Title
Notice/Advertisement Title: Citizens Commission on Elected Official Compensation Minutes
Contact Name: Kirsten Estose
Contact Telephone Number: 614-645-2728
Contact Email Address: kmestose@columbus.gov
Body
The 2026 Citizens’ Commission on Elected Official Compensation met for the fifth time on Thursday, March 12 at 8:30 a.m. in Columbus City Hall, Council Chambers (90 W Broad St, Second Floor, Columbus, OH 43215). Chair Christopher Moses, Commissioner Andrea Blevins, Commissioner Liz Caslin-Turner, Commissioner Alyvia Johnson, and Commissioner Monica L. Womack were in attendance.
Call to Order
Chair Moses called the meeting to order at 8:32am.
Presentation on the Duties of the Mayor
Chief of Staff to the Mayor, Elon Simms, presented on the roles and responsibilities of the Mayor.
Chief Simms highlighted the large scope of the Mayor's work, reviewed major achievements over the course of Mayor Ginther's time in office, and spoke to what's ahead for the Mayor's Office.
Chair Moses asked which cities Chief Simms sees as peer cities when it comes to the role of the Mayor.
Chair Moses asked about what skills are required to serve effectively as Mayor.
Commissioner Womack asked about whether the Mayor's Office plans to expand in terms of staffing in the future.
Presentation on the Benchmark City Survey
Greg Beaverson, the City’s compensation manager, provided a presentation on the survey responses from benchmark cities as it pertains to the compensation of the City Attorney and of the City Auditor. The City Attorney is currently paid the median rate of the surveyed cities. The City Auditor is paid 32% more than the median rate of the surveyed cities.
Mr. Beaverson noted an unusual response regarding the City Attorney's compensation from Cincinnati, Ohio, and a confusing response from San Antonio, Texas regarding whether the City Attorney is appointed or elected. These points will require further research by staff.
Commissioner Johnson asked, regarding the compensation of the auditors, if perhaps the higher compensation of Columbus' City Auditor is due to a greater scope with additional responsibilities.
Commissioner Womack notes that Auditor Kilgore had mentioned Washington DC as a peer city in terms of the role of the auditor, and that for both the auditor and the attorney, DC's compensation rates were most similar to Columbus'.
Commissioner Womack asked if the Commission can recommend changes to the survey to the 2030 Commission.
Discussion and Deliberation
Chair Moses noted the significance of density and of the scope of city services in understanding the data.
Commissioner Blevins requested information on the decisions of previous commissions.
Commissioner Blevins asked about how the cost-of-living-adjustment is determined and the level of discretion the Commission has in that decision.
Chair Moses noted the significance of population growth peers as compared to regional neighbors.
Commissioner Johnson noted the 50.8% rate of female persons in Columbus, theorizing that the percentage might increase with the Mayor's focus on women's sports.
Chair Moses noted the 38.2% bachelor's degree attainment rate in Columbus, which was lower than he expected.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:33am.
The next meeting of the Commission will be on March 19th at 8:30am in City Council Chambers.