Title
Notice/Advertisement Title: 2026 Operating Budget Hearing: Public Utilities and Sustainability
Contact Name: Emiliana Morales
Contact Telephone Number: (614) 645-2566
Contact Email Address: EMMorales@columbus.gov
Body
2026 Operating Budget Public Hearing:
Public Utilities and Sustainability
Minutes
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 3:30 PM Virtual
Present
Councilmember Christopher L. Wyche, Councilmember Emmanuel V. Remy, Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer, City Clerk Toya Johnson, Emiliana Morales, Pedro Mejia, Mark Carter, Tanisha Pruitt, Director Kristin Atha, Andrea Lossick, Tim Swauger, Jon Lee, Madison Hill, Wendy Tarr
Call to order
3:32 PM
Introductions
[Chair Wyche] Good Afternoon, I would like to call this hearing to order.
I would like to start off with thanking both Columbus Water and Power and the Department of Public Service’s staff for their service to our city during this extreme weather period. We cannot thank our City Staff enough.
Thank you to the Department staff and Councilmember Remy for being here as we review the mayor’s 2026 Operating Budget. Unfortunately, the proposed 2026 Operating Budget is tight, despite the growing costs we are seeing across the country, the needs are greater than ever. This afternoon we will hear presentations by the Department of Public Service’s Division of Refuse, Columbus Water & Power and Sustainable Columbus. We as the city must work together and make tough decisions on how and where we will spend taxpayer dollars. My hope is this hearing will provide residents insight on how the Departments are funded and what their priorities are coming into 2026.
Presentation: Department of Public Service, Division of Refuse
[Chair Wyche] With that, I will turn it over to Deputy Director Andrea Lossick and Administrator Tim Swauger to provide an overview of the Department of Public Service’s Division of Refuse’s proposed operating budget. Go ahead Administrator...
[Administrator Swauger] We as the Division of Refuse pick up household waste to over 300,000 single family homes, provide bulk pick up, container management (400,000 containers throughout the city), de-littering crews, Keep Columbus Beautiful among other programs. With that I am going to hand it over to Deputy Director Andrea Lossick.
[Deputy Director Lossick] Overview of the Department of Public Service and the different Divisions. The full proposed Department of Public Service budget is $178,911,569, which includes the $37,765,355 for the Division of Refuse. The $37,765,355 includes:
$17,501,184 for Personnel
$20,403,905 for Services
$250,000 for Supplies
$100,000 for Claims
$10,000 for Equipment
I am going to turn it back to Administrator Swauger to provide some more details about our programs.
[Administrator Swauger] Innovative programs like the Waste and Reuse Convivence Centers and the Food Scraps Drop-Off has really helped divert items from the landfill and increase recycling and composting. Residential Curbside recycling is now to weekly, and the types of items has expanded.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you Deputy Director Lossick and Administrator Swauger. Thank you for Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer for joining. I wanted to ask you to speak to the existing multifamily recycling pilot program. Will funding remain consistent under the proposed budget? What could you do with more?
[Administrator Swauger] We will be continuing that project in partnership with SWACO. There are some issues we are trying to work through, such as space for the recycling bins at the apartment complexes. Alot of the new developments are putting in space for the recycling dumpsters and installing them. Which is great. There is a lot of room for improvement, and we will continue to learn best practices from the pilot project. The project has gone really well and has a high quality of recycling waste. The 2026 budget will allow this to continue.
[Chair Wyche] That is good to hear. The education piece is real. We spoke with developers and that is what they point out. One more question from me before I kick it to my colleagues. This past year, DPS has finished converting all 300-gallon residential refuse containers to 90-gallon containers. Just curious how this impacts the budget.
[Administrator Swauger] On the budget there has been some trade-offs. Yes, the 90-gallon containers are cheaper to maintain, and we have seen less damage claims. With the 90-gallons we are physically picking up more containers than with the 300-gallon, however, now that we are only to 90-gallon, we only have to use one type of refuse truck. The 90-gallon containers mean more efficient with the routes and the amount of litter and illegal dumping in the alleys have significantly decreased.
[Chair Wyche] I know that the cleanly-ness of the alleys has converted some past opponents of the 90 gallons to supporters of the new system. I appreciate your work. Councilmember Remy, do you have any questions?
[Vice Chair Remy] Thank you. Administrator, I know the Rumpke/Recycling Contract is coming up soon. I wonder what will be the impact of the potential loss of SCMR funds for tipping fees for SWACO on recycling services in the city?
[Administrator Swauger] We have planned for this. We are fully funded for the contract. This is the final year for the Rumpke contract. We will go out to bid likely Feb/March of this year, so the new hauler has time to gear up.
[Vice Chair Remy] Did you touch on the food waste drop offs during your presentation?
[Administrator Swauger] Yes, slightly. We have 14 sites across the city, we see increased usage consistently and we will be continuing to expand more. We are working with SWACO to have a location to bring the waste locally, since currently we are hauling it out to London, OH.
[Vice Chair Remy] I just wanted to also give you an opportunity to plug the app.
[Administrator Swauger] Yes! Please download the Pickup CBUS App to your phone. Folks can find more information at <www.columbus.gov/Services/Trash-Recycling-Bulk-Collection>. The Pickup CBUS App will provide up to date information about the rotating pick up schedule for your home, along with additional information on how to recycle a variety of items, including hard to recycle items.
[Vice Chair Remy] Thank you for the work you do, and we look forward to the year ahead!
[Chair Wyche] Councilmember Day-Achauer, I just wanted to kick it to you to see if you have any thoughts or questions.
[CM Day-Achauer] No questions. I just wanted to say I am a huge fan of the 90-Gallon bins. Thank you.
[Administrator Swauger] I appreciate that Councilmember!
[Chair Wyche] I think the Administrator will always take praise on the 90-Gallon conversion. I appreciate you being here. That is, it for questions that I have for the Department. I appreciate you both being here and giving us a quick overview of the Department’s budget. We will let you go as we transition over to Columbus Water and Power.
Presentation: Columbus Water & Power
[Chair Wyche] Next, I would like to “bring up” Deputy Director Jon Lee to provide an overview of Columbus Water and Power’s proposed operating budget. Deputy Director, the “floor” is yours..
[Deputy Director Lee] Thank you for allowing me to present this afternoon on Columbus Water and Power’s proposed 2026 Operating Budget. Columbus Water and Power’s vision is providing clean water and reliable power for a Better Us, through the values of People, Integrity, Unity, Innovation, Environment and Excellence, with a mission to enhance the quality of the life in central Ohio by providing affordable, efficient, and environmentally responsible water and power utilities. The 2026 proposed operating budget for Columbus Water and Power is $951,240,600. That includes:
Directors Office: $73,676,452
- Personnel: $39,482,992
- Materials and Supplies: $1,296,740
- Services: $32,537,720
- Other: $83,000
- Capital: $320,000
Division of Water: $323,435,563
- Personnel: $63,495,485
- Materials and Supplies: $44,052,084
- Services: $85,470,947
- Principal: $85,611,402
- Other: $55,000
- Capital: $6,705,000
- Interest: $38,045,645
Division of Water Reclamation: $373,632,318
- Personnel: $59,247,163
- Materials and Supplies: $16,109,169
- Services: $78,166,484
- Principal: $154,365,028
- Other: $168,000
- Capital: $4,100,000
- Interest: $45,290,691
- Transfers: $16,174,783
Division of Stormwater: $46,164,772
- Personnel: $3,439,423
- Materials and Supplies: $137,900
- Services: $30,200,809
- Principal: $8,973,378
- Other: $10,000
- Capital: $110,000
- Interest: $3,293,172
Division of Power: $134,332,495
- Personnel: $14,656,587
- Materials and Supplies: $86,304,310
- Services: $19,305,582
- Principal: $2,366,563
- Other: $21,000
- Capital: $9,102,000
- Interest: $2,576,453
Thank you for allowing me to present and I am happy to take any questions.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you, Deputy Director Lee. I just have a few questions for you. First, you mentioned that the Department has large debt obligations. How do you manage this debt and utilize the low interest loans to keep rates affordable?
[Deputy Director Lee] Debt obligations is a significant portion of the proposed operating budget. To fund the departments capital plan, the department and the city auditor work together to find the cheapest avenues for borrowing. Typically, that is through the Ohio EPA and the Ohio Water Development Authority. These interest rates are significantly lower than if we went to the market to sell Bonds. Certain projects are not eligible and does require a standard bond. We look at all the projects in totality, the years those projects are needed, the years that the funding is needed, and trying to ensure we are getting the lowest rates for our customers.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you for that. I know we talked about this extensively during the hearing back in November where we discussed rates. You mentioned a focus is on regional growth - can you speak to how the projected growth for the region is reflected in your budget?
[Deputy Director Lee] We are fortunate to be a growing area and city. There is a growing demand on utility services, particularly water and wastewater. There is also power, but our power is around 18,000 customers. The biggest thing is building the fourth water plant, and this will help meet the growth needs of generations in the future. We are putting out to bid Q1 of this year with a contract later this year. This will likely be finished in 2033. We also need to plan for drought conditions, like in 2025, so we are building out new reservoirs. We need to maintain and increase our sewer capacity. Lastly, we need to improve our technology, like with our customer portal.
[Chair Wyche] One last question from me before handing it over to my colleagues, you recently increased the income-qualified and senior discount program percentages to keep utility bills affordable. In 2026, what ways does the department doing to make things more affordable and equitable?
[Deputy Director Lee] Thank you. We recently built out a team in the department to focus on supporting our discount programs, increasing enrollement and improving the programs.
[Chair Wyche] I am happy to hear that. Councilmember Remy, do you have any thoughts?
[Chair Vice Remy] Thank you for your presentation today! What is the cost to the department for the replacement of existing streetlights to the new LED streetlights? What are the long-term savings of the use of LED streetlights to the city and to residents?
[Deputy Director Lee] We do have money and programs planned for streetlight expansions. This will help us deploy a larger expansion project for distribution to help expand the streetlighting. There is a been a process place in the past, but now we are refreshing it for a new prioritization plan. That will be going out for RFP soon. The streetlights are the responsibility of the Division of Power, we are having to light streets outside of the service area and is paid for by the 18,000 customers. So we are working on it.
[Vice Chair Remy] Thank you. This is a place that we can have cross collaboration between departments. When we think about prioritization for the unlit streets, we should also be looking at the crime rates and prioritizing those unlit areas as well. Lighting is a huge advantage to decrease crime. I wanted to take to opportunity to challenge that department on that. I also wanted to ask about what is the cost to the department for the replacement of existing streetlights to the new LED streetlights? What is the long-term savings of the use of LED streetlights to the city and to residents?
[Deputy Director Lee] Yes, we have plans to deploy the LED street modernization plan. We will be converting all of the existing high-sodium lights to LEDs. This is part of goals within the Climate Action Plan, as well as saving the city significant dollars. This also will have a component where it will let the Division of Power know when lights are out. Currently we have to rely on 311 requests.
[Vice Chair Remy] Thank you. I look forward to the year ahead. Chair, that is all I have.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you, that point about cross collaboration is spot on. Councilmember Day-Achauer, do you have any questions or comments?
[CM Day-Achauer] No I am good, the streetlight question was addressed.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you Deputy Director for being here.
Presentation: Sustainable Columbus
[Chair Wyche] Finally, I would like to “call up” Deputy Director Madison Hill to provide an overview of Sustainable Columbus’ proposed operating budget. Deputy Director, when you are ready...
[Deputy Director Hill] The Sustainable Columbus is responsible for the city’s sustainability initiatives and is ensuring that the city will complete the Climate Action Plan. Part of that work is supporting other departments as they work towards their assigned goals within the Climate Action Plan. The proposed 2026 Operating Budget allocates $1 million for the proposed 2026 Operating budget to support personnel and staffing. This supports 7 FTEs working on citywide sustainability policy, programs, outreach and engagement, and communications. Also, Columbus Water and Power has allocated $1.2 million for FY26 for staff working on CWP sustainability initiatives. The funding supports a total of 9 staff who primarily work on Blueprint Columbus, Lead Service Line replacement, and GreenSpot. Sustainable Columbus also plans to continue to fund the partnership with IMPACT Community Action and the Empowered! Clean energy jobs program. That was just a quick highlight of our proposed operating budget, and I am happy to take any questions or dive deeper into any specific programs
[Chair Wyche] Thank you, Deputy Director Hill. We appreciate the work your team is doing to ensure Columbus meets the Climate Action Plan. Sustainable Columbus has a long-standing partnership with IMPACT Community Action to support their climate justice initiatives. Based on what we are seeing in the 2026 budget how, or is, that work planned to continue?
[Deputy Director Hill] Yes, the work is planning on continuing. We are working currently with IMPACT to review their funding needs as their programs are shifting and evolving. There are still outstanding funds that were never spent down that will be applied to continuing these programs.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you. One more question from me, how can the city improve our budget processes to better reflect and demonstrate our investments in sustainability and how we support our Climate Action Plan goals?
[Deputy Director Hill] Sustainable Columbus acts as the “project manager” for the Climate Action Plan. Each department is working on achieving their assigned goals within the Climate Action Plan, and Sustainable Columbus’ budget does not reflect that work.
[Chair Wyche] Exactly, we need to be better at tracking the work we are all doing to achieve the Climate Action Plan goals. Vice-Chair Remy, do you have any questions?
[Vice Chair Remy] CWP’s budget shows Sustainable Columbus budgeted at $8 million, however in your presentation both offices total just over $3 million. Can you explain the difference and what that other funding is for?
[Deputy Director Hill] Encompassed in this full $8m budget, outside of the $3m that covers staffing etc, is our solar power purchase agreements, LED lights, etc. It is captured in this budget because it is seen as meeting our Climate Action Plan
[Chair Wyche] Thank you, this goes back to the question on how we are categorizing our spending and tracking the work in each department. Thank you. Again, we know the work you are doing is tough in today’s political climate. We as a city must continue to be innovative in the way we are working if we plan on meeting all the goals within the Climate Action Plan. Thank you again Deputy Director Hill for your time.
We have two speakers that have signed up to testify. I would first like to call up Ms. Wendy Tarr from Accompanying Returning Citizens with Hope. Ms. Tarr, the floor is yours...
[Ms. Tarr] Thank you. We are one of the non-profit organization's that received funding from the Sustainable Columbus Workforce Development program. ARCH has a solar training program for re-entering community members.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you, Ms. Tarr for the work you and your organization are doing to support our community. I know Ms. Heather Wade with ECKERD Connects signed up, but I am not sure she is here.
Members of the public can find this afternoon’s Department presentations and additional information about the Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee on my Council website.
Closing Remarks
[Chair Wyche] Thank you again to Council Staff, the Department and members of the public for being here tonight. Settings like these are what helps residents understand where their tax dollars are going. My Council colleagues and I have a lot to think about and tough decisions to make. If you are interested in continuing to learn more about the mayor’s proposed Operating Budget, there is another hearing tomorrow afternoon, chaired by Councilmember Day-Achauer, about Neighborhoods, Recreation and Parks at 1:00pm in Council Chambers. As vice-chair I am planning on being there.
Stay safe and warm.
Thank you.
Adjournment
4:53pm