City leaders have given initial approval to using slightly more than $1 million in Local Income Tax revenues for additional public safety capital needs.
The Columbus City Council on Tuesday gave unanimous support for an ordinance appropriating $1.09 million. The city has designated $275,000 for improvements at Columbus Fire Department Station No. 5 on Goeller Court, which includes upgrading the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, in addition to painting and the installation of new carpet, said Jamie Brinegar, city finance director.
Income tax revenues will also go toward a firearms simulator center, external vest carriers and narcotics-detection devices for the Columbus Police Department, Brinegar said. An additional $250,000 has been designated for a public safety training facility that will be built on Verhulst Street in the Columbus AirPark.
Final approval for this spending could come in May.
The city of Columbus expects to collect $6.35 million in Local Income Tax revenues this year, half of which must be spent on public safety, said Mary Ferdon, executive director of administration and community development.
Earlier this month, the city approved using $2 million in Local Income Tax revenue for other public safety capital needs, including $400,000 for the city’s share of the Bartholomew County 911 center and $277,000 for the public safety training facility.
The initial approval by the council on Tuesday allocating the $1 million for additional public safety needs covers the anticipated revenue designated for public safety this year, Brinegar said.
Council members also gave initial approval Tuesday to an ordinance appropriating $3.25 million in Local Income Tax revenue for other needs, including $1 million designated for substance abuse projects tied to the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress initiative. If council gives final passage to the ordinance on May 1, that money will be placed in a substance abuse non-reverting fund, meaning any money placed in the fund can only be spent for that specific purpose.
The city also intends to set aside $600,000 for a possible transit depot relocation due to increased CSX rail traffic coming this fall on the Louisville & Indiana train tracks through Columbus. The project is currently being evaluated by the city’s transit, engineering, department of public works and Metropolitan Planning Organization departments, Brinegar said.
In addition, the city has $750,000 designated for its health insurance trust fund and $250,000 for a proposed expansion of the Columbus Animal Care Services building.
An additional $100,000 has also been designated for Columbus City Hall security upgrades being considered. The city is exploring making some improvements that could involve a study commissioned by an outside firm in the third quarter of this year, Brinegar said.
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A final reading appropriating $1.09 million in Local Income Tax revenues for public safety and $3.25 million for general needs will considered by the Columbus City Council during its 6 p.m. May 1 meeting.
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