COLUMBUS – An operating budget proposed by Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther emphasizes safety, education, neighborhood blight and the opioid crisis
More than two-thirds of the $912 million spending plan for 2019 is earmarked for the city’s police and fire divisions, including expansion of Safe Streets bike patrol, new recruit classes and a cadet program which Ginther hopes will create a source of qualified and diverse candidates for future classes.
The budget sets aside $11 million for the Department of Neighborhoods, including area commissions, My Brother’s Keeper, the New American Initiative and planning in Linden and the Hilltop. This includes funding for 2 additional neighborhood liaisons as well as $6.1 million for Neighborhood Crisis Response efforts to create physical deterrents to crime.
The budget also includes $7.8 million for Code Enforcement to reduce nuisance property violations and illegal dumping.
The Department of Education’s Early Start Columbus receives $4.7 million for pre-kindergarten classroom openings and to increase the quality of the programs.
CelebrateOne, the city’s effort to reduce infant mortality, receives $1.8 million and $414,000 has been set aside for harm reduction programs in the battle against opioid addiction, including $250,000 allocated to the Safe Point Program, which provides access to the anti-overdose drug Naloxone, addiction counseling, treatment referrals and links to care.
The plan, which will be adopted by City Council in February, also includes continued funding for Recreation and Parks programs for youth and $1.75 million for the city’s Rainy Day Fund, which is projected to total $76 million by the end of the year.