Title
Funding Review Advisory Committee Public Hearing
Minutes
Body
Thursday, October 1, 2026 12:30 PM Council Chambers
CALL TO ORDER
Explanation of purpose for public hearing; introduction of those in attendance.
Call to Order: 12:30
Present
• Nicholas J. Bankston, Council Member - Chair of the Finance and Governance Committee
• Melissa Green, Council Member - Chair of the Health, Human Services & Equity Committee
• Sandy Doyle-Ahern Chair - Funding Review Advisory Committee
• Rob Moore - Scioto Analysis
• Bhumika Patel, Deputy Director - Human Services Chamber
• Adam Rowan, Chief Compliance & Operating Officer - Community Shelter Board
• Níel Jurist, Chief Communications & Government Affairs Officer - Community Shelter Board
• Mitch Menchaca, Executive Director - Greater Columbus Arts Council
• Brian Ross, Executive Director - Experience Columbus
• Amy Holihan, , Executive Director - Music Columbus
• Sue Porter, Executive Director - BalletMet
• Rachel Lustig, President and CEO - Lutheran Social Services
• Elizabeth Brown, CEO - YWCA Columbus
• Addie Natalie, Chief Advancement Officer - Adaptive Sports Connection
• Kenneth Paul, , Executive Director - Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA)
• Haley Gerken, Legislative Aide to Councilmember Melissa Green - Columbus City Council
• John Drury, Legislative Analyst to Councilmember Melissa Green - Columbus City Council
• Thomas Strefelt, Legislative Intern to Councilmember Melissa Green - Columbus City Council
• Jean-Philippe Dorval, Legislative Aide to Councilmember Nicholas J. Bankston - Columbus City Council
• Jonathan Brown, Legislative Analyst to Councilmember Nicholas J. Bankston - Columbus City Council
• John Oswalt, Senior Legislative Analyst - Columbus City Council
• Marshall Troxel, Assistant Director of Community and Legislative Affairs - Columbus Mayor's Office
• John Tannous, Chief of Staff - Columbus City Council
INTRODUCTION
Opening Remarks:
[CM Bankston]
• Introduction to the Funding Review Advisory Committee, its function, and the findings of the report commissioned.
• Covers the agenda for today’s hearing, and thanks the present Councilmembers
[CM Green]
• She thanks the attendees and discusses the current financial climate in Columbus.
PRESENTATION - FRAC Report Overview
[Chair Sandy Doyle-Ahern]
• Acknowledges the process of the FRAC and the role that Federal funding challenges impacted the FRAC process.
• Recommendations should be viewed as a toolbox with limitations to be utilized by the City of Columbus in addressing the funding gaps.
• Recommendations: Human Services needs are most urgent, and FRAC calls for sustained funding, without addressing permanent solutions. Arts funding is to be sustained with a tiered process. Travel and Tourism is necessary and needs to be bolstered as a source of revenue.
• Findings:
o Cultural arts, take advantage of a cigarette tax at the County level. Nothing happens to the arts until that tax goes into effect.
o Travel and Tourism: Strengthening and reallocation of the City Hotel Motel tax.
o Human Service Sector: Car rental surcharge, ride share excise tax, County conveyance fee, human services levy.
[CM Bankston]
• Thanks Chair Doyle-Ahern.
• Transitioning to Rob Moore, with Scioto Analysis
PRESENTATION - Financial Mechanisms Presentation, Scioto Analysis
[Rob Moore]
• Introduction to Scioto Analysis, their role with FRAC.
• Covered the revenue mechanisms analyzed, how they estimated potential revenue, and how to interpret estimates.
[CM Bankston]
• Asks what level of authority can be attributed to the different mechanisms
[Rob Moore]
• Different categories, admin agencies, different levels of government, or constitutional amendment at the State level.
[CM BdP]
• Asks about return on investment for the specific mechanisms. Asks how we can prevent potential pitfalls in future implementation of the recommended mechanisms.
[Rob Moore]
• States that Scioto Analysis did not conduct return on investment analysis.
[CM Bankston]
• Summarizes previous points made by both Rob and CM BdP. Mentions that the City wants to pursue the path of least resistance in implementation of the mechanisms.
[Chair Doyle-Ahern]
• States that there isn’t a single source that will solve the issues present within the sector.
[CM Green]
• Mentions the report commissioned by the Franklin County Human Services Chamber and the City of Columbus, which found a $200 million deficit to shore up social safety nets.
• Echoes the need to implement multiple funding mechanisms to fill the financial gap.
• Introduces the partner presentations, specifically Bhumika Patel with the Human Services Chamber of Franklin County.
PRESENTATION - Sector Feedback, Human Services Chamber of Franklin County
[Bhumika Patel, Deputy Director]
• Introduces HSC and calls for immediate implementation of the recommended funding mechanisms.
• States a shared sentiment within their membership base, and the dire financial circumstances within the sector and their membership.
• Mentions a sector survey that found that the industry continues to grow, but their operations continue to become more difficult to maintain.
• States that the HSC does not believe a single funding mechanism will solve the current financial gap.
• Recommendations: Reimbursement of services, overhead coordination, regional framework for the deployment of resources.
[CM Green]
• Doesn’t believe that the City of Columbus should not be the funding of first-resort, but that in the current climate the City is the funder of last-resort.
[CM Bankston]
• Asks for further information on the breadth of service providers present within the Human Services Chamber in an effort to define the priorities within such a broad collection of non-profit organizations.
[Bhumika Patel]
• Defines the HSC membership base, and the organizations they support who aren’t part of the membership base.
[CM Bankston]
• Further addresses the complicated non-profit sector and the next-steps in the evaluation process.
[CM Green]
• Calls for collective community impact model in funding the human services sector. Points to GCAC as an example of what that would look like.
[CM BdP]
• Agrees with the idea of a collective impact model but addresses the constant demand for non-profits to stretch themselves further.
[CM Green]
• Calls on the funding entities to solve the issues within the sector, rather than asking non-profits to solve their funding complications and the administrative burden.
[CM BdP]
• Calls on the philanthropic sector to maintain consistency within their approach to funding the non-profit community.
[CM Green]
• Hands the floor to Community Shelter Board
PRESENTATION - Sector Feedback, Community Shelter Board
[Adam Rowan, Chief Compliance and Operations Officer]
• Mentions the long-term commitment to restructuring the funding mechanisms.
• Presents the function and goals of CSB.
• Discusses the findings of their Point-in-time count, and the growth of unsheltered homelessness in the region.
• Discusses CSB’s role within the homeless response system, and their belief that multiple sustainable funding mechanisms are required to bolster the system.
[CM Green]
• Addresses the volume experiences by the Resilient Housing Initiative, and points to this as the demand within the system.
• Asks Adam what needs they’re seeing currently within the system.
[Adam Rowan]
• Points to the waitlist in the shelter system as evidence of the demand. States that the system is a connected continuum that needs to be maintained in order to properly address the root causes of unsheltered homelessness.
[CM Bankston]
• Asks Adam Rowan how much it costs to rehouse someone or keep them stable
[Adam Rowan]
• $1 to $6.50 per.
[CM Bankston]
• States how the safety net is deteriorating, and how we need to move up-stream.
• Asks whether solving the funding gaps within one subsector could open access to more funds for other subsectors of the human services chamber.
[Chair Doyle-Ahern]
• Mentions that when they looked at the housing system in relation to CSB, that it’s part of a larger conversation around housing access at-large.
[CM Green]
• Speaks about the struggle of financial instability and its impact.
• Welcome GCAC to the floor.
PRESENTATION - Sector Feedback, Greater Columbus Arts Council
[Mitch Menchaca, President & CEO]
• Introduces himself and the Greater Columbus Arts Council.
• Addresses the changes to the arts community since the completion of the FRAC.
• Mentions how current funding mechanisms benefit their ability to bolster the arts community.
• Calls for the study of additional revenue mechanisms.
• Reiterates the importance of the arts and tourism sector within Columbus.
[CM Green]
• Thanks Mitch, and states that she shares a belief that the sector needs to address additional funding mechanisms and stress-test some of the mechanisms.
[CM Bankston]
• Asks Mitch to share some of the additional mechanisms that weren’t included in the report.
[Mitch Menchaca]
• Mentions the directing of funds from specific City budgets, and asks to look at mechanisms being used in other cities.
[CM Green]
• Asks about the fluctuations within the money received from the ticket tax
[Mitch Menchaca]
• States that its very dependent on the events taking place in the city, and that its difficult to estimate future revenue.
[CM Green]
• Welcomes Experience Columbus
PRESENTATION - Sector Feedback, Experience Columbus
[Brian Ross, Executive Director - Experience Columbus]
• States that EC supports the FRAC findings and funding mechanisms.
• Introduces Experience Columbus, their role within the City of Columbus, and discusses the shortfalls in funding, especially when compared to other major cities.
• Asks for an increase in $15 million per year for Experience Columbus, and states findings that show a return on investment.
[CM Green]
• Asks how Experience Columbus would react to a redirection of the ticket tax revenue.
[Brian Ross]
• Reiterates that the multi-stage approach would be vital to preserving the condition of the arts and tourism sector.
[CM Bankston]
• States that a deviation from the recommendation to that extreme would be unreasonable.
• Asks Brian to speak more about the return on investment, and what’s happening within the tourism economy and competition.
[Brian Ross]
• Points to other major regional competitors and how they’re ahead in major tourist metrics.
[CM Day-Achuar]
• Speaks to the importance of tourism within a major city.
[CM BdP]
• Asks Brian what the largest tourist draw is to Columbus
[Brian Ross]
• Leisure tourists are our largest sector. Second is sports and conventions.
[CM BdP]
• Asks Brian what else we can do to fund the tourism sector.
[Brian Ross]
• Points to other cities that have other forms of tax like a prepared food tax, bed tax, ticket tax, ride share tax, among others.
[CM BdP]
• Asks Brian if Experience Columbus is exploring the other mechanisms.
• Points to the area tax within the Short North to fund their growth.
[Brian Ross]
• They’re exploring the new mechanisms, exploring tourism development region, which would need State assistance. States that this is being utilized in tandem within other cities.
[CM BdP]
• Echoes the importance of the tourism economy.
[Brian Ross]
• States that these taxes that they’re exploring need to be directed towards the human services sector and that the tourism agency wants to stay within the Bed Tax
[CM Bankston]
• Asks if there is an opportunity to market new parts of the City of Columbus through additional funds.
[Brian Ross]
• Points to lack of awareness of the city, and states that we need to use funds to expand regional awareness.
[CM Day-Achuar]
• Speaks to the importance of regional awareness of Columbus
[Chair Doyle-Ahern]
• Mentions that it’s important to note that specific mechanisms are not tied to direct sectors, and that it’ll be important to have the discussion around where funds go.
[CM Green]
• Closes the conversation and mentions the order of operations in funding allocations.
• Begins public comment section.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
[Amy Holihan, Executive Director - Music Columbus]
• Introduces herself and Music Columbus.
• Mentions a report that shows the importance of the music economy within Columbus.
• Supports the FRAC findings.
[CM Green]
• Welcomes the next speaker.
[Sue Porter, Executive Director - BalletMet]
• Introduces herself and her organization. States that their organization embraces the FRAC findings.
• Believes that the next step should be to convene a group that discusses the implementation of revenue mechanisms. Calls for the facilitation of this process and that it’s the city’s job.
[CM BdP]
• Asks Sue Porter why BalletMet was experiencing a downturn in ticket sales.
[Sue Porter]
• Points toward the poor economic conditions and that tickets don’t sell well in poor economic conditions.
[CM Green]
• Welcomes the next speaker.
[Rachel Lustig, President and CEO - Lutheran Social Services]
• Introduces herself and Lutheran Social Services.
• Addresses current financial struggles and their difficulty maintaining operations. Explains how they’ve managed to continue operating by cutting operations.
• Calls for sustainable funding implementation immediately.
[CM Green]
• Responds to Rachel with the belief that City Council needs to immediately to these gaps, and empathizes with Rachel and her experiences as a CEO.
• Welcomes the next speaker.
[Elizabeth Brown, CEO - YWCA Columbus]
• Introduces YWCA and their role within the City of Columbus.
• Speaks to the funding disparity within the shelter system.
• States that growth in tourism walks hand-in-hand with growth in the human services sector.
• Calls for a sustainable funding model for the shelter system.
[CM BdP]
• Thanks Elizabeth Brown and reiterates that we need to address the solutions immediately.
[CM Green]
• Welcomes the next speaker.
[Addie Natalie, Chief Advancement Officer - Adaptive Sports Connection]
• Introduces Adaptive Sports Connection.
• Calls for sustainable and predictable funding.
[CM Green]
• Thanks Addie Natalie for her comment, and shares a personal story.
• Welcomes the final speaker
[Kenneth Paul, Executive Director - Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA]
• Introduces himself and the role of the FCCFA in Columbus’s tourism sector.
• Speaks to the importance of sustainable funding within the tourism sector, especially with incentives.
• Addresses the NCA, its progress, and how it supports their ability to stay competitive.
[CM Green]
• Thanks Ken and ends the public speaker segment.
CLOSING REMARKS
[CM Bankston]
• Provides closing remarks, thanks the guests, and calls for collaboration across the sectors in the implementation of the funding mechanisms.
Adjournment
Adjourned: 3:05
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