City allocates money to help employees

Columbus is moving forward with plans to give its employees one-time payments in hopes of fighting inflation and turnover.

Columbus City Council members approved two additional appropriations ordinances Tuesday on second reading. These ordinances, among other things, appropriate more than $400,000 for one-time cost of living adjustment (COLA) payments for employees.

This includes $330,000 from the city’s general fund, $20,000 from the motor vehicle highway fund and $95,000 from the parks and recreation general fund. Funds for COLA payments were also included in a larger appropriation for the transit department.

City Director of Finance, Operations and Risk Jamie Brinegar said at a previous meeting that two different methods will be used to fund the one-time payments. For public safety officials, the city will use American Rescue Plan funds. For other city staff — including non-sworn police and fire employees — general fund reserves will fund the payments.

The council approved a resolution to give city employees the one-time payments during its July 5 meeting. The payments will be made on July 29 and range from $500 to $2,000 before taxes. Amounts vary based on whether the employee is full-time or part-time and how long they’ve been employed without a break in service.

According to City Director of Administration and Community Development Mary Ferdon, payments will not be made to elected officials.

The city’s resolution states that, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index increased 8.6% for the year ending May 2022. City officials said that this is the largest 12-month advance since December of 1981 and has had a significant impact on city employees.

“When we set our budget last year, we were looking at 2% to 3% COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment),” said Brinegar during the July 5 meeting. “… COLA was expected to rise over the third quarter of the year, and then all financial indicators were that it would drop by the end of the year. Unfortunately, we had another big, strong round of COVID hit us, along with a few other mitigating factors.”

The city has also seen a noticeable increase in employee departures.

“In the first quarter of 2022, the City of Columbus experienced almost twice the number of employee separations as compared to the last two years in the same period,” the resolution states.

In addition to the COLA payments, other appropriations approved by city council during Tuesday’s meeting include:

• $274,750 from the city’s general fund, $41,000 from the motor vehicle highway fund, and $26,000 from the parks and recreation general fund for increased fuel costs.
• $2,516,040 from the transit non-reverting fund to facilitate accrual accounting for the department, provide COLA payments to employees and to cover fuel.
• $80,000 from the city’s general fund for Munis financial system upgrades and scanners.
• $125,000 from the city’s general fund for security cameras and other equipment.
• $104,702 from the city’s general fund for storm water work.
• $740,170.50, which was awarded from the state as part of the 2022 Community Crossings Grant Program and must be appropriated before it can be spent.
• $75,000 from City Hall’s facilities non-reverting fund for painting and monitors for the police department, as well as blinds for both CPD and city hall.