One of the two ballot issues seeking to reform how Columbus elects its city council members will come with a significant cost, because it seeks to expand Columbus City Council by four members.
With those four new council members — who would be phased in between 2028 and 2030 — comes the cost of their salaries and benefits. It also includes the salaries and benefits for two new staff members per council member; a possible renovation to city council chambers and the unknown cost of security provided by the Columbus Division of Police Executive Protection Unit.
This cost could exceed $1 million a year based on current salaries for council members, the median salaries of current staff members and how much it cost in the past to renovate council chambers when the government body expanded from seven to nine members after the 2023 election.
But even those salaries could increase between now and 2030 depending on approved salary increases or the cost of benefits. A city council commission has recommended a 32% pay increase to city council member salaries. That would need to be approved by city council and the exact amount could change.
The Columbus city operating budget is well above $1 billion annually. A city council spokesperson estimated that the added costs for new salaries for members and staff would total less than 0.0004% of the total city budget each year.
While Issue 9 would expand council to 13 members, there is another ballot issue seeking to reform council that would not expand it. Issue 8 would keep council at nine members.
Both Issues 8 and 9 would make it so the nine current members are only elected by voters within one of the nine city council districts. The four new council members that Issue 9 seeks to add would represent the city at-large, where every voter in the city gets to weigh in.
Voters can vote "yes" or "no" on either, both or neither issue.
Issue 8 was put on the ballot by a grassroots group of citizens named Our City Our Say. Issue 9 was a response, created and supported by Columbus City Council.
Related: Ohio 2026 election guide: What voters need to know about their ballots
What are Columbus City Council members paid now and how much would it cost to add four new members?
Of the nine council members, eight currently earn a salary of $81,783. Current City Council President Shannon Hardin receives a salary of $98,384.
If Issue 9 passes, two of the new council members will be added in 2028. Two more members would be added in 2030.
If kept at the current salary level, adding four new members would cost a total of $327,132 annually.
However, this year, the Columbus Citizens’ Commission on Elected Official Compensation recommended members get a 32% pay increase in 2030. The commission also recommended an annual cost-of-living adjustment.
City council itself would have to approve its own salary increase and that decision hasn't been made yet. City council could adjust the figure, meaning that 32% increase isn't set in stone.
If approved, 12 of the council members would be paid $107,954 each, while the council president would earn $129,866. In total, the cost for all 13 council members by 2030 would be more than $1.4 million.
This total doesn't include benefit costs.
How much will new staff members cost for four new council members?
If Issue 9 is approved, the four new council members will also have two staff members: one legislative aide and one legislative analyst.
The salaries for these positions have a wide range, topping out at more than $140,000 for a senior legislative aide. A city council spokesperson told WOSU that currently, the median legislative aide’s pay is $43.94/hour — or $91,395 a year — while the median legislative analyst's pay is $35.68/hour — or $74,214 a year.
It is more difficult to calculate salary increases for staff members in future years.
If kept at these salary levels, adding four new legislative aides and four new legislative analysts by 2030 would cost at least $662,436 in total.
With the salaries of city council members at their current level, that brings the running total added cost to nearly $1 million. This doesn't include benefits.
Will city council chambers have to be renovated? It did last time, costing more than $400,000.
If Issue 9 passes, it wouldn't be the first time city council would've expanded in the last decade. Voters approved a change to city council's system in 2018, expanding council from seven to nine members after the 2023 election.
Before the two new members were added, city council approved a $407,000 renovation project in Feb. 2023 to council chambers. According to the contract awarded to the R.W. Setterlin Building Co. by city council at the time, this included:
- "Various construction services to City Council chambers including the rearrangement and addition of two council desks to allow for all members to be represented on one stage."
- "Replacing five existing cameras, replacing two existing lights, and installing new fiber lines from the chambers to the CCTV control room."
- "Care to preserve the historic features of the chambers."
The council chambers' dais currently fits eight city council desks, a central desk for the council president and extra desks for other city officials and some staff. Some city officials, like Mayor Andrew Ginther, often leave their desk empty.
Many other city staff members are given a seat off of the dais, facing the council members.
Currently, the total cost of new renovation is unknown. At the very least, council will need to add the four new desks if Issue 9 passes.
Inflation has also increased the cost of construction materials.
Columbus police provide security and work overtime to protect council members.
A potential cost of Issue 9 that's even more of a question mark than renovating council chambers is the cost of security for the four new members. Columbus Division of Police officers already provide for security for the nine council members and accrue overtime doing so.
Compounding this question is an ongoing debate in city council about reining in ballooning overtime costs for Columbus police and fire officials. The highest paid city employee is Adam Banks, a Columbus police officer who made more than $311,000, mostly due to working a large amount of overtime.
This year, four police officers were assigned to the Executive Protection Unit and assigned to city council. The unit has logged more than 1,000 overtime hours in the past year, which is less than the mayor's security detail at more than 3,000 overtime hours.
It's unclear if adding more council members will require more officers in this unit or lead to even more overtime hours.
How does Issue 8 compare?
Issue 8 wouldn't add any new council members. It only changes how the existing nine city council members would be elected.
The citizen-led initiative would make it so only voters within the existing nine districts elect their respective district council member. The current system assigns each council member to a district, but every citizen gets to vote on all nine council members.
Salaries could change in the coming years for council members and staff, but no new salaries would be added, unlike Issue 9.
If Issue 9 fails to pass, but Issue 8 passes, this new system would be put in place.
If Issue 9 passes, the four new members would be phased in by 2030, no matter what happens with Issue 8.
If both Issues 8 and 9 fail, nothing changes about the current system.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting continues until the Sunday before Election Day.
