thank you, Council President.

I have one announcement and one resolution resolution this evening.

Uh, first, I'm excited to share that our next act with us volunteer opportunity will be taking place this Saturday, April 25th from 10 a.m.

to 12 p.m.

in honor of Earth Month in partnership with a step in the right direction.

We'll be meeting at the corner of North Chase Ave and Steel Ave to clean up litter in the North Hilltop neighborhood.

All are welcome to join.

You can learn more in RSVP at Columbus.gov slash act with us.

Next, I would like to invite John Mick Namera, board president and Colin Simpson, uh board member of Green Columbus to the podium.

Um Green Columbus is a local sustainably focused nonprofit dedicated to increasing tree canopy coverage in Columbus and Central Ohio.

As they come forward, I want to introduce resolution 006 uh I'm sorry, 0096x-2026 to recognize and celebrate April as Earth Month and Wednesday, April 22nd as Earth Day in Columbus, Ohio.

Earth Month is an incredibly meaningful time for me.

It is an opportunity to advocate for our environment, champion sustainable policy and practices, and encourage individual and collective action to protect our planet.

Given decision at the federal level to roll back necessary climate protections, the role of local governments and communities to protect and advocate for our environment has become more important.

I've been lucky enough to spend a large part of this month out in community participating in litter cleanups, community garden work days, and tree plantings, and I'm incredibly moved by the dozens of community leaders and members that have spent time this month who are actively standing up for our environment and implementing sustainable practices in their own neighborhoods.

John and Colin, I want to thank you both for being here this evening to accept this resolution.

We are so grateful for the incredible work of Green Columbus and what they do for our community and for environmental advocacy.

Um, not only in honor of Earth Day and Earth Month, but all year long.

Thank you for the work you're doing to engage the community in facilitating massive volunteer efforts in increasing our city's tree canopy.

Before I move for adoption, would you like to share a few words?

If you don't mind, uh good evening, uh Council President Harden, Council members.

Uh, my name's John McNamara, and I have the privilege of serving as the board president for Green Columbus.

U thank you for this recognition and a special thank you to you, Councilmember Christopher Weish for your support and for helping highlight this work.

I'm truly grateful to be here representing the thousands of Central Ohio residents who are in our neighborhoods making a real difference this month.

Green Columbus is powered by dedicated volunteers, and together this community that we have grown shows up by planting thousands of trees, leading neighborhood cleanups, and creating healthier, more connected spaces across our city.

Since 2007, Green Columbus has helped plant over 300,000 trees.

And every fall we give away 3,000 free trees so residents can continue to that impact in their own backyards.

Trees that improve health, reduce utility bills, and grow the beauty of this city we love.

Each April, that community spirit comes to life through our Earth Month Volunteer Program, which has been recognized as the nation's largest volunteer-driven Earth Month effort.

This past year, more than 5,000 volunteers contributed over 22,000 hours over 170 work sites.

All of that work culminates at our Green Columbus Earth Day celebration, where we recognize and thank our volunteers while bringing the broader community together.

I'd like to invite all council members and staff to join us this Sunday, April 26th, at Soyota Autobahn Metro Park from 11 to 7.

This free community event will feature over 80 local vendors, live music, food trucks, educational demonstrations, and plenty of opportunities to get involved.

If anyone would like to get more involved, you can find more information at Greenseabus.org or follow us on our social media.

Thank you again for this recognition and supporting the people who are making Columbus a cleaner, greener, and stronger community.

Thank you.

Sadly, I was like 30 minutes late, and they had already planted how many trees in that short amount?

500 trees.

The Hispanic Coalition works fast.

It was impressive.

And it was impressive work to see all that done.

I got to get my photo up.

I did plant one.

So there is one tree that I have to go back and look at 10 years from now.

Um Councilmember.

Thank you so much for doing real things, real things out there planting trees.

Some folks talk.

You guys do year after year.

You deliver.

And so I appreciate that so much.

So thank you.

Thank you for all the work you do.

Thank you, Councilmember.

All right.

Anyone else thoughts?

Uh with that, I move for adoption.

Clark, please call the role.

Bang Stand Barosa Depodia, De Ach Howard Dorns Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Hard.

Adopt it.

Thank you, Councilmember.

I think it's my only announcement, but um, this is the first council meeting that we have had since uh Auditor Megan Kilgore has announced that she's taken an amazing, amazing um opportunity for her and her family.

And um, you know, I told her tow this to her privately uh earlier this week or last week that she had just about the largest of shoes to step into following Mr.

Dorian.

And not only did she fill those shoes out, she um stewarded our city in such an amazing and steady way for the last eight years.

Would you help me uh be the first in a public way to celebrate her and thank her for her leadership?

Now this is not the day where we go around the dais and cry and stuff.

That will come.

Um but I I would um want to uh offer the floor to uh Megan uh and then talk just about the application process uh after that.

Thank you.

President Hart and members of council, thank you.

Um you are right, my predecessor had pretty much won every single award available in this country.

But um the big one was that he had earned a medal from the Pope himself.

And so I knew going in it was very, very big shoes to fill.

Um, but I uh you know I believe very firmly that the right time to transition is when an office is at its peak.

And that is, I'm very proud to say, really where it is today.

And because um of the kind of magnitude of of how few auditors we've had, believe it or not, we've only had eight.

I'd like to share, if you um will allow me just a few uh reflections as you consider this appointment, which is which is of course yours.

The city auditor in many ways is the quiet backbone of a lot of things I say we kind of keep the lights on of our of our city.

Our office is responsible for managing billions of dollars, overseeing some of the most complex financial systems you can think of, and also maintaining the trust of external partners from Wall Street to Main Street.

And in many ways, our office, because of its scale, it really operates similar to that of a Fortune 500, but with the added twist of public accountability.

And the relationships that we have to maintain and the credibility, they're not abstract, and they're certainly not earned overnight.

They've been billed upon years and years, and it affects everything from our city's cost of borrowing.

Every single time we go out and issue uh you know a million-dollar project of bonds, every single point zero one percent that we can save means more dollars for council and the mayor to make decisions with that go directly to our neighborhoods and our residents.

And so Columbus is in this really incredible position that few cities in our country have the opportunity to occupy, and frankly, most envy, and that is we have the highest credit ratings possible.

We have an incredibly strong set of financial systems, and we have a nationally recognized modern, high performant office infrastructure.

And that really did not happen by accident.

It has taken a lot of technical expertise, a lot of knowledge as to the market, and certainly the broader geopolitical systems that every single day can influence what we have to do in our day's work.

It also very sincerely reflects the historical importance that I think council and the mayor and my colleagues across this city have placed on this office.

As I shared, there have only been eight auditors, but believe it or not, the three before me were all appointed by council because of their respective expertises.

It's a really, really interesting history.

But for those individuals who served for almost like 82 years, they all came from positions of national and state leadership.

And so, you know, as I I really request your support and participation as you think about who is next and who is going to be best to live lead the city, you know, forward.

I must also acknowledge that, like my predecessor, we probably didn't do a really good job of always making our work as visible as we could.

We didn't always show behind the scenes what all is being done.

I think it's sexy.

But I do respect deeply that not everyone else does.

Much of what we do happens behind the scenes.

It's complex, it's highly technical, and it doesn't always translate easily.

So I I just, but you know how deeply consequential it is.

So as you consider this appointment, I I took a step back and I thought about what are the factors that I think have historically mattered the most.

And they would be very quickly experience in public finance, capital markets, and debt issuance.

We are the face of Wall Street.

Established relationships with rating agencies, bondholders, folks who are going to be doing business and trying to help us finance things like our clean drinking water.

And very, very importantly, because the city currently holds the highest marks for management, an absolutely perfect score in our financial management.

I would really ask your consideration as you look at the candidates that'll come before you.

Anything that I can do to help you in this transition, anything that I can do to provide context to the role, what we do, I will be your partner this week, next week, whatever I can do to us help.

Thank you so much for caring, really.

There are a lot of people upstairs in the balcony who are really, really on pins and needles about the next steps, and um committed to doing what I can.

Council President, thank you.

I almost said don't leave.

Um council is accepting thank you, Megan.

Seriously, thank you for your leadership.

Thank you for your friendship.

Uh council is accepting applications to fill the upcoming vacancy in the office of the city auditor following uh Auditor Megan Kilgore's announcement that she will step down on May 4th, 2026.

Uh interested residents are encouraged to apply using the formal council's website.

Applications will be accepted through Thursday, April 23rd at 12 p.m.

And just to be clear, and this might even be a question for uh Mr.

Bias.

One of the reasons why this might seem like an extremely tight turnaround.

Uh it is because it is our understanding that charter says that uh we cannot be without a auditor.

And so when uh Auditor Kilgore told us uh the date she would like to leave, we are working our very best to make uh sure that in very short order we run an open and transparent process that will allow us to have an auditor in place so that you uh as you certainly have the right to do can um make your transition.

And so uh is that correct?

Is that our understanding?

Okay.

Well, thank you again, uhuditor Kilgore.

And like I said, there will be, I'm sure, many, well, not I'm sure, we will be a part of the many um recognitions and celebrations of your service to uh our community over uh the last um really decade or so, uh more than decade if you've been in this building.

So thank you.

Uh are there any other comments by elected officials?

Uh Treasurer, City Attorney's Office.

Are there any requests by members of council for the removal of an ordinance or resolution from the consent portion of the agenda?

Here, none, may we now have a motion to waive readings of the titles of 30-day legislation by the city clerk.

Clerk, please call the row.

Bank Stimper also DePodia, De Akaur Dorns, Green, Remy Ross, Vice President Harden.

Thank you.

Well, the clerk now read into the record the ordinance numbers of 30-day legislation on tonight's agenda for first reading.

Public Service and Transportation Committee, we have ordinance 924 and 1032-2026.

Neighborhoods recreation and parks committee.

We have ordinance 956-2026.

Housing, homelessness and building committee, ordinance 1059-2026.

Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee, Resolution 82X-2026, ordinances 673, 689, and 996-2026.

Zonings, we have ordinance 290, 1035, and 1136-2026.

Variances, we have ordinance 291, 1036, 1116, 1137, 1139, and 1143-2026.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

The following ordinance appear on our agenda as consent action with the clerk read those into the record.

Resolutions of expression 102x 92x 97x 98x 106x 107x 94x and 101x dash 2026.

And Finance and Governance Committee, we have ordinance 746, 1002, 1018, 1098, 1131-2026.

Health House, I'm sorry, Health Human Services and Equity Committee.

We have ordinance 1007, 1011, and 1014-2026.

Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee Ordinance 9017 and 978-2026.

Housing, Homelessness, and Building Committee, Ordinance 926, 990, 993, and 1101-2026.

Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee.

We have ordinance 878, 893, 992, 942, 992, 1013, and 1038-2026.

Appointments we have A32 and A80-2026.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Um any questions or comments on the consent portion of the agenda?

Hearing none, may we have a motion of approval of these items designated as consent.

Clerk, please call the row.

Thanks, Tim Barosa de Padilla, de Achower Dorns, Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Harden.

Consent agenda is passed.

Well now proceed with the second reading of 30-day postponed in emergency legislation.

However, we will go out of order this evening and start with ordinance 092 3-2026 and rules and policy.

I chair this committee, but I'll turn it over to Councilmember Bankston.

Councilmember, the floor is yours.

Uh thank you, uh, Council President.

Yes, on page 16 of our rules and policy committee.

Uh, I have tonight ordinance 0923-2026 to enact 4515 of the Columbus City Codes to create to create a rental uh to create a registry of residential rental properties.

Uh council members, uh, as you all know, over the last nine uh months, my office held a robust community engagement process to discuss the establishment of a city rental registry.

The purpose of this registry is to give the city a proactive data-driven tool to manage the health and safety of our housing stock and protect our most vulnerable.

Tonight I ask that you join me in taking this monumental step in ensuring that no matter your income or zip code that you can find and live in safe, healthy housing in the city.

The structure of the registry is simple.

Every residential rental property in Columbus must register annually and must share information such as a named local operator and emergency contact for property, uh, number of dwelling units, all parcel IDs associated with the property, and information on shared mechanical systems and shared spaces.

Every three years, our department of building and zoning services will conduct a free preventative education inspection of exterior common exteriors and common areas and shared systems if they exist.

Think of these again as check-ins meant to educate, identify concerns, and refer serious life safety issues to the appropriate agencies.

Properties with uh repeated code violations, unresolved safety orders, or public nuisance designations will be given conditional registration status that triggers mandatory common area inspections, inspections of up to 10% of units, required remediation plans, and daily occurring civil penalties until violations are addressed.

This is meant to address the worst of the worst problem properties uh and owners.

There is a fee, and the fee uh for the registry will be fifteen dollars a unit capped at $1,500 for a single property.

Now think about this.

That is the amounts to a dollar twenty a month per unit over the course of a year and even less if you have over a hundred units, thanks to the cap.

And I believe that that is a fair price for accountability.

Throughout our stakeholder engagement process, we received a lot of feedback both for for and against this proposal.

Opponents of this uh proposal cited concerns about costs over complications and duplications.

And let me be clear, as chair of the economic development small business committee, I heard and empathize with those concerns as our housing providers are small businesses in many cases.

They are part of the small business ecosystem.

And so throughout that process, we made many changes to the rental registry that you see today and heard their feedback in earnest.

In addition to all of that, we made sure to engage our partners in the Franklin County Auditor's Office throughout this process to ensure that this registry also made sense to them, given their ownership of the state mandated registry that is held at the county.

Before I go on, and I know we do have some speakers, I do want to have some clarifying uh questions here of both uh Director Messer and Director Stevens, because this was truly a partnership between building and zoning as well as our Department of Development.

Uh Director uh Messer, you know, we've heard folks uh claim that this registry is really duplicative and unnecessary.

Can you just speak to where the county auditor is on this proposal council member Councilmember Banks, then uh President Harden, other members of council, thank you for your uh partnership in first of all in creating uh this legislation and bringing it to where we are.

Uh it's been a pleasure to work with your office and the open and transparent uh process was um very well received, I think.

Um let me just say that in terms of the um county registration, it is a little different.

The county registration is um uh does not contain some of the same information that we're gonna be requiring in this uh registry, there's no inspection process, and largely uh it's it's a one-time uh voluntary registration.

Um but we heard the concerns of of folks that there would be duplication and registering with the county and with the city, and we have uh engaged with um uh auditor Stinziano's office, and we have a letter of intent that we've agreed to where we will share information and work to technology technology-wise to integrate the registries so that folks who register with one or the other, that information can be shared to try to cut down on the uh I guess administrative uh challenge or burden that applicants might uh have.

So um so, for example, if you have already registered with um the county auditor's office, a lot of that information may automatically populate in your registry with the city so that you wouldn't have to duplicate those efforts in entering all of that same information and vice versa.

Um, but to be clear, you would still be required to register with the City of Columbus under the new registry, uh, but that partnership with the county auditor would allow a lot of that data and information to automatically flow between the two entities.

Thank you for that, Director.

And then I think the other thing I just want to highlight uh uh here in this space again, when costs are introduced, I think there's natural uh pushback from folks that there's costs, I think, uh increasing uh everywhere around us, but it does cost to run this type of program.

Can you just talk about the philosophy around the $15 uh and the max uh and how those dollars will be utilized?

Sure, council member.

Um one thing that I'm not sure I might have missed in your remarks, but uh, you know, the original proposal uh actually uh thought about a fee of 40 dollars per unit, and we have significantly decreased that fee down to $15 per unit uh in light of some of the uh back and forth with uh various stakeholders.

Um but that $15 per unit is going to go to uh several different areas.

One um there is definitely technology that's involved in this.

Um our intention is to make this uh as easy as a process as possible, uh largely being online with the use of technology, folks being able to register uh very simply and easily and pay their fees directly online.

Um we have um other registries that this um uh registry will integrate with so that data sharing and information and mapping across the city uh will be very helpful and advantageous once we have the registry up and running.

So there is a cost to the technology side of implementing this.

There's also going to need to be some staffing, both on the administrative side as well as on the enforcement side and the inspection piece that you mentioned earlier, um, which will be free of charge to the um customer um comes at a cost to us as well.

And so we will be implementing um all three of those areas.

Thank you for that.

Uh and then uh I'm gonna go to our Department of Development.

Uh, Director Stevens, I know that uh you all are on the front lines of housing.

Can you just speak to how this data that we will now have, how will that help inform uh the city's housing strategy?

Good evening, President Hard and Chairbankston, members of council.

As you know, our housing strategy is to build more units, invest in the market, invest where the market does not preserve the naturally occurring affordability as well as include all residents.

So we will use this data from the rental registry to help our division of housing stability who are serving our residents every day and make sure that they are not being exploited by landlords and property owners.

Thank you, uh Director.

Uh and speaking of front lines, we do also have with us today, Michael Edwards from Legal Aid.

I'm going to ask him to come at this time.

There he is.

I saw people moving in the balcony.

I thought you were in the balcony, Michael.

I was about to say it's going to have to filibuster here until you get down here.

Council, actually, can I step in?

Um, we have room in 225 if anybody would like to go to 225 and sit down.

It is being live streamed in uh there as well.

It's just right outside the door, folks would like a seat.

Sorry, Councilmember.

Nope, no problem.

Thank you, Council President for that housekeeping.

Um again, I want to invite Michael uh just to give some remarks.

You know you are with legal aid and on the front lines for us enforcing uh our housing equity in the city.

So I'll turn it over to you, Michael.

Thank you, Councilman, and thank you to the council council of the whole.

Um thank you to the members of the city council for your leadership in advancing this rental registry ordinance.

Um this legislation reflects an important truth.

Columbus is no longer a small and mid-sized mineral market.

It functions like a major metropolitan housing system, and as such, it requires the appropriate tools to ensure accountability, transparency, and basic habitability.

To ground this in real terms, I want to briefly describe what this ordinance means on the ground.

Right now, my colleagues and I are working with tenants in a large rental rental property where conditions are simply unacceptable.

Non-working air conditioning and furnaces, structural issues, and deteriorating exterior conditions.

These are not isolated comp uh complaints, they are widespread, repeated, and ongoing.

When we try to identify the owner, we often find an only an LLC listed on the auditor's website.

There is no there is no human point of contact, no accountable decision maker.

So what happens next?

We gather tenant letters requesting repairs.

We represent tenants and rent escrow cases, and only when rent rent stops flowing does the true owner emerge, appearing in escrow court, and only then do the serious repair discussions begin.

That is the current system.

It is reactive, it is inefficient, and it places the burden on tenants, often low-income tenants, to force accountability through legal processes.

This ordinance begins to fix that by requiring clear ownership information and creating a structured registration system, it allows tenants, advocates, and the city to engage property owners earlier in the process before conditions deteriorate into crisis and before escort becomes the only visible tool.

The preventative education inspection program, which is part of this ordinance, is another strong step forward.

It shifts the system from reactive enforcement to proactive engagement, modeling other major cities by identifying problems earlier, informing owners of their obligations, and generating data that can reveal patterns of neglect that are currently invisible.

And importantly, the conditional registration status provision introduces real leverage for tenants.

When properties accumulate repeated code violations, they are flagged and subjected to increased scrutiny.

This is critical.

It means tenants by simply using existing tools, calling 311, requesting inspections can trigger consequences that owners cannot ignore.

That is meaningful shift in power.

They fear eviction, lease for non-renewal, or other forms of retaliation.

Continuing to explore stronger tenant protections and increasing enforcement of the city's current retaliation ordinance will help ensure that vulnerable and easy intimidated tenants will request repairs and call 311 if necessary instead of calling instead of silently enduring poor housing conditions in a state of fear.

Second, there is the question of enforcement pressure and discretion.

The conditional registration threshold is powerful, but it may also create unintended pressure on code enforcement officers.

When a single addition, when a single additional violation can place a property on the conditional registration list, there is a risk, whether real or perceived, that enforcement decisions become more cautious.

Ensuring that enforced that officers are fully supported and making objective, consistent determinations will reduce this risk.

Third, the small owner exemption opens the possibility of a loophole.

An owner with 10 or fewer units is not required to designate a local operator.

In practice, this can mean an out-of-state owner with no meaningful local presence or developer placing multiple small properties into separate LLCs can seek to avoid accountability altogether.

This could leave tenants trying to resolve serious conditions with someone hundreds or thousands of miles away, and can undermine one of the core goals of this ordinance, which is improving visibility.

In closing, I want to emphasize this.

This ordinance is a major step in the right direction.

Columbus is a major metropolitan city now, and we need visibility into the condition of rental housing to protect the safety of our residents.

This is not just about data, registration, or compliance systems.

It is about whether tenants can live in a safe, habitable, habitable housing without having to initiate legal action just to get basic repairs.

It is about whether accountability is proactive or only triggered by crisis, and it is about whether the city is willing to continue building on this foundation to close the gaps that experience will inevitably reveal.

This is a strong and necessary step forward that will help Columbus tenants.

On behalf of LASCO, we thank the council for the hard work that went into this legislation, and we appreciate the commitment to examining it and refining it over the coming years.

Thank you.

Thank you, Michael.

Thank you, Michael.

Thank you for legal aid and the work that you all are doing every single day in our communities, down at the eviction court.

It makes a real difference.

And I think you stole my thunder at the end, which is in this legislation, we have a review period where we will review this and continue to make sure that it evolves and works for our city because our city is evolving, and I appreciate you all being at uh there with us as we continue to look at this.

So thank you again.

Thank you, sir.

We also do have public speakers in support of this, so I'm going to call them at this time as well.

Uh, first is Jeff Covell, and followed by Miss Julianne Johnson, if they can come in that order.

And Mr.

Covell, welcome back to council.

Your name, or any organization you represent in.

You have three minutes.

President Harden, Council members.

My name is Jeff Covell.

I'm a Columbus resident, and I am a landlord.

I endorse this proposed rental registry.

I'd like to tell you why.

There are some professions that arouse negative feelings that may not generally be justified, but there are enough bad apples that negativity abounds.

Think used car salesmen and yes, landlords.

I'd like to be proud when I say I am a landlord.

This proposal eliminates some of the reasons why landlords are often looked at poorly.

The rental registry proposal is more than reasonable.

The fee is so low as to be laughable.

The requirement to identify the owner, to have local contact for emergencies and repairs.

Any property owner who resists this is not responsible and deserves closer scrutiny by the city.

Knowing who to call locally for problems and emergencies is just common sense.

Come on, other landlords, what are you afraid of?

Does this registry duplicate the county?

No.

The county registry is not enforced.

I had unregistered properties for years before I even knew the county registry existed.

No one called, no one contacted me.

One more reason for my support, my tenants.

My tenants provide me with income.

They deserve to be treated fairly.

On a business level, I deserve timely payment.

My tenants deserve clean, safe housing, and a local contact in order to report problems.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um thank you, Jeff.

And I know that you've been outspoken and uh been at this process every step of the way.

So thank you for your continued advocacy.

Uh next is Ms.

Julianne Johnson.

Thank you, Councilman Baxton, President Garden, and Council members.

I'm here on behalf of a Haitian uh immigrant family who I've been working with who um doesn't can't take the risk of coming forward.

So my name is Julianne Johnson.

I live on the east side of Columbus.

I'm a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church on James Road.

It's uh dear Scottwood and an active member of Brett.

I am here to speak in favor of the registry.

For the past year, our church has been helping Haitian immigrants that are in our community.

I have particularly been involved with a family with a couple with two children, one six years old and the other five months old.

They live an apartment complex that has four buildings of about 35 apartments each in on the east side of Columbus.

Although I'm retired now, my career was spent advocating for people with disabilities.

I get how systems work and don't work for people, especially those living on the margins.

I have interviewed for this family when they got an inviction notice, which when I researched it was based only on a late fee they didn't know about because their check didn't get to Cleveland when they turned it in at the local office.

I intervened when they got had no heat in early December when the baby was less than two weeks old.

I intervened one month that their rent had been stolen by an office staff person, and they were again charged.

The common areas of their building, which are not secured, are filthy and in ill repair.

People gather there with arguments, drinking, smoking, whatever, uh on very frequent occasions.

They have tried unsuccessfully to address their issues themselves, which is what they'd prefer to do.

It's not been successful without somebody else intervening.

So I go to the office now every two or three months, and frankly, use my privilege to get things they should be able to get for themselves.

This family takes real risks living day-to-day in this city as immigrants.

I urge you to pass this rental registry, give them and others another tool to handle the issues they face.

Thank you very much.

Ms.

Johnson, Ms.

Johnson, I know you probably couldn't hear me over the thunderous applause.

I think Councilmember Rosa DePD had a comment or a question for you.

I did.

I just um I just wanted to say thank you.

I wanted to say thank you because I think when you talk about people living on the margins, I think um language attainment is still a challenge.

You know, my parents came to this country in 1970 when there was no ESL, my sisters went to school and completely learned uh in English classrooms where they spoke 100% Spanish and people spoke 100% English.

You know, um, if it was not but for community members like yourself and other people who reached out and who were the spokesperson who could break down systems for them, who could translate things for them, that wouldn't have happened, and that's the work that you're doing.

That's the work that Brett is doing, and I think that that is part of the goal with this rental registry.

I think when we think about, I think oftentimes when we put policies into place, and sometimes when it feels like the people most affected are like, wait a minute, what is this gonna do for us?

They don't realize we're not talking about them if you're doing the right thing.

We are talking about the people who aren't doing the right thing, and there's too many of them that are not.

There's too many of them that are taking advantage of our families.

There's too many of them that when people are scared, scared and vulnerable, that they don't have someone who's showing up for them.

And so I appreciate you being that voice because I think that this is what is driving the growth in our city, and so continuous continuing to be a voice for those folks, continuing to be a voice for a community that can't always show up for themselves, can't always advocate for themselves, is incredibly um important, especially at this time.

So I think as we talk about, especially as we talk about tenants' rights, these community and not just Haitian, wherever you come from in the world, are some of the folks who are getting most taken advantage of.

And so I just want to thank you for bringing that perspective into the conversation because it is taking up care of everyone.

And if we take care of the people furthest from justice, then all boats will rise, and we ensure that everyone is just.

We ensure that a system is accessible to everyone.

So I just wanted to just say thank you for for being here tonight, and thank you for continuing to advocate for that family.

And you um are my neighbor, because I live right off of James Road.

And every time I go, I'm aware of how many other people don't have somebody to step in for them and how I can't do that.

But um but there are many people who don't have the privilege of having somebody that they've they've made a contact with that can do hundreds, a hundred percent, and they're not always here.

Yeah, and they don't know to come down here, and they don't know to be that voice.

And so for them too.

Yeah, so thank you.

Thank you, Bob.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh thank you again, Ms.

Julian.

And I also just want to shout out and thank uh Brett uh as well, the organization who has been working tirelessly uh on this and partnering with us.

Uh I especially want to thank them because I said early on that uh legislation is many times about compromise.

And when there were things in there that they uh didn't get they advocated for, they still stayed at the table, still leaned in, uh still helped us get to this and strengthen this.

And so I want to thank Bred uh and all their members uh for all the work they're doing.

I see some of the leadership here, so I just wanted to call that out and thank you.

Um before I move on to my final comments in passage, are there any questions or comments from my colleagues, either for speakers or for uh the administration?

I know that I think some of my colleagues, Councilman Ross.

Sure.

Thank you, um Chair Bankston.

I do have a question for the Department of Development within the division of housing stability.

What is your plan to address?

I think what uh our partners at legal aid very succinctly called uh the inability to be proactive if folks are not willing to engage code enforcement.

Um are you looking to do education?

Are you looking to um connect with communities and connect with residents and tenants in the community to let them know about this resource build rapport so they are feeling more comfortable calling code enforcement?

Um thank you, President Harden, Councilmember Ross, members of council.

Yeah, as we set up our division of housing stability, how we go out and engage with our residents is going to be critical to the success of that work.

So with our partners at legal aid, CSB, others, um uh the programs we develop and the and the outreach is gonna be an important aspect of that.

Do you anticipate the new administrator of the division to be kind of leading that charge?

Yes.

Councilman, Councilmember.

Just along those lines, I think I don't I I don't want to make any assumptions, but we are thinking about just what our next speaker, our last speaker talked about.

How are they culturally competent?

How are they bilingual?

How are we reaching out in those specific instances?

So when we can ensure that we can have those conversations with, because as we know, um, and I think you said it best, these are small business owners, and so they come from many different backgrounds.

So ensuring that's part of our thinking, yes.

Yes.

Any other questions or comments?

Councilmember Rumi.

Thank you very much, Chair.

I appreciate the work that you put into this.

Um I want to start by saying, you know, I understand exactly what this legislation is trying to do.

We all want to hold badly in Lords accountable, and I appreciate the work that has gone into getting this ordinance to a much better place.

I understand where my colleagues are coming from, but I have made my concerns known throughout that at the end of the day, I do not believe this version gets us all the way there.

So for me, it still places too much administrative burden on the overwhelming majority of responsible property owners who are doing the right thing in an effort to get at the small number who are not.

So I think we've made real progress.

I think this conversation has been valuable and ongoing.

And I think the goal is the right one, but I also think good intentions do not automatically make for good policy.

So tonight I'll be voting no, not because I oppose accountability, but because I believe we still need a more targeted approach that better focuses on bad actors without creating unnecessary burdens for everyone else.

Thank you, Chair.

Uh thank you, Councilmember Remy.

And I think there was something said uh with you both about this idea of predictability.

I just want to uh that folks that this is the first piece, there's going to be other pieces that come um down the line, particularly when we talk about the fee schedule.

Uh and so I know one of the things that I am want to be looking forward to and working with the department uh is around ensuring that that fee is frozen, if at least for the first three years as we go through this pilot uh to ensure some predictability, and so we will have those conversations as we get to that uh uh point because that fee is not here today and some other pieces.

Uh those are other subsequent pieces of legislation that will come down the line.

So thank you for your comments.

Council President.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um as we were going through this conversation, it it dawned on me that um both Chair Ross of the housing committee and myself as former chair of the housing uh homeless committee are also uh part of the uh renters caucus.

Uh we rent here in Columbus, and as I was listening to Mr.

Covell, I was thinking that's the kind of landlord that we all deserve.

That's the kind of landlord that we all deserve.

Um just want to thank you.

You know, I'm big on process, process matters.

I talk about it all the time.

Being inclusive, make sure you're listening to the folks who will support these things, but also the folks who will disagree with it, that we know what and and deeply understand um where they will be coming from in their disagreement, and you led a very thorough process, I believe.

Um, one that truthfully, and what is pretty cool about this piece of legislation, this actually wraps up our housing for all package that council member Sheila Favor now prosecutor Sheila Favor started three years ago.

Um, this is the very last piece that that was announced, and it was thoughtful.

It was thorough, it was this was hard because we were we I think and I've heard you say this, we see landlords essentially, especially the smaller ones, as small business owners.

And so we're not trying to penalize more, especially with the rising cost of tax uh uh property taxes to to penalize, but we are prioritizing accountability, and I think that uh you've done a good job of weaving those things together.

So just thank you for your leadership.

Um, this is government action.

I really do appreciate um on this night when we do have so many folks who are first time uh in council chambers that that you are seeing even disagreement, you're seeing um how this process um has gotten us here.

So thank you, thank you to all the community partners that weighed in, those who are supporting and those who may not be.

One of the things that Councilmember Bangston also, I think put into the legislation was this review period.

So we will have time to to make any adjustments that um folks may bring to us that we uh might may have missed.

So thank you for your leadership.

Uh thank you, uh president and councilmember Day Alcal.

Yeah, thank you.

Um I come from a family of realtors, so I have this conflicted feeling, and so I concur with my colleague um Councilmember Reamy, but I trust in your judgment and your commitment to the review and for making things better.

And so that is why I'll vote yes because of my trust in you to continue to make this um this registry better.

I thank you, Councilmember.

Um, and to Council President's point, this does round out housing for all.

But the word says that the last shall be first.

So therefore I'm I'm gonna take it that way.

Uh, but I do think that, and I did also didn't realize when I raised my hand for this one, this is be the most complex one.

Uh, but again, we wanted to get to a place where we were delivering something that we still think that could stand muster, uh, that could have teeth, uh, and that would be something that would work for uh Columbus, and I think that is what we have here today.

So again, um, as I wrap up, I want to uh thank uh everyone that testified, everyone that's participated through these three hearings.

Also, again, I want to thank our Department of Building and Zoning Services as well as our Department of Development for their partnership and putting this framework and legislation together.

I also want to thank the team uh behind the scenes.

I think that we none of this happens without a great team.

I think that effective leadership is not simply about the credentials or the person that is the principal, but it's about how you surround yourself with key folks who are experts in certain areas.

And so again, I want to thank uh my aide, JP Dorval, uh Jonathan Brown on my team, as well as Jessica Klinger in our council president's office and Katie Fallon on our legislative research office for all of the work that they have done uh behind the scenes to get us here.

Um and I want to thank them, thank them, thank them.

Uh, this proposal is not perfect, uh, and it is certainly not a silver bullet uh to solve our housing issues, but it is the right thing to do, and it is a right step in the right direction for our city.

Our city is evolving, and when I hear these stories of what is happening in so many properties, that shows us that as our city continues to grow, we have to check all of our systems.

And when they're broken, is not that we continue to allow that to happen.

It is our job uh to go and try to fix them to meet the needs of our residents today, and I will continue to do that.

Uh so with that, uh I will uh see no more the questions or comments from my colleagues.

I will move for passage.

Second by voice.

Bangston.

Yes.

Barroso De Padilla?

Yes.

De Akawa.

Yes.

Dorrence.

Yes.

Green.

Yes.

Remy.

No.

Ross.

Yes.

White.

Yes.

President Harden.

Yes, or Mrs.

Pass.

Thank you.

Council President, may I move to the Finance and Governance Committee?

Please.

Uh thank you.

First up in finance and governance, we have ordinance 0634-2026 to authorize the director of the Department of Finance and Management to enter into a contract for the option to purchase waste identification disposal and emergency spill response services with Buckeye M contracting LLC to weigh the competitive bidding requirements that the evaluation committee for the best value procurement be made up of an odd number of people and to authorize this expenditure.

Uh this ordinance establishes a universal term contract with Buckeye M Contracting LLC for the identification and cleanup and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste.

Three bids were received, and Buckeye M contracting receive the highest score.

Are there any questions or comments from my colleagues?

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Clerk, please call the role.

Banks Temperosa De Podia, De Aka or Dorans Green, Remy Ross Weiss President Hardin.

Passed.

And finally, in the Finance and Governance Committee, we have ordinance 0983-2026.

To uh this ordinance authorizes the director of the Department of Technology to enter into a contract with Vasque Computer Inc.

for Oracle Software Licenses, maintenance and support services to authorize the expenditure of $1,048,972 and 65 cents from the Department of Technology Information Services Operating Fund and to declare an emergency.

Oracle is the database engine behind multiple applications in the City of Columbus, such as Exella, the Columbus Utilities Building System, and the work and asset management system.

Two bids were received for Oracle Software Licenses, maintenance and support services in March of this year.

VASC Computer Inc.

was the lowest bidder to ensure no service interruption and the establishment uh and to establish a purchase order at the earliest possible date.

Emergency designation is being requested.

Are there any comments or questions from my colleagues?

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Bangs temperosa depadilla, day a coward dorance green, reamy Ross Weiss President Harden.

Passed.

Thank you, Council President.

May I move to the economic development committee?

Chair, if it's all right, I think I'm gonna uh call for recess.

And just to explain to folks who again who are not here uh often, uh by code, we have to uh recess and take the zoning meeting uh uh at 6 30 p.m.

Uh we only have three ordinance on the uh zoning in the zoning committee, so we uh anticipate this being uh very quick, and I think that a lot of folks here are part of a want to be part of the larger conversation that we're gonna have in your committee uh coming up.

So if you don't mind, is there a motion to recess for zoning?

So move.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Bangstamp, Barosa DePodilla, De Akaur Dorans Green, Remy Ross Weiss, President Harden.

We are in recess.

We will uh start zoning kind of promptly at 6:30-ish.

Order, clerk, please call the roll.

Bangston, Barosa DePodia, De Akawa Dorns Green, Remy, Ross, Weiss President Harden.

Can I get a motion to spend with the reading of the journal?

Clerk, please call the roll.

Bangston, Barosa De Padilla, De Akower Dorns Green, Remy, Ross, Weiss, President Harden.

Are there any additions or corrections to the journal?

Hear none.

The journal is approved.

We'll now go to the zoning committee.

Councilmember Dorans chairs that committee and all members serve one.

Councilmember the floor is yours.

Thank you, President Harden.

As always, before we begin tonight's zoning agenda, I'll briefly explain a rules speaking before council on rezoning and variances.

We will only hear a SAP presentation for ordinances that have a disapproval from a recommending body, or if we have a public speaker signed up to speak against an ordinance.

We permit three speakers on each side, uh three proponents, three opponents.

Uh we ask those speakers limit the remarks of three minutes for the standard rules of city council.

All speakers and council variants, including city staff, area commission, the applicants, and members of the public will be sworn in before they give testimony.

Representatives in the area commission are always able to speak on an ordinance and do not need to fill out a speaker slip, but we do ask you uh you alert city staff of your intention to speak at this committee hearing.

Uh this evening we do not have any public speakers signed up to speak on any piece of legislation in this committee.

On the advice to City Attorney's Office, I will now swear in city staff.

Please stand in, raise your right hand and be sworn in.

Do you swear affirm the testament you are about to give?

Shall be the truth, nothing but the truth as you shall answer under pain's a penalty of perjury.

If so, please say I do.

Thank you.

Please have the record reflect that Alyssa Saltzman from the Department of Building Zoning Services has been sworn in.

Uh first, uh, we only have council variances on our agenda here tonight.

And first, we have ordinance zero or I'm sorry, one zero zero six-2026 to grant advance provisions section 34E 20100A use table of the Columbus City Codes.

The property located at 3616 East Broad Street to allow for accessory uh outdoor storage in the CAC community activity district.

Site consists of one parcel developed with a big box retailer, and the applicant requested accessory storage uses uh including a trailer in conjunction with the retail business at that property.

I council variants required because storage uses are not allowed in that zoning district.

Additionally, the requested uh variants will facilitate an updated final site plan compliance to respond to an active zoning code violation.

Um the proposal is approved from city staff and the Mid East Area Commission.

Do my colleagues in the questions or comments?

Seeing none I first moved to accept the entire staff report into evidence as an exhibit.

Clerk please call the roll.

Banks Timber Rosa de Podia De Akawa Dorns Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Hardin.

Accept it.

Thank you.

Next move to adopt the finance of staff of the finance of council.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Banks Timber Rosa de Padilla, De Akawa Dorans Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Harding.

Adopt it.

Thank you.

Uh I move to amend this middle clerk.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Banks Temper Rosa De Padilla, De Akawa Dorans Green, Remy, Ross, Weiss President Harden.

Amend it.

Thank you.

I now move for passage as amended.

Clerk, please call the row.

Banks Temper Rosa de Padilla, De Akaward Dorans Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Hardin.

Passed.

Thank you.

Next we have ordinance one zero three three-2026 grant advanced provisions of section 3353.03 permitted uses.02 permitted uses and 3361.03 development plan and 3361.04B performance criteria.

The Columbus City Codes are properly located at 747400 Huntington Park Drive to allow a residential treatment facility with reduced development standards in the CPD commercial plan development district.

Site consists of one parcel, developed an existing residential treatment facility.

The request of council variants will legitimize that existing use.

See none, I move to accept the entire staff report into evidence as an exhibit.

Clerk, please call the row.

Banks Timber Rosa de Podia de Akaur Dorans Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Hard.

Accept it.

Thank you.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Banks Temper Rosa de Padilla de Achar Dorans Green, Remy, Ross, Weiss President Harden.

Adopted.

Thank you.

And finally move for passage.

Clerk, please call the row.

Banks Temper Rosa de Padilla Day Akaur Dorrance Green.

Remy Ross, Weiss President Hardin.

Passed.

Thank you.

And next we have ordinance 1034-2026 to grant advanced provisions of section 333, 2.037, R2F residential district, 3312.49 C require parking 333.14 R2F area district requirements 3332.19 fronting, 3332.21 building lines, 3332.25 AB, required side yards, 3332.27 rear yard, and 3332.28 obstructions in required side yard.

The Columbus City Coast are properly located at 358 East Deshlar Avenue to allow residential development with reduced development standards in the R2F residential district.

Site consists of four parcels, lots A, B, C, and D.

Lots A and C are undeveloped.

Lot B is developed with a two-unit dwelling proposed to be demolished.

And lot D is developed with a four-unit dwelling.

The requested council variants will allow two uh allow a new two unit dwelling on lots A, B, and C, and will conform the existing four unit dwelling on lot D.

A council variance is required because the current zoning district allows only one single or or one two unit dwelling per lot, but does not allow for a four-unit dwelling.

Development standards uh variances for e for each lot are also included in this request.

Proposal is approved from the city staff and the Columbus South Side Area Commission.

Do I make colleagues in question or comments?

See none, I move to accept the staff report into evidence as an exhibit.

Clerk, please call the row.

Banks Timber Rosa de Padilla de Akaur Dorns Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Hardin.

Accept it.

Thank you.

Next move to adopt the five staff, the finance of council.

Clerk please call the roll.

Banks Temper Rosa de Padilla de Akaur Dorans Green.

Remy Ross Weiss President Harding.

Adopt it.

Thank you.

And finally move for passage.

Clerk, please call the row.

Banks temper Rosa de Padilla de Akawa Dorans Green.

Remy Ross Weitch President Harden.

Passed.

And Council Presidents, all we have is tonight's zoning agenda.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

Clark, please call the role.

Banks temper Rosa DePodia de Aka or Dorans Green.

Meeting is adjourned.

I'm also going to do a little bit more house cleaning or cleanup now.

I'm going to get first in the economic development and small minor business committee.

We have ordinance 0636-2026 to amend the 2025 capital improvement budget to appropriate funds within the AC Humpco 2 TIFF Fund, Harrison West Recreation Park Fund, Wagner Road TIFF Fund, and Wagner Road TIFF Capital Fund to transfer funds between the Wagner Road TIFF Fund and Wagner Road TIFF Capital Fund to transfer funds respectively within the Development Taxable Bond Fund, AC Humco 2 TIF Fund, Harrison West Recreation Parks Fund, Wagner Road TIFF Capital Fund, and Rocky Fork TIFF Capital Fund to authorize the director of the Department of Development to enter into a contribution agreement and restrictive covenant for the public parking spaces, public infrastructure improvements, and public art and placemaking improvements associated with the Greenhouse Gravity Project to authorize the expenditure of two million dollars from the Development Taxable Bond Fund, AC Humco 2 TIFF Fund, Harrison West Recreation and Park Fund, Wagner Road TIFF Capital Fund, and Rocky Fork TIFF Capital Fund to the Gravity Project 3 Holdings LLC for the cost of public parking spaces, public infrastructure improvements, and public art and placemaking improvements, including those incurred prior to the purchase order pursuant to the aforesaid contribution agreement with the Gravity Project Three Holdings LLC.

Despite the incredibly long title, this ordinance is quite simple.

It is to appropriate funds for the second of two capital contributions in support of phase three of the gravity development in Franklin.

This third phase of the gravity project will provide 50 public parking spaces, uh public infrastructure improvements, public art, placemaking, and 32 affordable residential units at or below 80 percent of the area median income.

This uh the city approve uh the first of this capital contribution on November 20th of 2023, and this is the second of those uh payments uh per the agreement.

Are there any questions or comments from my colleagues?

Seeing that I move for passage.

Clerk, please call the role.

Thanks, Timber Rosa De Padilla, De Aka or Dorns Green, Remy Ross Weiss President Hardin.

Passed.

And lastly, we have ordinance 1112-2026 to authorize the director of the department of development to enter into a development agreement with the County of Franklin, Ohio, Confluence Community Authority and the NWSL Columbus LLC, together with one or more to be identified affiliates, NUCO to finance and develop certain uh facilities required by the National Women's Soccer League necessary to secure a franchise for Columbus and to deliver certain community benefits, commit benefits, commitments from NUCO, all in the all in furtherance of important improvements to community assets and Columbus's position as a national leader in women's sports to authorize the director of the department of development and or recreation and parks director to enter into any leases with the Confluence Community Authority contemplated by the development agreement for the NWSL teams training facility to waive the provisions of Chapter 328 of Columbus City Codes to authorize the director of the Department of Development to execute a contribution agreement with the Confluence Community Authority for the City's capital contributions towards the training facility and modifications to the stadium as contemplated in development agreement and to authorize the director of the Department of Development and or Recreation and Parks Director to consent and file such consent with the city clerk and to add property of the training facility to the new community district of the Confluence Community Authority per Ohio Revised Code Chapter 349.

This ordinance uh yet another incredibly long title, but relates to the city's attempt to attract a national women's soccer league team.

As a recap, uh the deal is built around a 2% surcharge on ticketed games and events at Scott's Miracle Grow Field to raise $25 million for the construction of a training facility and improvements to Scott's Miracle Grove Field Stadium.

The city will front the contribution, but it will be repaid by user fees generated by stadium activity, including future women's soccer matches to fund the expansion.

After the debt is repaid, the city can continue the two percent surcharge in perpetuity as another revenue source to fund priorities like human services, housing, and youth programming.

Uh I know we have several speakers on this, and I do know that uh led by Council President Hardiner is an amendment, but Council President Is there comments before we get to our speakers?

Sure.

So th thank you, uh Chair Bankston.

Um I want to thank the residents and neighbors, community advocates and families.

Um I was going to say from Southwest Columbus, but the truth is, well, I was gonna say the entire city of Columbus.

There are some things that actually break through.

Some conversations that we have in this building that pierce into the psyche of uh all of our residents.

So there I really cannot bel I cannot remember a time uh where another piece of legislation that we were considering where I would get stopped at the grocery store as much as I have on this piece of legislation.

So I understand and appreciate everybody weighing in.

Um, as you all know, council was first briefed on the mayor's National Women's Soccer League proposal in February.

Essentially, the mayor provided financial and land commitments to the ownership group that council had not signed off on.

And for the last month, we've been having a very public debate about this.

A majority of my colleagues, including myself opposed the idea of a $25 million handout to the ownership.

Instead, we renegotiated for a user fee on tickets at Scott's Miracle Grove Stadium to fund that commitment.

We made it work for taxpayers, but now we have to make it work for neighbors.

So now we're talking about the lease of McCoy Park to build that site.

Many people in here know that I grew up on the South Side, and this actual McCoy Park is a park that my nephew plays at just last season was playing at McCoy Park, and it's essentially a grassy field uh right now.

And when council members first learned of this part of the deal, we were not told that a different plan for McCoy Park had been promised to the neighborhood and set aside.

I first learned about that at our April 6th hearing when neighborhood leaders told us that they were expecting a groundbreaking on the site.

And this is what really is crazy it's not just a park, but something that is designed specifically for children with differently abled needs and families in an undeserved, underserved part of our city.

And it wasn't just an idea that by November the city had been provided with technical plans from a consultant for designs, that they were presented to the community as a project that was moving forward.

So for months, a public park was being advanced while at the same time it was being negotiated away.

And neither council nor the community was given this full picture.

That's a breakdown in process that has resulted in a breakdown in trust.

And I want to be clear.

And I don't want us to miss out on it.

But how you do things matter.

Process matters, and honoring commitments to neighborhoods, especially underserved neighborhoods, it matters.

And that's why council is stepping in again now to fix another part of the deal that we did not create to make it more responsible and more responsive to the community.

So I want to talk about what the amendment would do.

First, if we get the team, then the administration has to form a working group within 15 days and submit a plan to council within 60 days for where else and how we can build the park that was promised, and to break ground on that same timeline that the neighbors were expecting.

I have some ideas in mind, I know my colleagues do as well, but what we are not going to do today is announce those because we're not going to leave the neighborhood out of this process again.

So the Southwest Area Commission will be at the table in the working group to help make that decision.

It will include meaningful public engagement in that process, so residents are not just informed but actively are shaping the outcome.

Secondly, I personally negotiated that the ownership group will donate an additional $3 million towards this new park, this new and future park in the Southwest Columbus.

This plus other resources the city had been budgeting should be full enough to fully fund phase one of the park that was planned.

Third, there will be some public and community access to portions of the training complex.

Recreation and parks, and our community will be able to utilize some soccer fields and facilities at the training facility.

And finally, we're going to link real concrete plans for the park to the funding for the team.

Or other words, if there are no plans for the park, if there are no sites presented, then there will be no money.

And this is spelled out in the legislation.

Our goal is to motivate the administration to move as fast to deliver for neighbors as they did for these companies.

And I want to be honest.

I'm looking at Ms.

Liz out there.

This is not the outcome that the Southwest residents were originally promised.

And we have to be honest about that.

But I feel a real responsibility now to make sure that what comes next is done right, and that the community ultimately receives the kind of park investment they were led to expect.

Council is working to chart a path forward in muddy waters.

But real leadership is about clarity, accountability, and centering community engagement.

Because none of this had to happen.

The mayor didn't have to offer up this site.

Or if he was going to, his team could have been working since October on an alternative plan with the neighborhood.

But this the but the first time the mayor's team engaged the neighborhood was last Thursday.

Four days ago.

That's absurd.

This is what makes people cynical about public-private partnerships about the Columbus way.

Yes, it is good and necessary for to for the business community and government to work together, to solve problems, to shoot for the stars, sure.

But it is not acceptable when the community gets cut out of the deal.

So I'm proud that this debate has taken place in public at hearings and at council meetings, not behind closed doors where only the wealthy and the well-connected can have a say.

Um what was promised to neighbors.

I understand that this is a moment where no one trusts institutions, no one trusts government.

That's why we move this process into the public.

That's why this frustration that I'm sharing, I'm not feigning.

This is not a political stunt.

The easiest political thing for me to do would have been to vote this thing down.

Okay, well, I'm talking.

My responsibility at the end of the day is to make sure it to ensure that the people of the Southwest side of Columbus have a park that is funded, and that folks who are going to advance this will also pay for it.

That is what this amendment does.

Mr.

Chair, I'll turn it back over to you.

Thank you, uh, President Harden.

Um we like as you say, we have several speakers on this, and so we do want to have more dialogue, I'm sure, to come.

Um it is council's rules that we take the first three speakers, uh, both for or against uh ordinance.

I do want to and we take those in order they came in, so there I do want to acknowledge that there were uh more speakers that signed up than three, and we will make sure that we acknowledge them.

Uh first up uh to speak is Ms.

Liz Reed, followed by DJ Burns, and then followed by Kelsey Gray.

Chair Reed, welcome back to council.

Uh, you have three minutes.

Good evening, President Hardin and esteemed members of council.

I'm Liz Reed.

I'm the voice of the Southwest Area Commission to Save McCoy Park.

Today you are faced with a decision.

Voting yes gives away a public park to billionaires.

Voting no saves McCoy Park.

Your no vote supports families.

Families just like I'm sorry, families just like Amanda and Iris.

ISIS.

ISIS, thank you.

I just met them this evening.

The administration put you in this tough place.

They did not communicate with anyone other than the owner's group that before making this deal.

They also did not speak with the National Women's Soccer League, who announced in January of 2025, they see no reason not to expand to 30 teams.

The mayor's team was reckless.

This is not our last shot at a team.

Now that the mayor's now the mayor's office is asking you to hastily sign off on a bad deal.

No amendment can materialize land in the right location for the park.

Ask designers.

It is impossible to take a city plan from McCoy Park and just plop it somewhere else.

Even if this is fast tracked, the children who now have a park, who now have a park with promised improvements will be adults before the park is replaced.

The amendments changes nothing.

You can't vote, you cannot fix broken legs with a bandage.

Vote yes means you take away from children with disabilities and families who are disenfranchised.

You take away an inclusive back playground, you rob children of a splash pad.

There will be no exclusive pickleball or basketball courts, no community buildings, no walking or rolling paths, no short shelters, no picnic tables.

If you vote yes, you support the mayor's dealings to steal from the very people you are here to protect.

But you, you have the power to save this park.

Vote no.

Stand up for your most vulnerable residents.

We'll get another chance at a team.

Next time the decision calls upon you to get past the politics of this deal to see the real impact on our community.

With your no vote, you have the opportunity to show Columbus who you are, what you stand for, and to restore public trust.

Vote no on ordinance 1112-2026.

Vote no.

Can I ask a question?

Chair Reid.

Chair Reed, I think there's a question for you.

Chair Reed, I have a question.

If the amendment is approved and the process moves forward, as it is laid out, do you feel it is reasonable uh to have the in-co in the ordinance?

Uh uh that mandates that this working group has the resources and gets to uh facilitate all of those things that you just said it won't have.

Do you think that that is a is that is that the appropriate place to have that conversation?

And does that give you any solace that we have we are legislating that that has to happen with a specific timeline, including keeping the groundbreaking date that you were promised?

So I looked at the legislation.

So all the timelines don't even start until all this is negotiated all the way through from my reading or my understanding of the amendment.

How long will that take?

So we're talking months, weeks before that's done, and then the 60 day start.

So then you start the 60 days, and then you start identifying, and then you need land or property or wherever that's going to be, then you need some public comment or conversation about that.

Then if it's something you need to purchase, then you need to legislate that.

That takes time.

Um it takes time to bring things to council, it takes time to have public comment.

You can't just purchase things when you work for a city because of the auditor office, make sure that we have due diligence in all of our prop processes.

Um so it takes time to do all that.

So then once you get all of that done, then what you're talking about next is a design plan.

That design plan took a year in the making, but we already had some additional things coming into that.

We own the land, there was a lot of things.

It takes time.

You can't just take all that work that was done and just plop it somebody where else.

I've I've talked to designers on this, it just can't happen.

That work will need to be redone, and it'll be need to be redone for whichever property or land that is located to make that happen.

That will take more time.

So then after that, then you've got to work, you've got to get the legislation to make sure that you can start paying for the work to get done.

Um, so it just the funding then also is not aligned with when the purchases might need to take place because we're not getting the the money through this agreement.

Paid in full until not paid in full until 2029.

And I I'm not a developer, I don't know how much it costs for land, but I can't imagine knowing that just a small little house sometimes can cost three million dollars.

I can't imagine what property when you're talking about 30 acres might cost.

I mean, not my house, trust me.

Um, but um it's it it costs money to do that.

Um, and that upfront money, I don't, you know, are we taking from what we had already planned in terms of the money and towards start digging that was supposed to happen this year to make that happen?

Where's that coming from?

You had the tightest budget.

My understanding you had one of the tightest budget years this year.

I I just as much as we want to legislate this to fix it, I just don't think we can.

Oh, that's fair.

Well, I want to start you the right first thing that you brought up was a good point.

We haven't the amendment that we would pull this working group together 15 days after we win the team.

The reason we said that was if we don't get the team, you know, then but to your point though, I think that the the community deserves a table, regardless if we get this team or not, uh, because uh trust was broken and trust has to be rebuilt around a table.

Um I I won't ask for that to be an amendment in this piece of legislation, but I I am looking at Director Reese and I have a line of questions for Director Reese, regardless.

Uh it is council's expectation that if in 15 days we start pulling together all of these partners anyways, uh, regardless.

Secondly, you made a point that was a really good point.

Uh you're a former city employee, you know the speed of government.

But as I said in my statement, we saw the speed of public-private partnerships.

This thing didn't exist six months ago.

And if six months the public and private sector could come up and put together a whole site plan and do all of this stuff.

In this legislation, I'm holding the government and our private partners accountable that they too should move at the same pace that they did for these companies.

And so I I a hundred percent uh understand and see.

I'm just um trying to do my best to be on it to be open and transparent about a process and hold folks accountable because the process, what was given to you was a broken promise from the administration.

Now this would be our promise.

This would be council's promise, and I'd be damned if I let that down.

We you okay, I'll I'll stop.

So I just want to so the reason so McCoy Park has been a sticking point.

Um the owner's group does not want to give it up.

There's a reason, and I can't speak for them, but there's at least one reason that I'm aware of that they would not want to give it up.

It's because it's already there, it's already purchased.

The city owns it.

It's easy to just, it's you know, a flat piece of land where you can just make it happen.

So to try to the reason they don't want to give it up is because it takes more work to try to find another piece of land that can do that same thing that has those same that same functionality.

It takes time to then purchase it.

It takes time to then once you purchase it, start doing the surveying, start doing the all the other work that needs to go into a plan.

Um, so they want us to delay, as opposed to the team to delay.

So in doing that, they're taking away a city park.

And it will take us longer than it will than it took them to make this happen because we don't have identified land that will make this work.

Thank you.

I'm not chair.

Yes, Joe Matthias, please.

Councilmember Green.

Thank you, Chair Bankston.

And um, thank you, Chair Reed.

Um, I just wanted to get a sense of based on your knowledge of you know, kind of the community in the surrounding area.

Um, so not only is it going to take time uh to acquire new land to build the park that was promised, but this current parcel is already being used continuously.

I've talked to many people who have sports teams that play there.

Um so for the next two years, while if this plan were to move forward in its current form, um, while they the park is closed off to the public and they're constructing this training facility, and we're also in the process of trying to find a new park to replace it and then build the rec center and all the things that were agreed to over this next two years when that parcel is off the table while all of that is in process.

Where will the kids in your community go for recreation?

They don't have a place.

That's that's the problem.

Um this is one of the most um disadvantaged areas in the city of Columbus, so much so that they have the lowest life expectancy in the state.

Um they don't grow, they don't become seniors, you know, they don't become as old as I do on average.

Yeah.

Um so to take this parcel and not consider other places and take just a little bit more time to find the right spot for this team so we can make a proposal that we can all come around and support because we love women's soccer.

Yeah, we love soccer and we love women's sports, and you combine those together.

Columbus supports that, and I just who should be waiting for the right piece of land, who gets disadvantaged, and in the meantime, if it is given away, you have disadvantaged people who can have no park, they can't walk their dog, they can't, they'll have no place to do those things, and that's not just for the time.

If we can't find another piece of land somewhere close by, then they don't have a place ever for that.

It's not just temporary.

So um, I mean, another example of that is what happened with the ex with the um the historical crew stadium.

So there was a lot of promises made by the city saying that we would find something near, you know, we try to redevelop this, and when that couldn't happen, they worked on different things, trying to find something that would work.

Well, the Kilborn Sports Kilburn Bruns Sports Center is an amazing complex.

Like it's amazing, but just a 17-minute drive from the neighborhood that was impacted by that decision.

And that's what I'm afraid will happen here, that the land just won't show up and it won't happen, and we can't make it happen, and then as time goes on, we forget how important this is.

So, what I'm so what I'm hearing you say is that not only is this an issue of us walking away from this beautiful complex that was planned to be built in your neighborhood in phases, so you would still have access to the to the amenities of the park right now.

Yes, but also with the loss of this park, there is no alternative to serve the community until a new site is found.

Correct.

Thank you.

Um thank you, and I know that there will be um more.

I know that there will be uh more questions, uh, Ms.

Reed, so stick around just in case folks have questions.

I do have one I'm gonna probably toss a director Reese uh really quickly, or maybe even you chair can speak to this.

No, the current park as it sits is really more utilized, I think for sporting activities, Little Lake Football and soccer, from my understanding.

The park that was to be developed, all those fields go away.

So did we have a phasing plan of where those teams go to play?

I'm not sure how they play, but the the park design itself shrinks the number of fields.

So do we account for where that volume of people go?

Is what my question is.

So, Chair Bankston, um currently the teams that play at McCoy, a lot of them are busted.

Um they're bust in from different community centers.

Um, our staff drive those buses, they participate, they go home.

Got it.

Um, we had already planned to do games at Keelborne.

This is prior to any knowledge of anything.

We had already planned to move those games over to Gilborne.

Okay, thank you for that clarity.

I just wanted to make sure.

Um thank you, thank you, Miss Reid.

Again, I'm sure you'll stick around.

So if there's questions, we'll call you back up if folks have Mr.

Reed.

Um DJ Burns is next, followed by uh Kelsey Gray.

My name's DJ Burns.

I run the Brewster.

The wages for my past sins are having to spend time fraternizing with the worst people alive at our Republican Jerry Mandard State House.

It's debilitating to my mentals to watch gangs of surly rural grandfathers storm into rooms and stomp on our most vulnerable citizens while they reward the corporate interests and ultra-wealthy donors that control them.

But you know, I just realized in this entire deal, at least when they're pissing on my face, they're not throwing around words like equity and opportunity because we expect this from the Republican Party.

And hell, I expect this from our beautiful mayor.

But we should never expect it nor accept it from so-called progressive leaders of the Democratic Party.

The NWSL to Columbus plan, even with this new amendment, it's not good enough.

And I applaud you guys for shaking some pennies out of a billionaire crook like Jimmy Haslam, but it falls short when I look up to the suburban wasteland of Brook Park, who's shaking them down for 25 million to cover the infrastructure costs of their cyber truck of a stadium that they're building in their city.

And this is the mighty Columbus.

And we're going home with three million dollars.

It's not good enough.

And this idea that it's got to move quickly, is another lie being told.

There is no deadline.

These people want 30 teams in their league.

Are we gonna do this right?

Or are we gonna snap our fingers for the almighty public-private partnership and guys like Jimmy Haslam and the and Vivek Ramaswamy, who they're holding a fundraiser for, literally 72 hours from now, a stones throw over your river.

This city will never reach its potential until we beat the junta at the state level.

I'm up there every day.

And this city is never going to beat that junta if we continue to do things the Columbus way, if we continue to hand out to these corporations to snap our fingers for AEP nationwide, and these CEO crooks who are unaccountable because last I checked, we elected you guys to shepherd economic prosperity.

We elected you guys to act as checks on this corporate greed that is now gonna screw over disabled people.

So don't piss on my face and call it opportunity.

I get enough of that at the state house.

And if we're gonna ever change, if we're ever gonna like be the city that we want to be, then have some decency.

I believe in the decency of all you people.

I'm not comparing you Republicans, although you're acting like them.

I believe in the decency of you people, but if this is the way we're gonna go, if this is the path we're gonna go down, then maybe just maybe I go out, I get a thousand signatures, and I throw my hat into the ring for the mayoral race and show you guys what an honest the God campaign for the people and the streets looks like.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you.

Um Kelsey Gray.

Welcome back to council.

Uh you have three minutes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm a teacher in Columbus City Schools, and I live in District 7.

And last week, my students used this piece of legislation as a case study.

They use public record to analyze both sides of the argument.

Sixty-one of them engaged civilly with you by writing you letters.

I'm here to read nine of them, and I made you copies for each and every member of your own to take home and read on your own time.

I'm gonna read the first one in total and then abridge the rest.

Dear Councilmember Shannon Harden, my name is Manasseh, and I'm a 16-year-old boy, and I attend independence high school.

I am writing to you to let you know that I think that the people of Franklin deserve that park they got promised.

The people of Franklin are already struggling due to the highways and pollution, also not having a lot of green areas.

So this park could really help the people.

There is no way that the people of Franklin should have an 18-year life expectancy less than the rest of the city.

And also, there is no reason to be giving money to the ones that have an abundant amount as it is.

I hope you read this letter and take it into consideration.

I hope you have a great rest of your day.

He wrote to you because you are his representative.

Dear Columbus City Council, my name is Osmara, and I'm a senior in high school.

I think you should keep your word and build this park.

I grew up in a small town called Poughkeepsie, New York.

When we were on summer break, we would stay home with our while our parents would work.

The time my mom would come home after work, she would take us to one of the few parks we had.

When I tell you guys it was probably the best time of my life, we would run and play at the playground.

That's all kids want.

Kids need a park near home.

This will leave a mark in a kid's life, and they'll have in their memories for the rest of their lives.

I'm sure a women's soccer facility can be built anytime, but a kid's memory cannot be replaced.

Dear Columbus City Council, my name is Terrell and I go to Independence High School.

I feel like y'all should build the park.

You already promised it to the people.

That should be the end of the story.

The park will bring the kids together and give them something to do.

In Delaware, Ohio, there's a park called Migo.

I will move there just for the park.

Reason is it would keep me out of trouble or from just doing dumb kid things.

Dear Columbus City School, sorry, dear Columbus City Council.

I'm against giving billionaires money to build something.

Giving them more money is like pouring water into the ocean.

Dear Columbus City Council, my name is Alison, and I want to start off by saying please don't be dumb.

You guys are adults and now have the chance to do big things for our community.

So while you do it, please make adult choices.

Spend the money on the people that make the money.

Dear Columbus City Council, my name is Stormy.

I'm a student at Independence High School.

I don't think, but I know that giving 50 million to billionaires to build a facility that will have little to no benefit to our community is absurd.

The money that is supposed to be to use to uplift our community is being used in the wrong way.

Dear council member, my name is David.

I go to Independence High School.

I would like for you to vote against Columbus City, Columbus City building the stadium.

The location already doesn't have enough greenery.

To take the last bit would be cruel to the community.

Columbus City has already promised the community a better park with more greenery and activities.

They should keep their promise.

Lying not only ruins the city's trust and reliability, but it just sets a reputation in general.

Dear Columbus City Council, my name is David, and I vote for the City Council to keep their word and build the new park for the neighborhood because the Haslums already have enough money.

Why give more money to a billionaire when there's homeless people out there struggling without shelter?

Another reason is when food stamps were shut down last year, many people were mad, and they still are actually, because they were expecting to get the food stamps and they still haven't got them.

No one gets food stamps, and my mom doesn't get them either, and she's just out there struggling.

So you could use that money to give food stamps to people who need it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Also wanted to again say that we had um our rule is that we had three speakers against something, three speakers for, but we did have more speakers to sign him, so I do want to acknowledge that Jennifer Creighton and also Joe Motill signed up to speak against.

Thank you again, Miss Gray.

Now we will hear from uh speakers uh who are proponents.

Uh first up is and I apologize if I get this wrong, Gaya Castatli or Cassett.

There you go.

Thank you.

Welcome to council coming up to the podium.

Please correct my pronunciation, and you have three minutes.

Good evening.

Good evening.

First, I want to say thank you to City Council President Hardin and City Council members for the opportunity to speak to you all today.

My name is Gaia Kisatley.

Very close.

I grew up right here in Columbus, Ohio, Northside Columbus, and I currently live in King Lincoln.

My family and I immigrated here a very long time ago, and we chose to lay our roots here in Columbus to find our sense of belonging here in Columbus.

And I believe one of the best ways we were able to do that was through sports.

My siblings and I played sports in school for the rec centers, in our neighborhoods, with our friends and strangers who would become our friends.

In fact, I continue to play sports on an adult rec team, not professional at all, for all the same reasons today.

You might have seen my young daughter with me earlier, Maya.

And if you didn't see her, you definitely heard her.

As a mother now, raising a daughter in the same city, I start to truly truly value and think about the environment that she's growing up in.

I'm an attorney and I'm a law firm owner.

I want her to have women in law to look up to, women in tech, and women in leadership positions.

And I believe that Columbus does a wonderful job of that already.

I can speak from experience because I have some of the best mentors right here in Columbus.

But I want her to have something else that I did not have, which is women in sports.

And let me clarify.

Bringing a National Women's Soccer League team to Columbus again is never about just sports.

It's about representation, about community, and about giving young girls and young boys something powerful to believe in.

Look, Columbus has already proven that we're a city that shows shows up.

We show up in support of our teams, we invest in our future, we lead in innovation.

I mean, even artificial intelligence, we're not afraid to compete against power houses in Silicon Valley.

So I ask, why not lead in this too?

Why not be the city that sets the standard for all sports, including women's sports?

I'm an attorney.

I believe in justice as well.

And I believe that this amendment is a sufficient way to achieve justice in light of the circumstances.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any questions?

Thank you for your testimony.

Um next, we will have Mark Wise, followed by Doug Wolf.

President Harden and members of council, my name is Mark Wise, and I am the owner of the Columbus Eagles FC.

We are currently the highest level soccer, women's soccer in Columbus.

Maybe a very well kept secret that that's just because we're small.

I had two daughters that I raised, and they ended up being athletes.

And for a guy my age, I remember growing up in a time when women didn't play sports without getting made fun of.

So somewhere along the way, I fell in love with women's sports through my daughters.

And my youngest daughter asked me to be a soccer coach.

And from that, it turned into 30 years of being a women's soccer coach, uh, 19 years of a high school soccer coach, and a real love for the women's national team.

And when they were in the uh World Cup in 1999, I experienced 70,000 people watching women play soccer, and it was crazy.

It was crazy for me.

But I look forward to having professional women's soccer in Columbus so I could come watch.

And the first go-around they had, they didn't even think about Columbus.

Three years later, they failed.

Three years after that, they came with a second league.

And I said, Of course they'll come to Columbus.

Columbus is where it's it's at.

You have to know how many women are playing soccer in Columbus, how many girls are playing soccer in Columbus?

How many uh uh ladies that we send to Division I, Division II, Division III schools from Columbus.

And I said, I need to be able to watch it in Columbus.

Second time, they said no.

Third time, NWSL came around, and I said, certainly they'll come into Columbus that time.

Didn't happen.

Went to my went to my uh uh coach's uh clinic at some point, I was complaining.

They said, Mark, you need to do something.

I said, I don't have the money to do something.

But in 2013, I put down six thousand dollars to start the Columbus Eagles.

The objective was to help uh develop women's soccer in Columbus so that we could have at some point a professional uh club in in town.

There's just so many benefits, and I I don't have the time to list them all, so many benefits for these young ladies who used to go to the the crew uh clinics and see all the boys saying, hey, I could be a professional one day.

And the little girl said, Well, what's in it for me?

And there wasn't anything, and I wanted to help make that happen.

Now it isn't my it isn't me.

I wasn't able to make it happen, but we do have some people who are willing to make that happen today, and I fully support what they're trying to do because it's gonna benefit women, and that's what I've been about.

Thank you for your time tonight.

Thank you.

Um, for your testimony.

Thank you, Gilbert.

Uh uh last speaker is Doug Wolf.

Doug, welcome to council, and you have three minutes.

Thank you.

Uh Council President Harden, uh, members of council, thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening.

I'm Doug Wolf, President and CEO of Adaptive Sports Connection.

First, thank you for your continued investment in adaptive sports and in people with disabilities across our great city.

At Adaptive Sports Connections, we work every day with individuals with disabilities and their families to provide access to recreation and sport.

For many of the families we serve, that does not happen automatically.

It happens because someone chooses to create opportunity.

Invest in inclusion and build the support and community that make participation possible.

At ASC, I work alongside Q Haynes.

Q's is a 2023 USA amputee soccer world cup silver medalist.

I've seen what it takes to overcome barriers and excel in adaptive sport.

I've seen a father discover he could play alongside his son with autism through adaptive recreation.

I've seen a 95-year-old veteran with vision impairment smile like a child skiing for the first time.

Those moments stay with you because they show you what becomes possible when access is real.

And this is why I'm here tonight.

I believe bringing a national women's soccer league team to Columbus and the proposed development at McCoy Park can expand access and opportunity for people with disabilities.

We have already seen what this can look like.

Through the Columbus crew, we have seen a real investment in access for people with disabilities and others who've been too often left out.

Thanks to investments made by the crew.

Columbus is home to GOAT, the greater Ohio amputee soccer team.

Blind soccer and goal ball programming have expanded.

And direct investments have also been made to organizations like Adaptive Sports Connection that provide adaptive recreational opportunities beyond soccer, supporting well-rounded opportunities for adaptive sports and recreation in the City of Columbus.

In my previous role at Boys and Girls Club to Central Ohio, I saw the same kind of investment open doors for young people who may not have otherwise had access to these kinds of experiences.

So when I think about what an NWSL team could mean for Columbus, I think more about access, more opportunity, more moments of belonging and more people in this community.

The potential loss of public land matters.

The promise of inclusive space matters.

Access in this community should not be diminished.

From my perspective, this is the standard.

This project should expand access, not reduce it.

And I believe it can.

Thank you.

Thank you, Doug.

And again, just wanted to acknowledge that there were other speakers.

Again, we only take three, four, and three against, but want to just acknowledge that Lori uh Walker and Vanessa Savage also signed up to speak in favor.

I'm going to move into some uh questioning.

I know that there's probably other questions from my colleagues.

Uh I just want to start off with uh Director Stevens.

Uh Director, I think one of the big things we have heard and I think continue to hurt is this idea of the urgency uh of the bid and uh uh that council can reject this deal uh and submit a new bid uh at a future site.

Can you just speak to uh the knowledge that you have of kind of the timeline why this expansion opportunity is the most advantageous and critical?

Yeah, thank you.

Uh President Harden, Chair Banks, and members of council.

It's really important to remember that the ownership group is putting together a bid to get an expansion NWSL franchise to make that bid as attractive as possible to the league.

We've engaged with the ownership group to show that public-private partnership component of it.

We know when we the mayor first met with the commissioner of the NWSL, they were considering two expansion league teams in the league.

They have announced one in Atlanta.

So we know at the current time they are considering another expansion team for the immediate future, and they're that's the bid that was put together, and that's this deal is a component of that bid to show the um support around the community to attract this team.

So we know time is of the essence because the league is looking to add a second team that will start in the 2028 season.

So they need to get to a decision point in the near future.

So whoever, whatever community is awarded the team, can start the process to put a team in place to meet the timeline of a 2028 season.

Uh, thank you for that, Director.

And I think you said there that the mayor did have a conversation with the commissioner to NWSL.

Uh, but also want to clarify that you know, we're the city is not looking to buy the team, right?

This is about a package uh that we have put forth to uh the NWS sale for the bid.

Is that the best way to frame this?

And I also want to say this too.

I think I I believe that we're in a good position, uh, but we don't know yet if in fact we would win the team.

So, Chair Bankston, the franchise is being pursued by a private ownership group.

There's a 300-plus million dollar capital investment required to secure a expansion franchise.

The city's component of this is a um investment, shared investment in the training facility as part of the public-private partnership.

So really um we're a component of the overall deal that is being pursued by the ownership group and working with the um the league.

Thank you for that.

And then just one question for um uh director reason that I want to, of course, open up to my colleagues.

Uh Director, I think uh around this idea and what makes this difficult for even me, uh, and I think I've been supportive from the very beginning uh was the this revelation about McCoy Park and what it was to be used for, right?

Adaptive uh uses.

Can you talk about how is this this is expanding, right?

Adaptive use facilities that we have.

We have other adaptive use facilities around the city, and um we're committed to that.

Can you just talk to where those facilities exist, what that commitment looks like uh as a city?

Chair Bankston, um our therapeutic program, when we talk about adaptive sports, um, we actually have the SB adaptive sports complex.

Um last week we just held a regional uh bacchi tournament.

And so uh that's one facility during our summer, we hold a therapeutic camp at three locations.

Um, and so when you talk about what would take place uh at McCoy Park, uh it would have been just a number of fields, soccer fields, um, not just soccer fields, but basketball, pickleball.

Um, but I want to just say one thing, and that is our core priority in our department has always been to serve the community.

Um we have not stopped doing that and will not stop.

It's our priority to make sure that the Southwest community has a park.

We are in talks, working with people.

We are out looking at properties.

Um our team was out this weekend looking at things, and there are park or I would say land in the area that we possibly could look at.

And that does not exclude McCoy, but it gives us an opportunity to say that yes, we will keep our promise to that community.

Um that is really really important to us.

Uh we held community meetings to make sure that that planning was put together.

I hear you, President Harden, when you say joining a group with the planning of the community, that is something we can do.

It's something we did do, and it's something that we will continue to do.

And so I don't want council to think that this is something that we will sit on.

We will move swiftly, we will move rapidly to ensure that that community has a park.

And and director, to that point, I think I heard you just say uh identifying sites, and I know that's underway, uh, but more importantly, I think some of those amenities specific to uh adaptive use, is that we were still all do you believe that there's sites that would accommodate those things?

In particular, I think uh what I heard even I think from last week from some of my colleagues, that it's not just simply about the sports piece of it, it's the other components, right?

The playground and the splash pad and these other amenities that would accommodate uh that community.

Uh is that something that is feasible with you know just a bird's eye view of what we have found on that side of town.

I do believe so.

Um we have something we're looking at that uh the acreage, it would fit within that plan.

Um, yes, Liz Reed is right.

Um, would we have to go to go back to design?

Yes.

Um does that take long.

We're already starting this process.

So we're not just sitting around.

We're trying to move as rapidly as we can.

Um and so, but we also want to make sure that the community is evolved.

And one thing that we said is until the team has been formed, um, we have to wait because we want the feedback of the community.

Yeah.

Uh thank you for that.

Uh, any of my comments.

I'm gonna just keep that line of questioning going.

Joe Mattil.

Okay, well, then sign up and say something.

We're right now I'm speaking and trying to get a park for this folks of the Southwest Columbus.

I think Director Reese.

Yes.

So we council um we've been hearing conflicting information about the park that council members are first briefed on this deal in February.

We were told that there was never any funding for the concept, but then the dispatch reported on a very detailed uh design plan that was produced in November, a month after this uh was offered to the NWSL site.

And then neighborhood informed us that they were expecting a groundbreaking in 2026.

My question is what is true here?

What was the timeline for how much funding is available to build the therapeutic recreation park at McCoy?

And where I'm going with this, I think it is building off of uh Councilman Bankson's line of questioning, trying to understand what is actually available, what we can afford, and what this additional three million dollars can do to help move this process along in an expedited way.

Um President Harden, when we started design, we did start design, but we also stopped the design.

Once we found out there was a plan going for McCoy, we stopped the design.

So there are there is a balance of about 450,000 dollars left.

Um when you talk about the budget for construction, um, that budget for construction is in our regular annual um CIP budget, which would be six million.

Um with that six million, we were about two million short.

And so we were trying to look at where do we get those two million from to complete the project?

Um, and that would come this year, that six million.

So we heard from Ms.

Liz or Chair Reed um regarding the 15 days of after us getting the team and the 60 days for us to have a plan.

Uh I I I think I mean I think I had that conversation with with Chair Reed before the the pushback I would have to well, we had to wait till we get the team is we we're we're already working from behind now.

Can you tell me with full faith how you would move this thing forward in an expedited manner?

I am making a promise.

Matter of fact, we are legislating specifically timelines that are more aggressive than anything that we have have have moved uh before.

How will you make that happen if I vote for this?

President Harden, um the the good thing about it is the specifications for um the courts, the fields, that doesn't change.

And so it does mean that um when we're looking at land, we're what we find um to find something that uh is clear as possible that we could go in rapidly.

Um it has to be legislated before our commission before it comes to council.

Um we're already speaking about what does that look like even in May?

Um can it's can it be done to our commission?

Because it has to go to our commission first.

Um so we're already starting to look at the possibilities of how do we move, how do we make things still take place this year as far as a groundbreaking?

Thank you.

Yeah, and just the I want to put a final point on that, um, director, and that's where I'm when you said the specifications of the splash pad and the courts and what have you.

That's the specifications to build that for adaptive use.

Right.

The site plan that we've picked that that may change, but the specifications of what was designed for that use, those are done, and that's what will help this move with speed.

Is that how I'm hearing when you say specifications?

That is correct.

And so it's just um a wider plan, it's wider uh area playing area, um, even the playground would be a wider plan area.

That's for wheelchair accessibility, um, and ensuring that it's an inclusive uh play area for all individuals.

Thank you.

Other other members?

Uh council member green.

Thank you so much, Chair.

Um Director Reese, uh can you help me understand?

So I I think you said that the or we understand that the design for the park was released to the community in November.

Um, but you said that you stopped designing the park when you uh as you said when you learned there was another plan going on for the park.

And so I guess I'm just trying to understand at what point exactly did Wreckin Parks stop doing design for the park, and at what point maybe did you um have an idea that there was another plan going on for the park?

So towards the end of the years when we stopped the and there's several types of drawings.

Um what we haven't completed is the construction drawing.

And so when we talk about that plan, that's that construction plan, um, but it was towards the end of the year.

Don't recall exactly, but I knew it was towards end of year.

Okay.

Um Director Stevens question for you.

Um, what conversations were happening internally um, you know, between maybe your team and the mayor and director Reese about if this project were to move forward what we would do in response to support the community?

When did you guys start talking about finding a replacement site or um the need to move on something like that?

Um thank you, Councilmember Green.

I know with my colleague Director Reese on the potential opportunity and the potential location.

We talked through some of the challenges around how do we um move forward with the some of the programming that's already been identified down there and how how do we solve that and and find other locations to still deliver on that.

Um it was I I think there was a little of a chicken and egg conversation on how far out in front to get when there is still a lot of work to be done, whether or not we could even get a deal where the community um that public-private partnership could come in place that could be part of the bid, and then there's still the um final piece of actually securing uh or win or having the ownership group win the bid for the franchise.

So uh I'd say fourth quarter of 25, we were having those conversations, and I know in the first quarter of 26 um the development of rec and park teams were having conversations on where do we start thinking and looking to identify uh l additional land for park space.

Thanks.

Councilmember um Biacko.

Thank you, Councilmember Bingston.

I'm sure no one's surprised that I'm still angry about this.

Thank you.

I am angry that we're even considering that we give public parks to billionaires.

I'm angry that the administration worked secretly for months on a deal.

Heck, I share Rick and Parks, and I heard nothing about this.

We should working secretly on a bill on a deal that gives billionaires what they want while requiring an underserved community to make a huge sacrifice and give up their green space and a new park that was going to break ground this year.

I'm angry that this deal was dumped on council in February, and we're the ones trying to fix it.

That's unconscionable.

I commend my colleagues for their efforts to ensure that taxpayers aren't funding this and the community eventually gets something out of it.

My vote is not about their efforts.

I'm furious about the administration's attitude that the Southwest community shouldn't mind giving up their new community park that would also serve the disabled because the NWSL deal is so great for other people.

Bottom line, under served communities should not have to be the ones making the sacrifice so billionaires can take a public park.

Instead of giving away a public park and telling an underserved community to wait because eventually they'll get something else.

The administration should have told the billionaires to pay their own way.

Uh thank you, Councilmember.

And just want to uh think say that it's real and not only your passion for this, but your passion for recreation and parks in that department uh and how you lead.

Uh I will say too uh that again, as someone who was supportive of this when learning about the park.

Um I too was extremely frustrated uh and angry by it.

But I definitely I think I went into solution mode immediately and started looking at sites and working with our real estate division.

So again, I want to thank uh this body and my colleagues again for leaning in on this amendment uh that we got to today and trying to at least I think come to a win-win where we can deliver a part and do both in this moment.

But again, thank you for uh your continued leadership and Agnes Gitzie around recreation park because it is very, very real.

It's very, very real.

Uh any other questions of the administration or folks before we before I petition move for a passage.

I'm just now we will have time for comments beforehand, but I'll give comments, but I just I have a question.

Uh at what point was the community going to be notified about this?

Was there ever was there ever a plan?

So it sounds like it would allow it.

I'll start.

Um in the process in working through this deal, you know, our intent was to finalize the the deal that we worked on with the ownership group, brief council, and then take it out to the community.

So the the timeline of make sure we had a a deal in place of what we were putting forward that could be captured in the ownership's group bid, and then it's it's the engagement after the briefing.

So we started with city council in February and moving forward from there.

Do you think that's a little backwards?

So, council member, um it without having a deal in place, briefing council or the community on something that wasn't didn't didn't exist, was it real at the time?

It was that was the challenge from from my perspective.

So, you know, that was directories.

The park wasn't the the park wasn't concrete, but we were still dealing with the community.

It sounds like for up to seven years we were prior to.

So at what point were you gonna tell a community that you were working with for seven years that this was no longer on the table and that this park had been offered up for something else?

And like were you allowed to?

Like what so normally our process is to sit, talk to the community and find out what is it that we can do?

Um what is it that they want, what are we looking for?

How do we work together?

Um when the plan came, um we still don't know, and there's nothing concrete.

And so that's why this is even more difficult because when you talk about McCoy, um, I hear people saying that it's it's it's nothing, but we don't know.

We don't know what is there.

What we do know is we're gonna work with the community, we're gonna work with the ownership, and there may be something at McCoy and it may not, but we already have some things in place to move forward, but it's still meeting with the community, and that's when and if the team is selected for the city of Columbus.

And at that point in time, we will do community meetings to ensure that the involvement of the community is priority.

Thank you.

Councilmember White.

Sorry, just a quick follow-up, right?

Because obviously at some point in time we stopped the planning on this park.

Is it even possible that we were actually gonna hit that timeline for groundbreaking given that we would have to do some additional designs from stopping starting?

Um we would have hit the groundbreaking.

Um we stopped of the actual park.

So the first phase, the groundbreaking of the first phase, which was stopped end of a year.

Yeah.

What was in what was involved in the first phase?

So everything outside of the building is involved in phase one, and the building is phase two.

But again, and would we have still hit the timeline that the community assumed we were gonna get if you stopped planning in November?

Correct.

We would have.

You would have.

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you, Director.

I have a follow-up to what council member Ross asked you because you guys, we talk about notifying the public.

When were you gonna notify us?

You you didn't no one let us know this was an issue until this community came to us to tell us that all this work had been done and promises had been made.

So when were you gonna tell us outside of the public, outside of the public bringing it to us?

Um council member, I appreciate that question, and I will um accept full responsibility.

My inability to communicate kind of what was in place and how it was discussed with the community.

That is on me, and um, it wasn't intentional, but it was poorly communicated on my part.

I I guess I guess what I'm so confused about though is that there seems to be a lot of communication with external stakeholders.

I'm sure I'm truly impressed at the massive effort to the amount of emails through this form, the amount of commercials, the amount of advertisements that have happened that are everywhere you go, like that does not happen overnight.

We know how to communicate with people, we know how to get in touch with people, and so I just don't understand how it is possible or acceptable or you know uh how this could have occurred in this way.

And so I just don't understand how it is possible or acceptable or you know how this could have occurred in this way.

Um I guess that's more of a statement than a question.

I'm not gonna make you respond to it unless you would like to, but I it's it's just it's very um I I think I I've been thinking so much lately about what if we mobilized people in the same way that we did around this soccer team around ending hunger.

Can you imagine if we had a massive astro turf campaign?

Can you imagine the amount of movement we could have as a city if we put that much energy and momentum and power and money behind a campaign to end homelessness in our community?

It's impressive the way that we have been able to contact so many people about this process.

And then but the but the most important stakeholders just somehow got missed.

Um I think I'm going to to move.

I think I'm going to I think there's something wrong with my microphone.

I'm usually the loudest one.

I think there's something wrong with my mic.

I'm like literally like in the mic.

Um again, I'm gonna move for the amendment at this at this point in time and really uh appreciate the uh the dialogue.

Yes.

I will move yes, I'll do that after the amendment for the final vote um for members.

Um and again, just as a reminder of uh the amendment and we and how we got here, and again want to thank council president Harden uh for introducing this amendment and getting us here that it does uh a couple things, right?

One, it establishes uh this timeline uh to form a working group that includes the Southwest Area Commission that's in the legislation to ensure that uh that the communities involved in that process.

We put timelines that that will be 15 days uh once we are awarded the team, that then group is to come back to this body with 60 within 60 days of a plan of action of either sites identified or how we uh proceed forward to deliver on the specific things that were in McCoy Park.

Additionally, again, thanks to Council President, uh, there will be a three million dollar commitment from uh the ownership group uh to the recreation and parks foundation to aid in the development of that park.

I want to be clear that that is for the development of the park, it is not solely for land acquisition.

I think there's fungible dollars there to be able to do that, but it is for the development of uh the park.

Uh I think that with those amendments, in addition to uh the other changes that I mentioned at the top of where we got to this deal of how we even finance it with council, that is how I was able to get here uh and be supportive.

Uh so with that, I'm gonna first introduce uh the amendment and ask for a passage by the amendment by voice, then we'll ask for final comments from my colleagues as I ask for the final vote.

Um so first on ordinance uh one one um excuse me, one one one two-2026.

I first move to amend as submitted to the clerk by voice.

Second clerk, please call the role by voice.

Bankston.

Yes, Barroso De Padilla.

So, Chair, I know that you asked for comments in the second one, but because this is a little different, I was just gonna comment at all.

My statement about why.

About your obstacle?

Yeah.

Okay, sorry.

So for more than three decades, I've had the honor of working at City Year, a national nonprofit organization focused on improving the lives of children through education.

For nearly a decade, I led the Columbus site, and now as part of my most recent responsibilities at City Air, I helped to fundraise throughout the around the country.

City air is funded through private public partnerships like most nonprofits, and since the founding of our site, uh the nationwide foundation has been a funder, given the organization's longstanding partnership with nationwide, including a potential expansion of that partnership to additional cities, and out of a abundance of caution for ethical reasons, I'm abstaining from voting on this piece of legislation.

I apologize.

So I abstain.

Dayak Hour.

No.

Great Green, no remix.

Ross, yes.

White districts.

Hard.

Yes, a minute is is passed.

Uh thank you.

And um before our move for final kids.

Before I move for passage order, any final remarks from my colleagues before we move for passage.

Council member Green.

I want to acknowledge all of the work that has gone into getting us here.

I know that especially you, Councilmember Bangston, Council President Harden, you have worked tirelessly under impossible time constraints to fix the numerous very real and significant challenges with this deal that itself was developed over a period of, I have to imagine, at least six months or more.

And I see that work, and I am so deeply grateful for it.

And I respect it so much.

We understand what's at stake right now.

We all want Columbus to grow.

We all want to bring opportunities like this to our city.

We all want to find a path where we are able to succeed as a community, and also we all want to take care of our residents.

But for me, this decision ultimately comes down to a few things.

It comes down to community trust, it comes down to process, it comes down to policy priorities, and I think most importantly, it comes down to who bears the risk when all of those things break down.

And so we learned last Monday that as early as last October, this public land was offered to be used as this park in one of our most under-resourced neighborhoods, the site of a long promise adaptive recreation center for people with different abilities, a project that families in this community have spent a decade advocating for, um, and one that this legislative body had already funded.

And then a year later, that legislative action was seemingly vetoed without any notice to us.

So if that if this site was offered in October, then that means that there were months, literally months, nearly a half of a year, where this conversation could have happened with transparently, where alternative sites could have been explored, where the administration could have worked collaboratively with both the community and with council to get this right the first time.

And instead, we are being asked to respond in a matter of weeks to decisions that we had no part of that were made over a matter of a half of a year or more without any disclosure.

Collaboration and attention to process is something we don't just do because it's fun.

It's something that we do because when those things are bypassed, it puts us exactly in the situation that we find ourselves in right now.

Being asked to make high-stakes decisions on an accelerated time time that we didn't even know about or create without a fair opportunity to even try and be able to deliver a solution where everybody wins.

And I think we could have done that here.

And so I have to make a decision based on what facts are in front of me.

And I cannot support a deal that asks one of our most vulnerable neighborhoods, a neighborhood already facing, as Chair Reed said, the one the lowest life expectancy in the entire state of Ohio to give up its only park, as well as a critical investment in accessible recreation in exchange for uncertainty.

And I also have to speak to the broader context of where we find ourselves in right now.

I know that the auditor spoke earlier tonight about how you know we have a great credit rating and the fiscal um stability of the city, but we talked about this openly in the budget process.

We are facing real financial challenges as a city, challenges that right now demand our full attention, our discipline, and our focus.

Challenges that when we passed our budget two months ago, there was another commitment to convene a work group that we would aggressively address those budget challenges that are barreling toward us within.

And to date, that work group has never convened.

And instead, we've been working overtime trying to fix this problem, a problem that didn't have to exist in the first place.

But here we are, nonetheless, put in an absolutely terrible position of trying to backfill broken promises and trying to fix a bad deal that we weren't a part of making.

And we talk a lot about public private partnerships, but this is not what I think partnership looks like.

This isn't the way that we do things.

This isn't the Columbus way.

This situation wasn't inevitable.

It's the result of decisions that were made without transparency, collaboration, or the diligence that a plan like this requires in order to execute.

And what I've heard over and over again from neighbors is why are we the ones that have to wait?

So this is where I'm gonna land.

For me, this is about keeping our word, um, protecting our priorities and making sure that the communities who have waited the longest are not the ones that are being told to wait their turn again.

Um and so um while I have deep gratitude for all the work that has gone into this, and I understand I suppose how others could arrive at a different conclusion, which I respect and I appreciate all of you.

Um but for those those reasons, I'm obviously voting no president.

President Proteb Gorms.

Thank you, Chair.

I I'll be brief.

Um I want to thank you and both the council president for working overtime in the last six weeks.

You should not have been this body should not have been put in this position.

The community should not have been put in this position to try to make a bad deal better.

And while we are significantly, I think this legislation reflects, I think the values that both of you have brought to make this better.

Um, you know, ultimately, I think with more time, we could have gotten there.

But ultimately, we're asked to vote here this evening, and um I cannot support this at this time, but the reason we are here is not because of the lack of you two trying to make this deal as best as you possibly can.

And I believe both of you at your word that you're going to make this right as much as within your power for those folks in the community.

Um, but tonight I can't be supportive.

Counselor.

Well, thank you, Chair.

Um, thank you, President Harden, for the work that you put into this to improve a proposal that came to us um in a way that, as four mentioned earlier, it was a terrible proposal initially, and not one that I can support as it was.

It relied on asking taxpayers to pay back a loan to billionaires.

And it if it also failed to account for the commitments made to the community.

That breakdown, particularly around that part designed for adaptive to be adaptive for residents of all abilities, was a failure in coordination and transparency.

It created confusion, it eroded trust, and it put this council in a position of having to fix a proposal that should have been stronger before it ever saw the light of day.

I also want to acknowledge the residents and community leaders who spoke up.

Your advocacy mattered, and it helped lead to a better outcome.

And that's what we did here tonight.

We restructured this deal so that the general taxpayers are not carrying the burden.

If you do not use uh Scots Miracle Growth uh field, you are not paying for this.

The users of the facility are contributing through an increased admissions fee to cover the debt service.

We also secured long-term value for the city with revenue continuing after the bonds are paid off.

That's two and a half billion plus per year that the city can use for whatever it deems necessary at that time.

And importantly, we've addressed this park not fully, but it does provide accountability, a public process, and the certainly new private dollars that not only will it an adaptive park be built, we secured that three million dollar contribution from the ownership group to help deliver on the commitments that were already made to this neighborhood.

So it is not about writing a blank check to billionaires, it's about striking the right deal with private ownership.

It is about embracing women's sports and making sure Columbus is part of the future.

I believe that the National Women's Soccer League team brings new fans, new events, and it does bring new opportunity to our city.

So while this was a terrible deal and not easy, after the changes were made, I do believe that this is something that I can support, and therefore I'm gonna vote yes.

Thank you.

Any other colleagues?

Sure.

Um I want to start by saying something that I haven't heard be said by the administration at all, which is I am sorry.

Um I'm sorry to this community.

I am sorry because what we have seen throughout this process reflects, in my view, a lack of care and consideration for both the need and the time you all have invested in imagining what McCoy Park could be.

Um it should have been honored from the very beginning.

Our role as council is to serve as the last line of defense for this community, and trust requires transparency, honest answers, and a willingness to acknowledge when harm has been done, of which until council intervened, none of that was happening.

And so I am sorry.

I am extremely frustrated by this process, so much so that my decisions have not been made literally until today.

This process started long before I arrived here on council and long before this community was asked to accept a deal that now threatens to overshadow years of vision, planning, and advocacy.

And when critical information is only made available through a public hearing just two weeks before the scheduled time for a vote, it undermines confidence.

I understand that.

And the administration should be ashamed of itself for the blatant disregard of the people of this community.

I want to thank the community members that have offered to me information, have offered to me time, have offered to me ear.

It absolutely mattered.

It was absolutely considered in how we got here today.

At the same time, it's not lost on me that the Southware corridor of this city deserves investment that is tangible, not empty verbal commitments, that I have no choice to believe would not have been honored but for council's intervention.

And that should concern all of us.

And despite the total ineptitude displayed during this process, I have wrestled with this decision.

The opportunity to bring a National Women's Soccer League team to our city carries real promise, small business growth, more than 200 jobs, and a projected economic impact in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Those are not insignificant outcomes.

Columbus can and should be a contender for transmission transformational opportunities.

But we can't pursue growth at the expense of community.

We have a responsibility to do both.

Even if it came later than it should have.

And what would have been a wholesale ignoring of one of the most underserved communities in our city can now serve as an opportunity to rebuild trust.

And I am making a personal commitment to be at the table with the community to ensure that the needs of our neighbors are met should this legislation pass.

The administration will not be able to steamroll or blindside this council or this community as we move forward.

There are many additional times that legislation has to become come back before this council before this is final.

And I want to make sure everybody here understands that if these commitments are not made, you will not get a vote for me to allow for the bonds to be sold to make this deal possible.

Thank you.

Council Councilmember White.

Thank you, Chair, and I'll I'll be brief because if it had not been for your work and the work of Council President, I would not be supporting this.

In fact, I left the hearing thinking we were in a good position.

And then I hear, hey, there are plans for a park, which thank you, Director Stevens, for kind of ooming up to that miscommunication because I was under the impression the funds were not there, and the only way in which we were going to have adaptive sports on that site was to move forward with this deal.

None of us should be surprised that the community was not engaged, that council was left in the dark.

That seems to be par for the course from this administration.

If we did not have requirements in the form of this amendment that made these neighbors whole, I would not be supporting this.

This is a bad circumstance that we have been thrust upon.

And now you have the competing interests of how do you support economic growth for the city?

How do you support the resident at the same time?

And I honestly feared that the moment this goes down, what was promised for this community probably still would not have happened.

This is the only way we move forward to ensure that residents will be made whole.

Final remarks, Council President Um.

I think the kids are not in the room any longer.

I uh let me say that I have never been so pissed.

Um by the position that uh and I'll take ownership that that as council president, you guys have my council in, not you guys, the mayor has my council in.

I've never been so fucking pissed.

And I mean it, I am so pissed.

This this did not have to be this way.

I have a message to the mayor, I have a message to the business community who talks about the Columbus way.

This process bastardized the Columbus way.

You left out the community.

Put us our backs up against the wall and say that this is the only way that we can move forward and have progress.

It's absurd.

It's it's it's it's I have never been so frustrated.

And this is what pisses me off about it, is because we will have to do big things again, business community.

And every time you give people who have actual concerns, this type of example of what you call the Columbus way.

This is not my Columbus way.

This is not, this is not what I am about uh uh uh a part of.

This is not, this is not how I operate, this is not how I expect that the community, because this is my concern.

I don't even think that it is just that folks were inept.

I think that there was some disrespect that was given to not bringing everybody along.

That it just and that's the thing.

I we still have to be able to do big things, and in this process is a glaring example and makes it harder the next time.

And if I did not believe two things one that there was another opportunity to continue to get this team here, and two, that even if we voted this thing down that a park would be built, I don't believe that.

There was not the resources actually there.

There was not the plan moving forward to stick with the timeline that Chair Reed talked about.

So I'm taking a terrible vote to make sure that we are still able to do a very big thing, like bring women's soccer to Columbus.

And let me just say this on that piece.

I'm talking.

I'm sorry, ma'am.

I would encourage the community not to ever again pit one community like women against another community like the Southwest side, who's also served, and say that that is a choice, that we are choosing one or the other.

Don't do that again.

That was not helpful.

It was not helpful.

It was offensive.

We support young women, we support women.

I'm a yes because we have to build this park.

There was a comment, there was a promise made and a promise broken.

I promise you, Chair Reed.

We will get this park built.

We will stick to the timelines.

I will hold them accountable.

And I like what Chair would Councilmember Ross said.

This isn't the only vote.

The bonds have to be let on this thing.

I'm voting yes.

Uh thank you, Council President.

With that, I will call for the vote.

Um I move for passage on ordinance one uh uh one eleven, sorry, one one one two-2026, and I move for passage as amended by voice.

Clark, please call the row.

Bankston, yes, Barossa de Podilla.

De Akaur, no Dorens, no Green, no.

Remy?

Yes.

Ross, yes.

Yes.

President Hard.

Yes, the ordinance is passed.

That's all I have for my committee's council president.

You all ought to be a straight yourselves.

You're all frauds.

Again, we're heart defeating billionaires.

Gentlemen, get out of the air, please.

Thank you.

The ownership group is supporting a Trump acolyte.

How can you stand for that?

Haslan has millions.

He doesn't need more department pockets.

Are you going to need this long-two-hour in your friends?

No, we're all keep on going.

Just take my alarm.

We don't need it.

You know, taxing.

And that's what they love.

We're going to take the parts away from the fucking kids.

The next committee to come before council is the public service and transportation committee.

That committee is chaired by Casper Bros.

Councilman, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Council President.

Tonight we have one item on second read for public service and transportation zero eight twenty twenty twenty-six to appropriate community authority assessment funds within the Hayden Run South TIFF fund to transfer community authority assessment funds from the Hayden Run South TIFF fund to the Hayden Run South TIFF Capital Fund to appropriate community authority assessment funds within the Hayden Run South TIFF Capital Fund to authorize the City Attorney's Office Real Estate Division to contract for professional services related to the acquisition of fees, simple title, and lesser interests in and to property needed for the arterial street rehabilitation Avery Road project to authorize the city attorney's office, real estate division to negotiate with property owners to acquire the additional rights of way necessary to complete this project and to authorize the expenditure of up to one million dollars from the Hayden Run South TIFF Capital Fund to authorize the director of public service or a designee to execute a construction construction contract or a simple instrument and any amendments or modifications there to as may be necessary with CSX Transportation Incorporated to facilitate the construction of the Arterial Street Rehabilitation Avery Road project.

The city is planning improvements to Avery Road from Hayden Run Road to Total Crossing Boulevard.

The project includes reconstruction of over one mile of Avery Road in addition to other elements like a new roundabout and shared use path.

This ordinance authorizes the city attorney to acquire real estate to facilitate timely completion of the project.

Do my colleagues have any questions or comments?

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Clerk, please call the row.

Bangston, Barosa De Pudilla, De Akaur Doors, Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Harding.

That's all for me this evening.

Thank you, Chair.

Next committee to come before council is the public safety and criminal justice committee chaired by Councilman Remy, Councilmember, the floor is yours.

Thank you very much, Council President.

Um tonight in public safety and criminal justice.

I have three ordinances for second read.

Um tonight.

I have two.

The first ordinances 987-2026 to authorize and direct the city attorney to settle the lawsuit known as Brooke Wilson versus City of Columbus, case number 22 CV 4427 pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to authorize the expenditure of the sum of $750,000 and zero cents in settlement of the lawsuit to authorize the transfer of $750,000 within the general fund and to declare an emergency.

So I'm going to go ahead and turn this over to Melanie Tobias, who is the criminal division chief for the city attorney's office to tell us more about this settlement.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair Reemy, uh President Hardin, Council Members.

We actually tab today to present on this our deputy chief of labor and employment section in the city attorney's office, Paul Bernhardt.

Um he's been uh intimately involved with this litigation for the four years that it's been going on.

Um, so it asked him to come up to the podium to share a presentation, and he's uh the best resource to answer any questions counsel has on this settlement.

Good evening, Chair Remate, President Harden, members of council.

I have served as the lead attorney of record for the City of Columbus on the Brooke Wilson lawsuit since it was filed back in 2022.

I want to give you a brief overview of the case and then explain why we believe it's in the best in the city's best interest to settle the lawsuit.

Uh by way of background, the plaintiff in the case, Brooke Wilson, was a police sergeant assigned to the to supervise the accident investigation unit at CPD, otherwise known as AIU.

And in late May of 2020, a cadet from the division's cadet program was assigned to AIU.

Less than two weeks after that cadet was assigned to the AIU, the George Floyd protest broke out in the city of Columbus.

Sergeant Wilson was part of the city's all hands on deck response to that protest, and he in fact worked the streets uh during the protests.

When Sergeant Wilson returned to the office, the cadet asked him, what is it like or what was it like working out on the streets during this time?

And Sergeant Wilson looked at the cadet and said, How would you like it if somebody called you the N-word?

Except Sergeant Wilson didn't say the N-word, he actually said the racial slur.

The cadet was offended by this, obviously.

There were no witnesses to the conversations between Sergeant Wilson and the cadet.

It was her word against his.

The judge also indicated that he was not going to allow the city to present evidence that Wilson was nearing retirement and had in fact been collecting his pension since resigning back in 2021.

That would have allowed Wilson to claim lost wages of approximately two and a half million dollars at trial.

The city would also have to be would also have been responsible for Wilson's attorney's fees.

This is the type of case that the losing party has to pay the other side's attorney's fees.

The city also would have been put in a bind on the evidentiary on the what we believe was going to be the evidentiary ruling on the polygraph exam because that's why the city did what it did.

Without the polygraph exam, this was a he said she said with no witnesses.

The polygraph exam is what tipped the scales, giving you know the city preponderance of the evidence to take the actions that it did.

It's why we did what we did.

There was also a comparable in the case.

Brooke Wilson was going to argue that he was treated less favorably than a female black lieutenant at the division who also had EEO charges brought against her.

The difference between those two cases, according to then Safety Director Pettis, was the polygraph exam.

So he wasn't, you know, had that evidentiary ruling gone as we expected it would, based on the judge's uh presentation to us.

Safety director Pettis would not have been able to testify why he treated those two cases differently.

It was an uphill battle to say the least.

So rather than take the chance at trial, and given the financial exposure that the city faced, after conferring with the safety director, the current safety director and the administration, we made the decision to negotiate a settlement with Wilson's attorneys.

That's why we were here asking for $750,000 to effectuate the settlement of the case.

And let me be clear, it pains me to settle this case.

I wanted to go to trial just like any trial attorney would want to try a case.

But given the real likelihood of losing at trial and then having to come to this council and ask for two and a half million dollars to pay the judgment and another 500,000 plus to pay the attorney's fees, we were looking at exposure upwards of three million dollars, you know, had this case gone to trial.

So given the that risk, we believe that it's in the city's best interest to settle the case at this time.

I'm happy to answer any questions counsel has.

Yeah, thank you, Paul.

Um I'm gonna go ahead and throw it over to Councilmember Bros.

Deputy.

Thank you, Chair.

I have a couple questions.

Um, first question is that I also from my understanding, this was not an isolated incident with this particular officer and um the tell me her title again.

The cadet.

The cadet.

This there was there were other situations that she had essentially put forward of her challenges with this particular gentleman.

Yes, council member.

Let me speak briefly to that.

The cadet had only she was transferred into AIU late May of 2020.

She had only worked with Sergeant Wilson for less than two weeks before he allegedly made this the racial slort to her.

Prior to that, beginning on day one that this cadet met Sergeant Wilson, uh, according to her, he made a number of comments in her presence that offended her.

Um, she later testified that it wasn't the comments themselves or the nature, it was how he sent it and how he presented them, was she referred to as microaggressions.

Uh, there wasn't one, there was maybe a half dozen that she that she kept notes of, and when she did report the racial slur, she also reported these other microaggressions that she experienced from Sergeant Wilson.

And the two cases that the they essentially pointed to that in the other case where the other officer um was not demoted.

What year was that?

That was in 2018.

2018.

So this was after the this particular case came up after the department had started changing their policies.

That's correct.

After that previous case, the city hired uh created a new position within public safety to take EEO investigations out of internal affairs and brought into uh to public safety to investigate.

This was early on that it was the first assistant director of EEO compliance with public safety who was assigned to investigate the case.

Who decided on not who cited that there was wrongdoing, but based on the gentleman?

Correct.

And the polygraph, he asked to take the poly, he volunteered to take the polygraph, correct?

That's correct.

The the contract, the the FOP contract at the time allowed the focus, the subject of the focus of an investigation to request to take a polygraph in order to exonerate and clear themselves.

Uh that's no longer in the FOP contract, but it was at the time, and then Sergeant Wilson did in fact request to take it.

Because we've used polygraphs before, and one would one might presume that if the polygraph was in his favor that he would then use that as a CI was right, correct?

We're certain of that.

And then when you my last question, when you went to the judge, can you share with us more about why the judge would not put the polygraph in?

Uh yes, the judge flat out said, you know, polygraphs aren't admissible in courts, which is true.

Generally, polygraphs are not admissible in criminal trials uh to use as evidence against the defendant.

He took the position that why would I allow a polygraph in this instance?

I don't know that he fully understood the difference between the contractual requirement or the contractual allowance of using the polygraph, which in fact the arbitrator said we could use under the contract versus the judge's apparent disdain or disbelief in the use of polygraphs generally.

Would you say that there was another reason that the judge would have encouraged us to settle as opposed to taking us to court?

Yes, council member.

The the judge made a number of representations at the final pretrial conference that uh he did not think that the city had taken the correct position in this case.

So I'm just gonna I'm not gonna bury the lead here.

I'm a no on this particular case, and I will say that I understand that we have a stewardship role here that every dollar that we put towards a settlement is a dollar that we take away from housing or we take away from parks or we take away from anything else.

But what really gets my goat about this particular case, right?

Is um without seeing all of the facts, I am not an attorney, I was not the judge in question.

But first of all, this is why it makes it difficult for women to come forward because microaggressions are so difficult to show to prove.

I think it's also difficult to say there when you set a precedence, that means someone is going to be first.

You were going to say you're demoted because you're gonna be the first person demoted, because if the department is doing things differently, then this would be why.

But what really upsets me is that this particular judge essentially because he felt like this was a diversity case, or he felt like this did not fall in line with us particular set of values or mindset that he has, then essentially he is bullying us into doing what is not just, and that is a challenge for me because I understand that we have to move forward with you know making the best investments here, and obviously 750,000 is much less than two million, but what this set sends a signal for me, and I don't want to be in the seat to make this decision, is that we are rewarding somehow bad behavior, and we're doing that with taxpayer dollars, and that's what this entire case says says to me, both with the gentleman in question and also with this particular judge.

And so I think at a time when justice is not political, justice is justice.

It is irresponsible for someone to sit in a seat of power and not look, not look with an eye of justice, but look through a lens that is somewhat political or valued or whatever.

And so uh, you know, I don't know how the rest of my colleagues feel.

I certainly know that for me, I cannot move this forward.

I I first of all, all of these settlements are so challenging for me all the time.

Sometimes I don't feel like they're enough for the chat for the harm that we cause.

Sometimes I feel like we're giving someone money just because it is it is better and it is a fiscal decision, but this was the one that I just I do not like the statement that it is sending.

I'm also not gonna be bullied, be a federal judge, be a whatever judge, I'm not gonna do that.

So I'm just letting you know, Chair, and I know we had a conversation.

I'm this is a no for me.

That's fair, council member.

Uh council president.

Excuse me, sir.

I just want to see the finance chair.

Finance, how chair, how much do we have budgeted for uh settlements this year?

Yeah, President Harden, thanks for the question.

We have six million dollars budgeted in 2026 for legal settlements.

Okay, so we have six million dollars.

If this council takes the city attorney's recommendation, this is to take 750,000 dollars out of it.

If we don't and we push this to court, we could potentially with this just one case empty out half of what you budgeted.

That's correct, Council President.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Are there any other questions?

Uh Councilmember Ross.

This is a follow-up question.

I apologize.

I may have missed the specifics on this.

The judge is throwing out the polygraph.

Yes, we so we never actually got a ruling from the judge.

It would have been coming in the day day or two before trial.

Okay.

But he indicated was he he said the words to the effect of I don't want to let the polygraph in at trial.

So he doesn't want to look at it or there's a let it in as evidence at trial.

Got it.

And what was the the pret legal precedence for not allowing the it was just his general understanding of criminal law and how polygraph polygraphs are not permitted in criminal trials.

But for some limited circumstances.

Okay.

And we believe that that was kind of the linchpin for being successful in this case.

We did.

Was that piece of evidence?

Yes.

We believe had had the judge ruled that we could introduce the polygraph and the results, we were fully prepared to try this case.

Any other questions for thank you, Paul.

Appreciate your your commitment.

I think it's better if I give perspective.

So I've been litigating cases since the 1980s.

I'm the old guy here.

I can't tell you how many cases that I've been involved in, either as the attorney or as a client.

And I always hearken back to my favorite professor in law school.

He always told us that settlements are not about right or wrong.

Rather, they're designed to reduce monetary exposure.

They're designed to reduce risk.

In other words, settlements should not be looked at as a as a moral judgment.

Settlements should be looked at as a financial judgment.

So it quite frankly detests me to recommend settlement in this case.

That is my perspective.

Councilmember Green.

Director, how many uh there's a lot of I I think I mean I've only been here two years, but a lot of the settlements that we've settled, I think many of them were under public safety.

How many um how many uh cases do we have in court compared to the amount that we settle in this way?

Do you know?

Or just can you get it, give me like some you know, a ballpark figure?

So let me talk subjectively and objectively at any one time, and this includes both HR type cases as the two cases before you are tonight, and inheritant police is use of force.

Wrong for arrest type cases.

So any one time I would guess around 25 cases going on at the time.

So subjectively around 25 or so.

Um objectively, and the dispatch has done this in the past, they have looked and compared similar sized cities to each other.

That actually is very good, uh, especially in terms of the amount of judgments we pay out.

Um we are a huge organization, as I often tell people, um, you can now add the public safety forces up in Cleveland and Cincinnati, and they don't equal the size of Columbus.

You could add up the square miles of Cleveland and Cincinnati.

They don't equal the size of Cumbus.

We are a very large entity.

Yeah, that was gonna be my next question in comparison to peer cities.

Um I also think um well uh I'll pause there.

I do want to go back to you though, and further ask that question what changes has the department made to ensure this type of thing doesn't happen.

I don't understand that question.

Um, but let me talk about you still have an EEO officer within the department.

Well, in terms of oh, and in terms of I thought you meant in the specific case, what we would do to not come to this result.

And and here, um we take um a workplace-free discriminatory place very seriously.

We have uh two people whose sole job it is to uh investigate these types of cases.

In this particular case, 12 people were interviewed.

There was a lie detector test.

And by the way, one thing that City Attorney Barnhart uh didn't say is that that lie detector test was asked to be verified.

That test was sent to the Ohio Highway Patrol who verified that the person um was being deceptive in his answer.

Um we have a chain of command investigation occurred by a preponderance of the evidence, they believed that the discrimination occurred.

A hearing was held before the director by a preponent of the evidence, he issued discipline.

That case went to an independent arbitrator.

The arbitrator said, and I actually brought it quote based on the evidence here, the arbitrator cannot find that the city aired.

So I think that we acted as we should have acted.

Our problem here is one of evidence on the eve of trial.

And again, I would go back to uh settlements are a matter matter of risk evaluation.

Councilmember.

The last thing I'm gonna say, I don't want to belavor it.

I know it's a long evening, but I think for me, in this particular in this particular case, and I know I'm causing the city attorney much harper and in saying this, okay, because we're gonna have to go between before this judge again, and they're gonna be pissed and they're gonna whatever.

That to me is an abuse of power.

For them to say that this is a diversity case is a problem.

That is a problem.

Justice does not see color.

We already know this system is not set up for people, but when you are going to go before before you even present the case, they're already telling you the key piece of evidence, which by the way, was this gentleman saying, Yes, I am so sure I I'm not lying when a lie detector that's been verified has said you are.

I bet if we turn the tables and he came in with that, it would be a different story.

And I think that's what gets me.

And I agree, I this is why I'm not a lawyer, okay?

Because the the question before me, before me sitting in this seat is I do feel like it is rewarding bad behavior.

I do feel like this sends a signal to people.

And and again, you know, this could pass and we could settle this, and that's fine.

But to not take this moment to say that this is not okay, that this is wild for a judge to make a decision to essentially bully us into telling us to take the key piece of evidence that was volunteered by the person who brought this case forward is bananas to me.

And maybe it was because I couldn't talk for the rest of the for the first part of the evening that all this is coming out now, but I just from the first time that I heard this case, I it it just was difficult for me to say yes to to rewarding this when it is clear that the person is wrong.

Thank you, Councilmember um Councilmember Ross.

Um was there consideration about an evidentiary hearing to determine whether or not like so that the judge could like make a public decision about this piece of evidence?

Thank you, council member.

Uh it was before the court on a motion and limin A the motion.

Okay.

The play the plaintiff had filed a motion in Lemin A asking the court to explain.

Can you just explain for the council what a motion eliminates?

Yes, a motion and limin A is a pretrial filing where you're asking the court to rule on evidentiary issues prior to trial, so that when you go to trial, you know what you're going to be allowed to introduce into evidence or and what you're not.

Wilson's attorneys had filed a motion with the court asking that the polygraph exam not be allowed into evidence at trial.

So that's what that was the procedural posture when we were at the final pretrial conference where the judge uh you know let it be known that he was not inclined to let that piece of evidence into trial.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um and I do want to thank Deputy Director for going into that a little bit more.

It wasn't um I have faith in you.

We just you you wanted to illuminate that a little bit more and what goes on after these things, and so appreciate that um explanation.

Obviously, these things are incredibly difficult for us, and generally they're situations like this where you know what the right thing was to do in this thing, but because the risk of losing puts more taxpay multiplier more amounts of taxpayer dollars on the line, it really pains us to pass these things, but unfortunately the risk is too great.

But unfortunately, the risk is too great.

And so you know, before I was ready to put this on the agenda, I wanted to make sure we had learned about all the situations within this.

We place you know the word what were the safeguards that were put in place to help ensure things like this don't happen again.

And you know, after talking with the city attorney's office with the Department of Public Safety, and again listening to what you said tonight, you know, I believe the best pass path forward is to vote to settle this matter.

Um the cost is great, and as we heard tonight settling these things is not about right or wrong, it's about being financially financially responsible as we evaluate risk and you know I hear you, I hear my colleagues.

We hear we talk about this a lot before these things come up.

But it's more important now than ever that this council takes the oversight of these things seriously and start asking questions.

And we've been asking questions of the department every single time.

Um I'll turn it back.

Uh I don't know if you had anything further to say, um, Melanie.

Okay.

Okay.

With that, I move for passage.

By voice.

Clerk, please call the role by voice.

Bangston.

Barbosa de Badia.

De Akaur.

Yes.

Dorens.

Yes.

Green.

Yes.

Remy.

Yes.

Ross.

Yes.

White?

Yes.

President Harden.

Yes.

Passed.

Thank you, Council President.

Next I have 1043, 2026 to authorize and direct the city attorney to settle the Ohio Civil Rights Commission claim known as Hana O Hassan versus City of Columbus.

Charge number C O L 71013525-0321-2025 to authorize the expenditure of the sum of $36,000 and zero cents in settlement of the claim and to declare an emergency.

I'd like to once again ask uh Millie Tobias from the City Attorney's Office to tell us more about this settlement.

Thank you, Chair Remy, President Hardin, Council members.

Um this litigation is in a different posture than we normally see uh coming before council.

This settlement um was arrived at pre-lawsuit.

Um so I'll give you some background on how we arrived there.

Um because it's pre-lawsuit, the we're gonna refer to the what we normally say as plaintiff as the complainant, because there was is not a plaintiff in this case.

But the complainant filed an allegation with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, essentially alleging that in 2024, the Columbus Division of Police refused to make her an offer of employment in retaliation for her complaining about the civilian polygrapher hired by the division of police to conduct her pre-employment polygraph test.

The plainant had previously unsuccessfully applied to become a police officer with the Columbus Division of Police in 2022 and in 2023.

In 2024, she went through the same application process as the previous two years, but after her polygraph test, she made a formal complaint to CPD in public safety about the polygrapher, alleging that he had made inappropriate comments to her during the polygraph exam.

Uh public safety conducted an immediate investigation into her claims and determined that the polygrapher, in fact, had performed below the standards expected of a civilian polygrapher with the division of police and public safety.

So they uh disciplined uh the polygrapher entering into a last chance agreement, which is an agreement uh where the civilian employee um promises not to uphold all the standards, and if they make any further mistakes, no matter how minor they can be terminated, and they don't have the right to go through arbitration or to contest that termination.

And in addition to doing that, um CPD offered the complainant a new polygraph test.

Uh she submitted to that and agreed to do that.

Um as in 2022 and 2023, the division of police ultimately did not end up offering her a spot at the police academy.

She then filed a complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission after that um lack of an offer to her.

Uh after an investigation, the civil rights commission found no probable cause and issued the complainant a right to sue letter.

She had to go through this process first with the Civil Rights Commission before she was going to be allowed to proceed forward with a lawsuit.

She was represented by counsel, and it appeared to the city attorney's office that it was clear that they were going to um go forward with litigation and file a lawsuit.

So it's that point that we entered into negotiations with a complainant.

I think it's important to highlight for counsel that a finding of no probable cause by the Civil Rights Commission doesn't hold any um standing in subsequent litigation.

It's not a bar to her filing a lawsuit.

It's just a process that an individual is required to go through first before filing litigation.

So during uh during these negotiations with the complainant, uh we arrived at this amount of $36,000 that we're recommending counsel approve to settle this matter.

Um deciding to settle a matter pre-suit when a lawsuit appears imminent avoids the costs that are incurred and even successful litigation.

So a successful summary judgment motion on our part, for example, would still incur direct costs for depositions and experts.

Once a lawsuit is filed, the types of claims involved in this matter, this retaliation claim and harassment claims, um we get to the fee shifting position, which we saw in the previous case counsel just considered.

That's when attorney's fees start to run.

So these are all things that are in that we bring into consideration when we're determining whether or not um a settlement is possible.

A possibility for a low settlement is much easier at the very beginning of litigation when those attorneys' fees aren't starting to build and build and build.

Um while the city was confident in its case in this matter, um, it's not completely without risk where we to go forward and defend an actual lawsuit being filed by the complainant.

And so, in order to, again, as we are learning more all the time as these settlements come in front of the the the council, judges have a lot of discretion once a case is filed and it goes into court, we lose a lot of control.

Um and so the city attorney's office believes that the settling this matter for $36,000 takes into consideration exposure that we would have if the lawsuit had been filed and we went forward with that.

Thank you very much.

Uh Councilmember Ross.

I'm just presuming it's because we had already made a determination that that officer had at least had at least broken some of our internal rules.

Are you are you asking why an offer of employment wasn't made to the to the officer?

Yeah, even though there was a no probable cause determination by the the admin side of things, we had already kind of gone through investigation on our end to determine that.

Correct.

Okay.

We looked into her immediate complaints.

The public safety and CPD looked into her immediate complaint about the polygrapher's behavior and immediately addressed that.

And I believe assistant director speaks um can comment on you know how that's handled within CPD and public safety.

Um, but with respect to the allegation that she was retaliated against because she complained about the polygrapher, no, with the investigation we did not believe that the city would there's no admission that there was any wrongdoing uh on on the part of the city in this matter.

Okay.

Yes.

So uh councilmember, let me point out the stark contrast with the last case.

So the last case, 750,000, of which over 500,000 of that was attorney fees.

That was that case was settled on the eve of trial.

Here you have a case hasn't been filed yet in court, although the Ohio Civil Rights Commission found in favor of the city.

So once again, this is risk management.

We're trying to cut off those attorney fees quickly and trying to nip this case in the butt, if you will, for as low amount as possible to protect the city.

A very stark contrast of two cases.

Thank you.

Thank you, Deputy Director.

Any other comments?

Oh, I'm sorry.

Council President.

Yeah, I'm hearkening back to what I brought up the last time because we're pretty early into this budget.

And uh we are spending down our settlements pretty quickly.

Uh let me ask the question a little differently.

How do we back our way in as we decide what to settle now or not with the risk back and forth of knowing that we have set aside only six million dollars?

Like is the is the department and city attorney taking that into consideration?

Should that be a consideration that council takes into consideration?

Should we ask for well, I guess when we do have the committee uh to come together, we'll talk about how we plan to because who should be thinking about this as a grown up.

President Hard, in terms of timing, when one files a lawsuit, you get a case schedule.

Everything is laid out in the case schedule.

So, for example, settlement conferences, trials.

Uh, we can't dictate that.

Um, it's determined by the court.

And so uh there's no way we can say we're only going we're not gonna settle this judge where we're not gonna offer any money or a judgment.

We lose at trial, we owe something.

There's no way of saying, sorry, we're not paying that.

Um it's not within our power as a party in a case.

Okay.

I mean, I'm just trying to bring focus to where it looks like we're barreling towards a pretty big issue uh where we might have more settlements coming than we have dollars set aside for.

And I'm just trying to make sure that we are in the open talking about how we are going to rectify this as we all have to start making very grown-up uh fiscal uh decisions that impact other departments, truefully.

I think that that's probably the real conversation that is going to happen.

But thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Thanks.

Any other questions or comments?

Obviously, similar to the previous legislation.

You know, again, these things are tough votes for us, but I believe based on the information presented that it's in the best financial interest of the city to move forward.

So if there are no further questions from my comments, I move for passage.

Banks Tim, Baroso De Padilla, De Aka or Dorns Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Harding.

Passed.

Thank you very much, Council President.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

The final committee to come before council is the public utilities and sustainability committee.

That committee is chaired by speed reader, Councilmember Weish.

The floor is yours, sir.

Thank you, Council President.

I think I'm insulted that the audience cleared out and we just got to public utilities.

Um tonight, first in public utilities and sustainability.

I have ordinance 0596-2026 to authorize the director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into an indefinite indefinite quantity agreement with Potomac Electrical Service LLC for electrical transformer and switch gear inspection, maintenance and repair services to authorize the expenditure of 170,000 split between the water and sanitary sewer operating funds and to waive competitive bidding provisions of Columbus City Code.

This contract will provide planned inspections, testing, maintenance, and repair services to equipment at Columbus Water and Power Plants, ensuring that all components are operating correctly and at the and that the department can continue to provide uninterrupted service to the Columbus community.

Let me stop there, see if any questions are comments from my colleagues.

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Please call the row.

And to authorize the expenditure of up to 249,349 and 43 cents for the project.

This ordinance provides for the replacement of the entire existing camera system at Hoover Dam, which is a crucial tool for maintaining awareness of the dam and its surrounding environment.

Let me stop there, see if any questions are comments from my colleagues.

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Thanks, Tamborosa De Padilla, De A Kaur Dorans Green, Remy Ross, Vice President Harden.

Thank you.

Next I have ordinance 0873-2026 to authorize the director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into a construction contract with General Maintenance and Engineering Company for the Parsons Avenue Water Plant Roof Renovations Part 2 project to authorize an amendment to the 2025 capital improvement budget to appropriate funds within the water fresh water market rate fund to make this ordinance contingent upon the Ohio Water Development Authority approving a loan for this project to authorize the expenditure of up to 2,344,250 from the water fresh water market rate fund to pay for the project and to authorize the expenditure of up to $2,000 from the water bond fund to pay for prevailing wage services.

This project involves necessary and extensive roof repairs to a number of buildings at the Parsons Avenue water plant that will prov preserve the structural integrity of the buildings, prevent damage to interior spaces, and ensure the operations of the water plant continues uninterrupted.

Let me stop there, see if any questions are comments from my colleagues.

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Dr.

Roll.

Thanks, Timberwolves DePadia, de Aka or Dorans Green, Remy Ross, Vice President Hart.

Thank you.

So authorize the director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into a construction contract with Clear Creek Coatings LTD for the 710 East Tank Painting Improvements Project to authorize an amendment to the 2025 capital improvement budget to authorize a transfer of a cash and appropriation between projects within the water bond fund and to authorize an expenditure of up to 1,614,938.50 cents for the project from the water bond fund.

This project includes the recoding of one of the division of water's two million gallon water storage tanks as well as the addition of various safety improvements to prolong its useful service life.

Let me stop there.

See if any questions are comments from my colleagues.

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Banks Tim Barosa de Pudia, De Aka or Dorans Green, Remy Ross Weiss President Hardin.

Thank you.

Next I have ordinance 0887-2026 to authorize the director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into a construction contract with JLD Construction Services LLC for the current Carriger Court Stormwater Improvements Project to authorize an amendment to the 2025 capital improvement budget to appropriate funds within the water development authority storm sewers fund to authorize a transfer transfer of cash and appropriation between projects within the storm sewer bond fund to make this ordinance contingent upon the Ohio Water Development Authority approving a loan for this project and to authorize the expenditure of up to 2,567,522.66 cents from the Ohio Water Development Authority Storm Sewers Fund and from the Storm Sewer Bond Fund to pay for the project.

This project involves improvements to an existing stormwater drainage basin in the Westland community, as well as the replacement of inadequately sized storm sewers downstream of the basin.

Let me stop there.

See if any questions or comments from my colleagues.

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Clerk, please call the role.

Banks Denverosa de Padilla, De A Coward Dorns, Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Harding.

Pass.

Thank you.

Next I have ordinance 0920-2026 to authorize the director of the Department of Finance and Management to associate all general budget reservations resulting from this ordinance with the appropriate universal term contract purchase agreements for the purchases of five dump trucks for the Department of Public Utilities from BIDA Freightliner Columbus Incorporated and to authorize the expenditure of 1,219,005 to $4 from within the water operating fund.

These dump trucks will be used to transport excavating equipment as well as uh haul materials such as dirt, gravel, and salt to and from job sites.

Let me stop there, see if any questions or comments from my colleagues.

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Clerk, please call the row.

Banks Timberosa De Pudia, De Aka or Dorns Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Hardin.

Passed.

Thank you.

Next I have ordinance 0935-2026.

So authorize the director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into a contract renewal with the Ryder Company Incorporated for Specialty Maintenance Craft Services to authorize the expenditure of up to 1,520,000 from the electricity water sewerage operating fund and to declare an emergency.

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Clerk please call the row.

Banks Timborosa De Padilla, De Acar Dorans Green, Remy Ross, Vice President Harton.

Passed.

Thank you.

Last, I have ordinance 0936-2026 to authorize the director of the Department of Public Utilities, Columbus Water and Power to modify a contract with Sanegro Central LLC for the water treatment residuals turnkey dewatering services project for the division of water and to authorize an expenditure of 12,400,000 from the water operating fund.

This contract provides management services for water treatment residuals stored at the McKinley Avenue quarry.

This includes services such as the dewatering, processing, and utilization of water treatment residuals produced at all three of the city's water plants.

Let me stop there, see if any questions or comments from my colleagues.

Seeing none, I move for passage.

Banks Tim Barosa de Padilla, De Aka or Doors Green, Remy Ross, Weiss President Hardin.

Passed.

Thank you, Council President.

I would hope that in the future I could go first.

That way I don't have to do this so quickly.

I don't think that's how it works.

But I that is all I have for my committee this evening.

Good job.

If there's no further business to come before council, is there a motion to adjourn?

Clerk, please call the row.

Banks Timborosa de Padilla, De Aka or Dorans Green, Remy Wash, Remy Ross Weiss President Hart.

Meeting is adjourned.

Have a good evening.