Council approves Columbus budget, including golf courses

The 2021 City of Columbus budget would provide funding for the Par 3 and Greenbelt Golf Courses, directly from the City Council, rather than through the Parks and Recreation Department budget.

City Council gave its first approval last night to next year’s budget. Jamie Brinegar, finance director for the city, said some of the highlights of next year’s proposal are the final steps in a five-year project to bring city employees pay up to the same level as similar positions in other communities, a 1 percent increase in base pay for public safety employees and reinstating $176,000 in funding for the golf course that was cut by the parks board in its department budget.

The total budget is about $80 million dollars, but that includes a new budget requirement from the state to pre-budget some $14 million in health and life insurance costs that have normally been paid from the health trust fund as they come up. Brinegar said he is projecting the city’s property tax rate will dip slightly after all the approvals and adjustments are finished from the state.