Mayor Andrew J. Ginther Announces 2020 Capital Improvements Budget
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther today announced the 2020 Capital
Improvements Budget (CIB) which includes nearly $113 million in new
infrastructure projects to support police reform, increase affordable housing
and invest in Columbus neighborhoods.
“This year has wreaked havoc on our community. The global
pandemic, an economic recession, a spike in gun violence and a national
reckoning over racial injustice means our capital budget must be laser
focused,” said Mayor Ginther. “We’ve heard loud and clear what residents want:
police reform, affordable housing and neighborhood improvements, and that’s
where we will invest their tax dollars.”
To change police response to addiction, mental illness and
people in crisis, the city is allocating $10 million over three years to the
Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County to build a new
facility for addiction recovery. The facility is expected to help more than
26,000 people in crisis in the first year alone. The investment is part of a
strategy to provide those in mental health or addiction crisis the care they
need and allow police officers to place greater focus on preventing violent
crime.
The city is also dedicating $3 million to an Eastside
wellness center for police and fire to assist first responders in managing
stress and work-related trauma. The center is an investment in the physical and
emotional health of police officers and firefighters, to promote wellness and
to better equip Columbus safety forces to serve the community.
A total of $11.5 million will support the construction and
renovation of affordable housing units. This investment will leverage an
estimated $83 million in additional investment and deliver more than 500
affordable housing units over the next 24 months. In addition, $2.5 million
will be invested through Community Development For All People for affordable
housing on the South Side, representing the second half of Mayor Ginther’s $5
million commitment to the South Side Community. Once complete, this investment
will provide 75 new and rehabilitated units.
Other neighborhood investments include:
- $6.5 million for the Hilltop Education Center,
expected to break ground this year
- $3.7 million for reconstruction of Hudson Avenue
from I-71 to Cleveland
- $10 million in infrastructure improvements along
Sullivant Ave.
- Design work for pools at the Glenwood Community
Center in Hilltop and Windsor Pool in Linden
- $1.4 million for Crittendon Community Center
under Directions for Youth and Families in the Far East
- $1 million towards a new Boys and Girls Club
center in Milo-Grogan
- Street and sidewalk construction throughout the
city
The total CIB
is $1.4 billion, including all funds and carryover. Columbus City Council will
hold a hearing on the budget at noon, November 9.