Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther is increasingly sparring in public with City Council President Shannon Hardin over his proposed budgets and the mechanisms used to fund city spending.
Since late August, Ginther has raised concerns about council potentially limiting his administration's plan to use what's called the "income tax set aside fund" to fill holes in the city's operating budget. Now, Hardin is pushing back at calls by the mayor to pass these budget proposals, saying he wants to hold public hearings to get input and oversight on the mayor's proposals.
Hardin has become more critical of Ginther in the past year and just announced his candidacy to run against Ginther for mayor in 2027.
The rift over the upcoming budget between the mayor and city council president has been discussed since at least late August, but it reared its head multiple times this month at city press conferences.
When announcing his $2.8 billion capital budget last week, Ginther said he had some serious concerns regarding some recent rhetoric surrounding potential restrictions on the income tax set-aside fund or to delay or potentially cancel a capital budget altogether. He called such a plan "fiscally unsound."
"This is not an abstract debate about city finances. There are real consequences for our neighborhoods. Limiting this crucial tool would equate to a $203 million reduction in our capital budget capacity. It would leave essential voter-approved bond projects without adequate funding and directly jeopardize the $87 million in local matching funds that currently unlock $134 billion in state and federal grants," Ginther said.
When asked Monday during Ohio State University's announcement moving the Moritz College of Law to downtown Columbus, Ginther reiterated this point to WOSU. He defended his approach, saying it is in line with past council budgets overseen by former city auditors Hugh Dorrian and Megan Kilgore.
"What has been discussed and contemplated by the council president and other council members is very much a major deviation from the Dorian-Kilgore way," Ginther said.
On Wednesday, the mayor went as far as to pressure a specific city council member, District 7's Tiara Ross, when holding a press conference about road improvements on Mt. Vernon Avenue.
"I hope this district council member, Councilmember Ross, will see the life-saving value of these important projects and proceed with my budget that focuses on neighborhoods, fire, safety," Ginther said.
Hardin was asked to respond to the mayor at a press conference preceding a public hearing on data center regulations Wednesday evening. Hardin seemed to brush off the mayor's urgent calls to pass the capital budget.
"We will do our part. Everything is not 'Gotcha' as I think that (Ginther) may be seeing ghost out there," Hardin said.
The council president said he is concerned about the mayor's use of this income tax fund. Hardin said he wants to hold public hearings and be "governing partners" with the mayor on the budget.
"We will have our public hearings. We will have those conversations, and we will move forward to make sure that Columbus continues to invest in safety, infrastructure, underground water, and all of those things," Hardin said.
This pot of money the mayor is tapping is made up of money the city deposits into a fund — about a quarter for every dollar of income tax revenue. The money usually goes towards bond debt payments and is lightly used to pay for city expenses.
Ginther's administration is proposing about $10 million of this money, combined with $8 million of money the city expects from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation, be used to plug an $18 million hole in the city's operating budget.
Meanwhile, the mayor is proposing record spending to the tune of $2.8 million on the city's capital budget.
The capital budget pays for large projects like road work and big purchases like fire trucks, while the operating budget pays for employee salaries and everyday city services.
In 2025, Ginther released his plan in late June and city council quickly passed it by the end of July. This year, Ginther didn't put forth his plan until a week ago in early September.
The spokesperson for the mayor's office said in a statement Thursday the administration typically aims to submit the proposal before Council's summer recess. This year, Council moved its recess to July and reconvened in late August.
"The administration welcomes Council's review and will participate in the legislative process, as it has in previous years," the statement said.
The mayor's office reiterated Ginther's concerns about proposals that could restrict the city's established financing tools.
If past years are an indicator, it could take several weeks for the budget to come to a vote at city council, if this simmering debate doesn't complicate matters and delay a decision.
