Title
Notice/Advertisement Title: Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2, Community Crisis Response Services
Contact Name: Toya J. Johnson
Contact Telephone Number: (614) 645-3377
Contact Email Address: tjjohnson@columbus.gov
Body
Form No. 126 Prescribed by Secretary of State (09-17)
Notice of Election on Proposition
R.C. 3501.11(G)
Notice is hereby given that in pursuance of an Ordinance of the City Council of Columbus, Ohio, passed on the 2nd day of March, 2026, there will be submitted to a vote of the people of the City of Columbus at the Primary/Special Election to be held at the regular places of voting on Tuesday, the 5th day of May, 2026 the question of:
Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2, Community Crisis Response Services
This proposed amendment establishes a community crisis response system in the city designed to respond to emergency and non-emergency calls for service that require a different approach from the traditional police- or fire-only dispatch. This includes the creation of an internal office, division, or department that would manage these services, in collaboration and coordination with relevant community partners, crisis hotlines, and city, county, state, and federal agencies, and mandating unarmed response services be made available for appropriate calls for service. The amendment would also establish an advisory board to oversee and make recommendations in this effort and requires that the board meet at least quarterly. The amendment mandates funding for community crisis response operations in an amount sufficient to pay for the personnel, services and other resources needed for the planning, implementation, and sustainability of community crisis response. Funding could be reduced only proportionate to overall decreases in city budget and with public justification. The amendment would also require the City to conduct proactive engagement with residents to keep them apprised of operations.
Shall the proposed charter amendment be adopted?
The polls for the election will be open at 6:30 a.m. and remain open until 7:30 p.m. on election day.
By order of the Board of Elections,
of Franklin County, Ohio.
Douglas J. Preisse
Chair
Antone White
Director
Dated 03/06/2026
Full text: Ordinance 0657-2026
Explanation
BACKGROUND This ordinance provides for the submission to the electors of the city of Columbus the question of amending the Charter of the City of Columbus, as relates to community crisis response services. For the past several years, cites across the country, including Columbus, have looked to reimagine public safety. This includes how cities respond to calls for service. Police, as well as firefighters, had long been asked to respond to any calls that came through for service, whether they be emergency or non- emergency. This had them doing not only their assigned duties, but also required them to act as social workers, behavioral health specialists, mediators, and the like. Police and Fire have been required to respond to crisis calls that involved behavioral health, homelessness, and similar situations. And, in some tragic circumstances, the response of armed law enforcement escalated the situations, resulting in injuries and sometimes even deaths. During an extensive, multi-year engagement with stakeholders including City officials, safety forces, community activists, faith leaders and others, City Council has enacted several different policy and programming reforms that seek to change how Police and Fire interact with residents, including the creation of a civilian police review board, requirements for how to interact with non-violent protestors, and funding alternative response services such as Mobile Crisis Response, RREACT, and an upcoming medical triage line. To continue its mission to ensure that every resident receives the right response by the right professional for these calls for service, Council is proposing an amendment to the City Charter that establishes a community crisis response service system for the City. This includes the creation of an internal office, division, or department that would coordinate and collaborate around the provision of these services, as appropriate. The amendment would also establish an advisory board to oversee and make recommendations in this effort, as well as mandating funding for community crisis response system operations. Pursuant to Section 45 of the City Charter, this council will submit “Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2, Community Crisis Response Services” to the electors at a regular municipal election to be called and held no less than 60 nor more than 120 days from passage of this ordinance. However, given that there is no regular municipal election in 2026, a special election must be called and this question will be submitted to electors at said special election to be held concurrently with the regular primary election on May 5, 2026. Title To submit to the electors of the city of Columbus at a special election to be held concurrently with the regular primary election on May 5, 2026, the question of amending the Charter of the City of Columbus, such question to be known as "Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2, Community Crisis Response Services.”
Body
WHEREAS, for the past several years, cites across the country, including Columbus, have looked to reimagine public safety; and
WHEREAS, during an extensive, multi-year engagement with stakeholders including City officials, safety forces, community activists, faith leaders and others, City Council has enacted several different policy and programming reforms; and
WHEREAS, to continue its mission to ensure that every resident receives the right response by the right professional for these calls for service, Council is proposing an amendment to the Charter that establishes a community crisis response service system for the City; and
WHEREAS, since no regular municipal election will be held in 2026, a special election shall be called to place the proposed charter amendment on the May 5, 2026 ballot at a special election to be held concurrently with the primary election, per Section 45-2 of the City Charter; and
WHEREAS, Section 42-12 of the Charter of the City of Columbus requires that it is immediately necessary to authorize submission of Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2, Community Crisis Response Services to the electors to assure timely filing with the boards of elections for placement on the May 5, 2026 ballot; NOW, THEREFORE;
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. The city council hereby finds that a regular municipal election will not be held in 2026. Therefore, pursuant to City Charter Section 45-2, a special election is hereby called to place the question hereinafter set forth on the May 5, 2026 ballot to be held concurrently with the general election, a date which is not less than 60 nor more than 120 days from passage of this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That there be submitted to the electors of the city of Columbus the question of amending the Charter of the City of Columbus, such question and proposed amendments being set forth as an attachment (FINAL PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CHARTER Community Crisis Response Services) hereto and hereby made a part hereof.
SECTION 3. That the question submitted in Section 2 be and hereby is known as "Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2, Community Crisis Response Services."
SECTION 4. That the city clerk is directed to forthwith serve a certified copy of this ordinance upon the boards of elections of Franklin County, Delaware County, and Fairfield County, Ohio.
SECTION 5. That the boards of elections of Franklin County, Delaware County, and Fairfield County, Ohio be and hereby are requested to place the question, "Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2, Community Crisis Response Services" upon the ballot to be submitted to the electors as provided for and upon the date set forth herein.
SECTION 6. That in the event the Charter Amendment is adopted by the electorate, the Department of Public Safety, Columbus Public Health, and any other applicable department, division, or office as may be further designated by ordinance of Council, are directed to develop a plan for a community crisis response services system, inclusive of non-police crisis teams, to be operational by February 1, 2028 and to be available as needed twenty four hours a day and seven days a week by February 1, 2030.
SECTION 7. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to take immediate effect and be in force from and after passage, pursuant to Section 42-12 of the Charter of the City of Columbus.
0657-2026 Attachment #1 PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT NO. 2, COMMUNITY CRISIS RESPONSE SERVICES - SUMMARY
This proposed amendment establishes a community crisis response system in the city designed to respond to emergency and non-emergency calls for service that require a different approach from the traditional police- or fire-only dispatch. This includes the creation of an internal office, division, or department that would manage these services, in collaboration and coordination with relevant community partners, crisis hotlines, and city, county, state, and federal agencies, and mandating unarmed response services be made available for appropriate calls for service. The amendment would also establish an advisory board to oversee and make recommendations in this effort and requires that the board meet at least quarterly. The amendment mandates funding for community crisis response operations in an amount sufficient to pay for the personnel, services and other resources needed for the planning, implementation, and sustainability of community crisis response. Funding could be reduced only proportionate to overall decreases in city budget and with public justification. The amendment would also require the City to conduct proactive engagement with residents to keep them apprised of operations.
0657-2026 Attachment #2 - FINAL PROPOSED AMENDMENT CHARTER AMENDMENT - COMMUNITY CRISIS RESPONSE SERVICES
Charter Amendment - Community Crisis Response Services
Title: The Community Crisis Response Amendment. An amendment to the Columbus City Charter to enhance services for responses to 911 calls and other calls for assistance, including but not limited to crises pertaining to behavioral health, homelessness, and others that may be nonviolent, by deploying the most appropriate intervention available; establishing the framework for the creation of a department, division, or office to implement, develop, and sustain the community crisis response system; establishing an advisory board to make recommendations regarding the system; and outlining processes to fund, develop, implement, and sustain the system.
Sec. 218 - Community crisis response system; purpose. A comprehensive system of crisis response services is hereby established to: Provide and facilitate responses to persons in crisis available as needed 24 hours a day/7 days a week using specialized, appropriate, and the least invasive non-police intervention available for situations that do not involve substantial risk of death or bodily harm to persons, including but not limited to, crisis involving behavioral health and/or homelessness; Integrate and coordinate dispatching protocols, crisis services, and relevant programming across relevant community partners and city, county, state, and federal agencies; Prioritize standardized training, safety standards, and program models that are person-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally-competent, and that align with relevant government regulations and best practices as well as professional and accreditation standards in the fields of public safety, crisis intervention, behavioral health, and other relevant fields.
Sec. 219 - Establishment of the community crisis response system City Council shall establish by ordinance the following: Creation of a department, division, or office to implement, develop, and sustain the community crisis response system, in collaboration and coordination with relevant community partners, crisis hotlines, and city, county, state, and federal agencies The department, division, or office shall have at minimum the following responsibilities: Provide and facilitate responses to persons in crisis using specialized, appropriate, and the least invasive non-police intervention available for situations that do not involve substantial risk of death or bodily harm to persons, including but not limited to, crises involving behavioral health and/or homelessness; Design non-police crisis response teams to act as presumptive first responders where appropriate, which may include but is not limited to clinicians, community response workers, case managers, and trained peer support workers; Develop a set of integrated crisis services that include, but are not limited to: screening, assessment, stabilization, and de-escalation; transportation and transport services where requested and as authorized; and follow-up support and connection to services. Collaborate and coordinate with all emergency call and dispatch services and crisis hotlines to align protocols and identify, assess, and route appropriate calls for assistance; Contract or partner externally where necessary for safety, legal, financial, or clinical considerations, Collect data and make public annual evaluation and continuous improvement reports, in collaboration with the advisory board, including analysis of volume and types of calls received, call diversion, triage, risk assessment, service provision and usage, demographics, and response times, subject to the restrictions of applicable federal and state law. Conduct proactive community outreach. No provision of this section shall be construed to diminish any existing or future collective bargaining agreement, preexisting staffing or compensation decisions, or rights of employees of the City of Columbus.
Sec. 220 - Community crisis response advisory board There shall be a community crisis response advisory board to oversee planning, implementation, and sustainability of the community crisis response system, which shall be comprised of an odd number of members, a majority of whom shall constitute a quorum. The board shall advise the Mayor and City Council on the community crisis response system, funding, services, evaluation, and coordination and perform such other duties consistent with the provisions of this Charter as may be authorized by ordinance. The Mayor and City Council shall make appointments, following an open application process. The members shall be representative of the diverse communities within the City of Columbus on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, ethnicity, age, familial status, military status, socioeconomic status, geographic region, lived experience of crises, and professional experience. The members shall include representatives from relevant collective bargaining units. The board shall meet at least quarterly.
Sec. 221 - Funding Funding shall be appropriated on an annual basis in an amount sufficient to pay for the personnel, services, and other resources necessary for the planning, implementation, and sustainability of community crisis response system. Funding shall grow over time in a manner consistent with inflation and service utilization. Annual appropriations shall not be reduced from the prior budget year unless warranted by exigent financial circumstances such as an overall reduction to the City's budget, in the event of which, the annual appropriation for services shall not be reduced in an amount disproportionate to the overall impact of financial challenges on city expenditures. The Mayor shall set forth the basis for any reduction in writing to the Council at the time of submission or adoption, as applicable, of any budget or budget modification. No provision of this section shall be construed to disallow the City from structuring services in such a manner that qualifies them for non-City funding sources.