For the first time in five years, the City of Columbus is seeking to place a bond package on the ballot this fall for a public vote. The bond package would continue to support capital improvement projects throughout the city for infrastructure and neighborhood projects. Mayor Michael B. Coleman, City Council President Andrew J. Ginther and City Auditor Hugh J. Dorrian are serving as co-chairs of a committee that seeks to place the bond package on the November 5th ballot.
“Columbus has emerged as the best city for jobs in the entire Midwest because we never stopped investing in our infrastructure, even during tough times,” said Coleman. “We were able to do that because our voters have always supported our bond packages, allowing us to maximize our capital dollars. We will need voter support again this year in order to continue our tremendous momentum.”
Four public meetings are planned this summer to allow for resident input on the bond package. The meetings are planned for the following dates and locations from 6pm to 8pm:
- June 4 at Marion Franklin Community Center, 2801 Lockbourne Rd.
- June 5 at Whetstone Community Center, 3923 N. High St.
- June 11 at Barnett Community Center, 1184 Barnett Rd.
- June 13 at Westgate Shelterhouse, 3271 Wicklow Rd.
“Columbus voters have demonstrated their keen understanding of the financial savings in granting their approval to the city’s bond package requests,” said Columbus City Auditor Hugh Dorrian. “Columbus voters have approved every bond package the city has put before them for nearly three decades now and continue to benefit from their prudent approvals.”
If approved, the bond package would not result in a tax increase to Columbus residents, but instead would allow the City of Columbus to finance neighborhood projects at lower interest rates. The City of Columbus continues to maintain a AAA credit rating with all three major credit agencies, and is the largest city in the US to do so.
“The proposed bond package will not only allow the city to continue our investment in neighborhoods and improve delivery of city services, it saves taxpayer dollars and drives economic development that creates jobs,” said City Council President Ginther. “By issuing bonds, we lower the cost of infrastructure improvements, allowing us to do more with less, all without raising taxes.”
The most recent Columbus bond package was approved in 2008. That $1.6 billion package was broken into six parts, and was utilized to fund sewer upgrade projects, street improvements and other infrastructure updates over the past five years.
More information can be found online at www.columbus.gov.
Photo of Columbus City Hall by Walker Evans.
