Latest news with #ColumbusCityCouncil
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Columbus OKs funding to fight domestic violence
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Columbus City Council has authorized funding to help a program city leaders said is vital in the fight against domestic violence. Monday, the city council authorized $345,130 from the general fund to keep the Advocacy Crisis Team for Domestic Violence (ACT-DV), a partnership between Columbus police and Nationwide Children's Hospital's Center of Family Safety and Healing. City leaders hope the money will help expand the program. How ACT-DV works is when police respond to a domestic violence situation, they will call advocates with Nationwide Children's Hospital to the scene to focus on the victims. 'When surveyed officers shared their confidence in ACT-DV and saying the partnership provides a better response in producing results for victims than other programs,' Dr. Joanne Lunceford, deputy director of the Office of Violence Prevention, said at Monday's Columbus City Council meeting. This allows the Office of Violence Prevention to enter a one-year contract with the center. The money will keep the partnership going between the police department and the hospital instead of having to outsource for advocates. 'Expanding ACT-DV services would provide the opportunity to continue building trust and safe options for some of our most vulnerable community members,' Lunceford said. At Monday's meeting, Lunceford said the hope is to bring on more advocates, having one for each police zone. ACT-DV started as a pilot program in 2023. Nationwide said it expanded in 2024 and is now fully available in two zones of the city, but can be available in all areas if called. Once the scene is secured, advocates will arrive. This frees police to focus on the investigation while the advocate can focus on helping the victim. 'Our goal is to get out to make sure that person feels grounded at a very chaotic and confusing time, then we work alongside officers knowing we have a different role,' Amber Howell, a clinical supervisor for the Center for Family Safety and Healing, said. City leaders declared domestic violence an emergency, saying the program has been extremely helpful but noting difficulties with staffing. The ordinance will officially take effect once signed by Mayor Andrew Ginther. The team responded to more than 220 calls in 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbus continues affordable housing fight as some funding drops
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The City of Columbus will now have a more centralized approach to tackling its housing crisis. It's a plan that's been in the works for years and has now come together as a new division in the city. NBC4 spoke with a man who is almost 70 and spent last year living on the streets and in a shelter. Now, he's in a safe apartment, thanks to Community Housing Network (CHN), a non-profit that develops permanent supportive housing. Police provide updates on Mifflin Township shootout suspect On Monday, Columbus City Council moved to make stories like his more common. The legislation will centralize the work to combat the affordable housing crisis. 'I had my ups and downs; I had my good days and my bad days,' CHN resident Donald Hodge said. Hodge was living on the street, then in a shelter until March. Now, he's in a 55+ living facility built by Community Housing Network. 'Oh, my goodness, I was so happy,' Hodge said. 'I couldn't believe it.' 'It gives stability,' Community Housing Network CEO Annissa Lambirth-Garrett said. 'It allows individuals to have a place where they can focus on their personal well-being. They have a roof over their head, a basic need. Without it, how can you recuperate when you're coming home from the hospital? Or if you're someone who is suffering from a disability? How can you thrive and grow if you don't have a place to call home?' Pilot program testing tasers in Ohio's prisons; may expand statewide CHN is part of a group of organizations working to combat the housing crisis in Columbus. Now the city is making its work with these groups and on housing in general more centralized. 'It's a long time coming to have a place in the city whose main job is to make sure that renters have support and have someone looking out for them,' Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said. The division will provide legal counsel to low-income tenants facing eviction, ensure people affected by emergency vacate orders are supported, and expand access to information that will help people stay in their homes. 'Now it just has a home where we can have folks that are able to identify when issues are coming around, have a place where we can send folks to engage with the city, and really a place that can hold folks accountable,' Hardin said. Work is already underway and hiring for the division will start at the end of June. Donatos to open fully-automated pizza restaurant at John Glenn International this month Council has also approved the last of the emergency rental assistance funds to be used to help Columbus residents facing eviction; the city approved $1 million, left over from pandemic-era federal funds. It represents the last of the second round of emergency rental assistance that was part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan. This money went to organizations helping keep people in their homes, from fighting back against evictions to direct payments to landlords. Now, the money is gone and the city is tasked with finding new ways to keep people in their homes. 'We will continue to make a forceful economic argument why we need to find a way to support, but there is a truth that we need the federal government to be a partner in this, we need the state government to be a partner in this,' Hardin said. Since the pandemic, Columbus has put out nearly $91 million in emergency rental assistance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Organization pushes Columbus to address landlords, tree canopy
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — More than 1,000 people gathered at the Celeste Center at the Ohio State Fairgrounds to call on Columbus City Council to do two things: protect renters and save the trees. B.R.E.A.D Columbus held its annual event Tuesday, where members of more than 30 congregations take time to listen to their community and figure out what issues are impacting them the most. Bodycam shows arrest of Ohio State women's basketball coach for suspected OVI Roughly 1,300 people filled the Celeste Center to target two programs that are affecting their communities. Bishop La Fayette Scales said that this year, B.R.E.A.D. discovered that a lot of members are renters. So, one of the two main campaigns involves targeting what they call 'predatory landlords.' 'Large out-of-town landlords are buying up these properties, raising rents and even when there's difficulty, like with maintenance issues and leaks, they don't know who to report it to,' Rhema Christian Center Bishop La Fayette Scales said. B.R.E.A.D. Columbus is calling for city council to introduce legislation for a 'rental registry,' which would allow tenants to know who to go to if there's a problem with their unit. 'We looked at cities around our state and we found out both small and larger cities around their state already have rental registries,' Scales said. 'Columbus does not.' Columbus City Councilmember Nick Bankston said he is committed to creating an ordinance for the rental registry. Ohio again ranks among worst states in country in list by U.S. News & World Report B.R.E.A.D. also wants the city to adopt a private property tree protection ordinance. 'If you look at cities like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Louisville, they have much stronger regulations, and we are a fast-growing city which is going to mean lots of new development in the upcoming years, and that's going to potentially contribute more to the heat island effect in Columbus,' First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus' Tim Tichenor said. In 2021, Columbus City Council approved an Urban Forestry Master Plan, the goal of which is to have 40% tree coverage by 2050. The city is currently just above 20%. 'Westerville has a private tree ordinance, and they have a much better tree canopy than does the city of Columbus, and it's the same developers,' Sister Gemma Doll with the Dominican Sisters of Peace said. 'So I think it could be a win-win on all parts, but particularly a win for the people of Columbus.' B.R.E.A.D. Columbus said it will continue to meet with city council members about their housing and tree concerns until they can resolve the issues they see and hear every day from community members. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Columbus to help fund fight against wrongful evictions
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Nearly 2,000 people have received an eviction filing in Columbus over the last month, according to the Eviction Lab, an organization that published the first nationwide database of evictions. Now, federal funding that helps provide legal aid to people facing eviction is set to end, leaving Columbus to have to get creative to address the crisis without federal support. On Monday, Columbus City Council approved nearly $1.5 million to continue support for those facing eviction. That funding will help hundreds of people, just like the ones who shared their story with NBC4. Program give Columbus police recruits exposure to community 'It was really stressful. It's like I was really worried about me and my kids being homeless,' Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO) Client Meegan O'Neal said. O'Neal received an eviction notice in December. 'They were saying that I owed money for not paying rent. I've been here four and a half, almost five years, and never, ever missed paying my rent,' O'Neal said. Her landlord claimed their ledgers showed she was behind on rent, but she had the receipts to prove otherwise: five years' worth of payments. She brought those to LASCO. OSU looking for those with early Alzheimer's to participate in study 'With rising eviction rates, it's really critical to make sure that tenants have a continued voice at eviction court,' LASCO Tenant Advocacy Project Managing Attorney Jyoshu Tsushima said. They fought her case and won, as a part of the Tenant Advocacy project, which provides free legal advice and representation to qualifying tenants being evicted. 'It was relief. It was a relief. It was, I was relieved with joy,' O'Neal said. Others in eviction court are hoping for that same feeling. One family is getting help right now. 'The company terminated [our] lease because they didn't keep up the proper repairs,' one LASCO client, who asked not to be identified, said. 'Never late, never missed rent, did everything that she's supposed to do and still end up being a victim.' Columbus Anheuser-Busch brewery receives $300 million investment The program is funded, in part, by pandemic relief-era funding, which is running out, so Columbus City Council is helping to fill some of the gaps. 'Having access to counsel, having that legal representation can be the world of difference,' Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said. Part of this money is coming from the city's general fund, while the other part is the rest of the pandemic relief funding that must be spent by September. 'Having a trained attorney that has the ability to say, 'Wait a minute, this person has done, this renter has done their part,' and to stop that eviction means the whole world,' Hardin said. The money approved by council will support tenants facing eviction who have children and who are below the poverty line. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Which school issues central Ohio voters approved in May 2025 election
Full 2025 Results Sort Results Issue 2 School Issues Columbus City Council Columbus school board Athens County Coshocton County Crawford County Delaware County Fairfield County Fayette County Franklin County Guernsey County Hardin County Hocking County Knox County Licking County Madison County Marion County Morgan County Morrow County Noble County Perry County Pickaway County Pike County Ross County Union County COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Five central Ohio school districts took levies or bond issues to the ballot on Tuesday, hoping to raise funds. Many levies and bonds will express cost in millage, the rate property is taxed in Ohio, rather than a dollar value. A mill is defined as one-tenth of a cent, and millage is the factor applied to a property's assessed value to calculate tax revenue. The amount in dollars is then typically expressed as how much money someone would own per $100,000 of their home's appraisal value, which is calculated by each county auditor. Watch live election night coverage in the video player above. HB 6 repeal, Delta-8 moving through the Ohio statehouse Groveport Madison schools are hoping to pass a 2.33 mills bond issue that would generate $77.2 million for the district. If voters approve the issue, — which initially failed in November — the district will use the funds to build three new middle schools and expand Groveport Madison High School. The district fears growing enrollment will expand beyond the capacity of its current facilities. The district anticipates enrollment will increase by 620 students over the next 10 years. If passed, Issue 24 would cost taxpayers $81.55 per $100,000 of their home's value annually. With 100% of the precincts counted, Marysville's 5.5 mills emergency levy appears to be headed for passage with 61% of the vote. The victory is a big win for Marysville, which faced massive budget cuts and operational changes if it failed. With the $6.8 million the levy will generate, the district will be able to keep their current operations and prevent 30 teachers from being fired. The ballot victory proved the third time is the charm for Marysville, with its two previous levies both failing. The levy will cost taxpayers $192.50 per $100,000 of their home's value each year. How Ohio budget could impact local school funding Jonathan Alder Local Schools — Bond issue With all but two of the precincts counted, Jonathan Alder's 5.12 mills bond issue appears to be headed for failure in a tight vote. The district hoped to use the $70.6 million the bond issue would have generated to renovate facilities. District officials said enrollment is increasing, and they had hoped to build a new high school and junior high. Without the funds, the Board of Education will consider another bond issue request, although costs may increase with time. The bond issue would have cost most residents $179 per $100,000 of their home's value annually. Residents on land that qualifies for current agricultural use valuation would have owed $5.22 per acre. With 100% of the precincts counted, Southwest Licking's 4.2 mills bond issue appears to be headed for failure with 64% of the vote. Southwest Licking had hoped to use the $115 million bond issue to build a new middle school, athletic facility and high school expansion. Community members voiced concerns about the bond issue after the district got new buildings in 2017, but district officials said those buildings were built with the state and did not adequately consider enrollment projects. Without the bond issue, the district will have to consider other options or another ballot issue to address capacity concerns. The athletic facility, a collaboration primarily sponsored by the YCMA, will also not be built. The bond issue would have cost taxpayers $147 per $100,000 of their home's value annually. The 3.26 mills bond issue would help Teays Valley build two new intermediate schools. Like other districts, Teays Valley is projecting large enrollment increases and wants to use the $64.39 million the issue would generate to expand facilities and adjust their current buildings, some of which are already at capacity. If approved, the bond issue would cost taxpayers $52.50 annually per $100,000 of their home's value. The district is already spending money to address the enrollment concerns by financing temporary classrooms, and hopes the construction would be a more efficient solution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
