COLUMBUS, Ohio — Mayor Andrew Ginther presented the 2021 operating budget for the city of Columbus Thursday morning.
He said the proposed budget is $5 million less than last year, for a total of $964 million.
Ginther proposed to cut $20 million from the Columbus Division of Police budget and has shifted that money to hire social workers.
He said they will be embedded with police and fire. This comes at a time when the city is seeing record amounts of violence.
It would cut the number of patrol officers from 1,134 to 1,084.
With a bigger need for funding for public health and a smaller budget to work with, Ginther argued tough cuts needed to be made.
“That's roughly $20 million less for police this year than last year, but it is important to understand that resources have been shifted to public health,” Ginther said.
Part of the cuts to the Division of Police moves the human resources and finance departments under public safety. There is also a plan to move 911 call takers outside the department.
The proposed budget set aside $825,000 for the expansion of the ShotSpotter program
There will be no new deposits into the rainy day fund and there are no proposed furloughs or layoffs for city workers.
The mayor has added $6 million to the fire department’s budget.
The proposed budget for the Civilian Review Board is $1 million for the first year.
Ginther said his priorities in 2021 are investing in neighborhoods, police reform, public health, economic development, affordable housing, infant mortality, diversity and inclusion.
Documents from the city detailing the budget can be seen here. The 2020 general budget for the city was $969 million.
In September, the city council passed an ordinance to reduce the general fund by $41.5 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As we work on our budget for 2021, we need to anticipate this lost revenue that may well continue into the next year," Ginther said at the time.
Since the coronavirus emerged earlier this year, city leaders have worked to decrease spending through eliminating travel, delaying raises and imposing a hiring freeze on most positions.
“It has been a very challenging year for the city of Columbus. COVID-19 has created a health crisis, a human service crisis and an economic crisis,” explained Finance Director Joe Lombardi.
With Governor Mike DeWine threatening more shutdowns, Ginther says that would have a big economic impact on his proposed budget.
“Absolutely I am concerned, anytime you are dealing with an economic crisis and the threat of a longer-term economic recession. As you know, nearly 80% of our general fund from income tax revenue. If people aren't working, and working decent-paying jobs, city services are at risk,” Ginther said.
The budget presentation can be seen in the player below.