City officials on Tuesday night gave initial approval to a set of ordinances that set salary and wage ranges in 2026 for first responders and city employees.
Columbus City Council members passed the first reading of five ordinances that will solidify salary and wage ranges for police and firefighters, city employees, the mayor and city clerk, as well as themselves for 2026.
Ordinances must be passed twice to be finalized. All of the ordinances were passed 9-0, with exception to the ordinance that gives a raise to city council members, which Councilman Jay Foyst, R-District 6, was the lone vote against.
Those interested can see the salary ordinance in the packet for Tuesday’s meeting starting on page 16. Councilors will consider the ordinances on second reading during their meeting on Oct. 7.
The ordinances include 3% base raises for entry-level police and firefighters, as well as increases within other specific positions in each department in alignment with certified compensation schedules and longevity.
As proposed, city police patrol officers will have a base salary of $74,984, with a maximum up to $95,992. For firefighters, the base salary would be $70,746, with a maximum up to $84,890.
City employees are proposed to receve 2.7% increases based upon the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) as of June 30, although they could earn greater increases based upon merit adjustments as determined by each department head.
The mayor and clerk would also receive the same proposed 2.7% increase. The same is true for city council members. Council members recognized how awkward it is to vote for their own pay increase, but salaries for elected officials are set via ordinance, which is the council’s responsibility.
Other changes include converting the pay schedule for police, fire and city employees to bi-weeky. That’s because of a recommendation from the State Board of Accounts (SBOA) for compliance purposes, Arlette Cooper-Tinsley, the city’s human resources director said.
The salary ordinance for city employees also reflects two positions added for 2026 in an additional engineering technician and a part-time criminal intelligence analyst that will work in coordination with the police department. The idea of the criminal intelligence analyst is that it will afford uniformed officers more time to spend on patrol rather than sifting through intelligence, according to city officials.
The following are salaires for next year given initial approval by Columbus City Council members:
- Mayor: $121,510 (up from $118,315 in 2025)
- Clerk: $80,747 (up from $78,624 in 2025)
- City council members: $17,586 (up from $17,123 in 2025)
