Columbus mayor’s budget proposal calls for police and IT staff recruits

On November 14, 2024By Pranco

Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s proposed city budget for next year includes funding for three police recruitment classes as the department struggles with staffing and strengthening the city’s technology department in the wake of a devastating cyber attack.

Ginther on Wednesday announced his proposed 2025 general fund budget of $1.23 billion. This year’s proposed budget is slightly larger than last year’s operating $1.21 billion budget, making it the largest in city history.

“Investments we have made in recent years, especially in safety and housing, are proving their value, with Columbus leading the nation in homicide reduction and projected to increase the number of new homes by 21% by 2024,” he said. Ginther. “We will continue to make these proven investments that impact safety and affordability for all residents, while embracing opportunities to innovate and strengthen our support for every family in every Columbus neighborhood.”

The Columbus City Council will vote on the budget and add spending priorities in the coming months.

Municipal budget for more police recruits

Ginther is asking for $774 million for the Department of Public Safety, which manages fire, police and support services, a 3% increase over last year’s budget. Like last year, Ginther is calling for funding for three new police recruitment classes, which he says could amount to up to 180 new officers.

The Columbus Police Department did just that has struggled to hire and retain officers in recent years. Taking population into account, the city is underserved compared to Cleveland and Cincinnati. where civil servants also regret staffing problems. In these two cities there are more than three uniformed officers per thousand inhabitants.

Ginther’s proposal budgets for 2,117 uniformed officers, after budgeting for 1,980 officers last year. Even if Columbus meets that goal, that would be about 2.3 officers per 1,000 residents.

Brian A. Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge 9, said Columbus needs about 2,500 officers, but these recruiting classes are a start. It takes nearly a year for a recruit to go through the academy and other training to become a regular officer, Steel said. And in the meantime, the division will lose officers to war of attrition.

The proposed budget also includes funding for one fire recruit class, which could add 45 new firefighters. Last year’s budget funded three fire recruitment classes.

Ginther wants to strengthen IT after a cyber attack

The city is still recovering, four months after hackers infiltrated the city’s computer systems leaked personal data of citizens on the dark web.

Ginther is proposing $1.6 million for 25 additional full-time Department of Technology employees to build out the city’s IT infrastructure and data management.

Ginther told The Dispatch he expects to ask for a significant increase in technology funding in the city’s capital budget. That budget is presented every year in June.

Affordable housing and other budget proposals

Ginther’s proposed budget also calls for:

$4.3 million for staff to administer $83 million in affordable housing bonds, grants and federal housing dollars.
$26.8 million for summer, after-school and job preparation programming to keep youth engaged in safe activities.
$10 million in grants to social service organizations that serve vulnerable residents and neighborhoods.

Ginther’s administration expects there will be $105 million left in the city’s rainy day fund by the end of this year.

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