Council to Host Capital Improvement Budget Public Hearings
COLUMBUS, OH -- City Council President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown, chair of the Finance Committee, will hold four public hearings on the 2022 Capital Improvements Budget.
This year's capital budget of $1.24 billion includes significant funding for neighborhood investments related to physical assets such as roads, sewer and water infrastructure, parkland, affordable housing, and much more. These capital investments are vital for supporting residents’ quality of life and our local economy, and for this reason, the City sets aside a quarter of every dollar collected in City income tax to finance them.
“Our capital investments do their highest good when they align with residents’ needs, and that’s why I’m committed to making Council’s capital budget review process as accessible as possible for our residents," said President Pro Tem and Finance Committee Chair Elizabeth Brown.
Council invites residents to participate in one of the four upcoming Finance Committee meetings taking place around Columbus. Each hearing will contain an overview of how the City makes capital investments—from crafting the budget to getting shovels in the ground—before proceeding into presentations from City departments (e.g. Safety, Recreation and Parks, Public Health, Development, etc.).
Residents should expect the content of presentations to relate primarily to the side of town in which the hearing takes place: north, south, east, or west. Following those presentations, residents will have the opportunity to ask questions or offer feedback to department leaders and councilmembers.
Budget Hearing Dates and Locations
WEST
July 5
4:00-5:30 PM
Open Door Columbus
540 Industrial Mile Rd., Columbus, 43228
NORTH
July 7
5:30-7:00 PM
Woodward Park Community Center
5147 Karl Rd., Columbus, 43229
SOUTH
July 12
4:00-5:30 PM
Family Missionary Baptist Church
996 Oakwood Ave. Columbus, 43206
EAST
July 14
5:30-7:00 PM
Far East Community Center
1826 Lattimer Dr., Columbus, 43227
In addition to participating in the neighborhood-based hearings, City Council invites residents to share input on the needs in their areas by using the 2022 Columbus Capital Investment Input Form, which will empower City Council and departments to do the most with their input. The hearings will also be streamed live on on the City's YouTube page and City Council's Facebook page. Residents can leave questions or comments if they can't make it in person.
The $1.2 billion budget proposal, as well as an explanation of the capital budget and examples of capital assets can be found here (see "Proposed 2022 Capital Improvements Budget" and "Capital Budget Process").
Not sure which hearing to attend? Locate your area on the map on this page and take note of the number overlaying your area. A breakdown of which areas will be covered at each hearing appears below.
WEST: 30, 36, 37, 42, 52, 53, 54, 68
NORTH: 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49
SOUTH: 55, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 69,
EAST: 50, 51, 56, 57, 58, 65, 67