Columbus City Council is scheduled to vote on a nearly $1 billion annual budget Monday night, following a failed bid to delay police hiring.
The dispute started a little more than two weeks ago. Council president Shannon Hardin proposed an amendment that would have canceled hiring a planned June class of police recruits, while a review of police hiring and recruiting practices proceeds.
The majority of members backed the change, but Priscilla Tyson and Mitchell Brown opposed the idea. Police leadership and Mayor Andrew Ginther added their voices to the opposition as well.
Hardin's plan was to vote on the budget as emergency legislation, which meant it would take effect immediately, but that requires six of council’s seven members for passage. One vote shy of that number, Hardin scrapped the plan last Monday.
Under city charter, Columbus Council can’t change the budget and vote on it at the same meeting, so restoring the June police class meant pushing the final vote to this evening.
