Mike Wolanin | The Republic Columbus Mayor Mary Ferdon delivers the annual State of the City address in the Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.
Columbus Mayor Mary Ferdon will be giving her third state of the city address since taking office tonight, looking back on the past year and giving a preview of what’s to come in 2026.
Ferdon’s remarks in 2024 were focused on “possibilities,” in 2025 it was “gratitude” and this year the theme of the evening will be about moving “forward.”
The mayor’s first two state of the city addresses took place inside NexusPark and Circle K Fieldhouse, and this year it will take place at The Commons. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and Ferdon’s speech be at 6 p.m.
As always, the mayor is expected to center on public safety, and talk about some of the more notable city initiatives that are in progress, have wrapped up or just about to launch.
The Columbus Police Department earlier this year received its reaccreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), something that is only true for about 5% of law enforcement agencies in the country.
Some of the big-ticket initiatives Ferdon will mention are Columbus Downtown 2030, which takes a look at the future of downtown and is now in the implementation phase, the city-supported plan to address homelessness in the community in partnership with United Way of Bartholomew County and the ongoing project to build a new facility for Columbus Animal Care Services.
Housing will be another focus. The city in 2025 launched two initiatives to increase the availability of low to moderate-income single-family housing (PACT) and support local homeownership for low-to moderate-income families in need of essential home improvements (CHIP 2.0).
In the past year, there have been a number of notable housing developments that continued making their way through the city government process. They include two affordable housing projects in the first phase of the Haw Creek Meadows project (64 workforce units) and Flats on 14th (110-units), along with the 120-unit mixed-use development at 11th and Washington streets, 52 market-rate units in front of Cummins parking garage along Washington Street, plus up to 250 new single-family homes on the westside near what will be BCSC’s new elementary school, Maple Grove.
City employees have also had a lot on their plate responding to inclement weather, from flooding to high winds to historic snowfall, and Ferdon will likely recognize their hard work.
The mayor is also expected to talk about changes to the city’s transportation system.
The evening will also have a guest speaker to talk about Quest, a visioning process led by a number of community members that looks to adopt a shared vision to ensure the city maintains a long-term focus, regardless of short-term considerations.
The idea is that Quest will gather public input to pinpoint overarching strategic areas of focus, or “pillars,” that serve as the basis for the type of community Columbus will be into the future, with a lofty goal of building “America’s best community.”
