COLUMBUS – Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther’s 2020 Capital Improvements Budget, delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, includes nearly $25 million to address the city’s shortage of affordable housing, its continuing drug addiction crisis and set the stage for police reform.
The $1.4 billion budget announced Thursday includes $10 million to the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County over three years for a new addiction recovery facility, which Ginther says is expected to help more than 26,000 people n the first year.
Ginther says 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 setting aside $3 million for an East Side wellness center for police and fire to assist first responders in managing stress and work-related trauma.
The $11.5 million earmarked for construction and renovation of affordable housing is intended to leverage an estimated $83 million in additional investment to deliver more than 500 affordable housing units over the next two years.
Another $20 million has been set aside for street improvements and community centers in neighborhoods targeted for crime-prevention and anti-poverty efforts. The budget calls for $10 million for infrastructure improvements along Sullivant Avenue on the West Side, $3.7 million for reconstruction of Hudson Avenue from I-71 to Cleveland in Linden and additional funds for street and sidewalk construction throughout the city.
The spending plan also includes $6.5 million for the Hilltop Education Center, expected to break ground this year, $1.4 million for the Crittendon Community Center, under Directions for Youth and Families in the Far East, and $1 million towards a new Boys and Girls Club center in Milo-Grogan, as well as design work for pools at the Glenwood Community Center on the Hilltop and Windsor Pool in Linden.
City Council’s Finance Committee will hold a virtual hearing on the budget at noon on Monday.