Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee Hearing on Environmental Advisory Body, Surveillance Pricing, Green Fund, and Recycling RFP - April 8, 2026
Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee Hearing
This hearing covered four main topics: the need to reactivate and update the Environmental Science Advisory Committee, surveillance pricing in housing and groceries, an update from the Columbus Region Green Fund, and the upcoming RFP for the city's residential recycling contract. The meeting took place on April 8, 2026, during Earth Month and tax day, as noted by Chair Weiss.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Tia Johnson, CEO of Fresh Environmental Services, advocated for changes to Title 13 and RFP language to allow local and minority-owned businesses to participate in waste and recycling collection. She emphasized that current rules limit innovation and called for procurement to include collaboration and local hauler access.
Discussion Items
Environmental Science Advisory Committee
- Annalisa Rocca, Central Ohio Regional Director for the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund, expressed support for reactivating and updating the Environmental Science Advisory Committee (Chapter 143). She recommended aligning it with the Climate Action Plan, integrating with the health department and Sustainable Columbus, ensuring regular reporting and community engagement, and diverse membership reflecting Columbus's demographics. She cited Cincinnati's Environmental Advisory Board as a model.
- Craig Toothman, Executive Director of Franklin County Pollinator Pathways, supported the committee, emphasizing the need for independent science-based advice. He discussed the urban heat island effect, climate migration, hydrogen fuel cells, and birding as examples of issues requiring expert input.
- Joe Flarida, Executive Director of Power Clean Future Ohio, recommended updating the committee's focus, people, capacity, authority, and transparency. He suggested the current code's charge (regulatory review) is too narrow and proposed aligning with the Climate Action Plan. He noted the importance of providing staff capacity and possibly giving the committee tangible responsibilities like grant review.
- Chair Weiss noted that the committee was established in 1993 but has no records of ever meeting. The goal is to have draft language for the next committee hearing.
Surveillance Pricing
- Dr. Katie Fallon, Senior Policy Advisor in the Legislative Research Office, presented on surveillance pricing in rental housing. She explained that platforms like RealPage and Yardi collect massive data and use algorithms to suggest rents, with 90% of landlords adhering to recommendations. This costs renters an average of $70/month nationally, totaling $3.8 billion, and increases eviction filings. She noted additional fees (e.g., trash valet) can inflate costs by 10–30% and vary month-to-month. She suggested transparency measures, such as disclosing rent-setting software use, as potential local actions.
- Mike Nichols, President of UFCW Local 1059, testified on surveillance pricing in grocery stores. He highlighted that electronic shelf labels (ESLs) combined with AI enable dynamic pricing based on customer data, leading to higher prices. He argued that banning ESLs alone is insufficient; action must address both surveillance pricing and ESLs. He noted that Kroger has used ESLs since 2018 and Walmart is adding them to all stores. He expressed skepticism that the technology would lower prices.
Columbus Region Green Fund Update
- Jackie Kimball, Interim Executive Director, provided an update. The Green Fund, capitalized with $7 million from the city and $2 million from the county, has provided $9.2 million in loans and grants, resulting in $24 million in projected savings over 25 years and avoiding 100,000 metric tons of CO2 (equivalent to 21,000 cars). Key projects include $4.3 million in solar loans for nonprofits and affordable housing, $1.9 million for energy-efficient housing (including a project for women in behavioral health treatment), and $1.8 million in grants for energy audits and weatherization. She also announced a new bridge loan product for pre-development energy-efficient housing and a free energy audit program for 30–35 buildings (50,000 sq ft). The Grid Innovation Fund, in partnership with Google, granted $300,000 to Columbus organizations for workforce development and home weatherization. Kimball noted that federal funding (IRA) has been frozen and investment tax credits are sunsetting in July, but the fund continues to innovate.
Recycling Contract RFP
- DSU Oshodi, Operations Coordinator for the Division of Refuse Collection, presented the RFP for residential recycling and yard waste collection starting April 2027. The contract covers approximately 221,520 households, divided into three zones (65,000–85,000 households each). The base term is five years with five one-year extensions. Bids are due May 8, 2026, with a pre-bid meeting on April 27, 2026. Key features include mandatory bidding on all zones, a subcontractor limit to encourage participation by small/minority businesses, and a requirement that 75% of materials be processed within Ohio. The current contract expires March 31, 2027. Oshodi noted that the department has learned from the current contract, including holiday scheduling and the need for flexibility in tonnage. The RFP also allows for future addition of collection programs (e.g., food waste composting) by mutual agreement.
Key Outcomes
- No votes were taken; the hearing was informational.
- Chair Weiss stated that the committee will continue working on draft language for the Environmental Science Advisory Committee, aiming to present it at the next committee hearing.
- The recycling RFP is now open (advertised April 15, 2026), with a decision expected by May 13, 2026.
- The Green Fund will continue to report on its impact, including the Grid Innovation Fund report due in June 2026.
- Council members expressed interest in further exploring transparency measures for rental housing and grocery pricing, as well as potential code changes to support local waste haulers.
Meeting Transcript
When we'll go ahead and call this hearing to order first. Wow, that was loud. Happy Earth Month, everyone, and also happy tax day. Hopefully, there are no folks who need to run home and get their taxes done. That was my Sunday plan. So it worked out. I want to thank you all for joining us for our second public utilities and sustainability committee hearing this year. Today we're going to cover the need for an advisory body to consult on policy initiatives moving through council from a health and sustainability lens. We'll also talk about the issue of surveillance data pricing and an update from the Columbus Green Fund, followed by a presentation from the Department of Public Services Refuse Division on the City's Recycling Contract RFP. Before we begin with the presentations, let me see if my vice chair has some opening remarks. We can just sit and chat with the folks while you uh pull your stuff together. All right, we'll give you a chance to give some closing remarks instead. To kick things off, we're gonna start the discussion around the need for environment environmental advisory body and why it's a priority for this committee. Since joining council, I've seen many pieces of legislation moving through the process that at face value, they do not have an obvious sustainability component. However, sustainability encompasses so much more than just clean water, clean air, and climate resilience. It's most importantly how we best serve our people. And in order to best serve Columbus residents now and into the future, sustainability should be considered in everything we do here at council. We should be reviewing all of our policies to ensure that they are written in a way that mitigates environmental impact, preserves our finite resources, and prepares our city for a future where our climate will look very different from today. When I work on policy, that is the perspective I come from and often find myself reaching out to experts for input. But is this the best approach? Across the country and Ohio, cities have established committees whose focus is to provide guidance, policy recommendations, and research to city leaders on issues such as sustainability, climate change, and pollution control. While researching how to while researching to determine how best to establish a similar committee in Columbus, uh I was surprised to find that there is currently an environmental science advisory committee already in City Code. The committee was established in or the ordinance was signed in uh 1993 for the purpose of issuing independent technical advice to city officials on the scientific basis underlying current and proposed federal and or state environmental regulations and the appropriateness of current regulations giving local environmental situations. Think the Derby or the public and private tree code. These are things that this committee could have been used for to kind of help guide policy decisions there. However, there are no records to determine if this committee was ever even appointed or if they've ever met. That is why I've invited some experts I've worked with on past policies to speak to the need to reinvigorate and possibly revise this committee. Um call up our first speaker, the Central Ohio Regional Director for the Ohio Environmental Council, Annalisa Rocca. Anna Lisa, thank you for being here. Yeah, good afternoon. Um Chair Weiss and members of the Public Utility and Sustainability Committee. My name is Annalise Raka, and I am the Central Ohio Regional Director at the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. We work for a clean, healthy Ohio where our democracy empowers communities to thrive in harmony with the environment. I am here today in support of reactivating and updating the environmental science advisory committee as currently outlined in chapter 143 of the Columbus City Code. Columbus is at a pivotal moment. This city is growing quickly, and with that growth comes policy decisions that will shape the region's environmental and economic future for decades. These include land use and zoning decisions, conservation priorities, and broader efforts to implement the city's climate action plan. These decisions impact water, air, energy, biodiversity, and health with long-term effects. Good policy lowers cost, builds resilience, and improves quality of life. Expert informed decisions maximize these benefits. And an environmental science advisory committee brings this expertise to city decisions. A well-functioning advisory body provides key benefits. First, it provides technical expertise. Staff and officials address so many issues at one time. An advisory body creates a forum of experts who will give consistent informed input across policy areas over time. Second, it offers early guidance. Too often environmental concerns come in late to the game. An advisory committee highlights risks, trade-offs, and opportunities early, leading to better results in policy. Third, it helps evaluate co-benefits and systems thinking.
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