Columbus City Auditor Jacquelin Lewis, a seasoned finance expert but untested politician just over five months on the job, finds herself in the middle of a budget fight between City Council and the mayor.
Concerned about unaccounted public safety overtime costs, council is set to vote on emergency on legislation introduced by Council President Shannon Hardin at its meeting on Oct. 19 that would insert Lewis into an ongoing budget clash. Hardin and Mayor Andrew Ginther have publicly disagreed over the city's finances as the two politicians gear up for the 2027 mayoral race.
Ginther's chief of staff, Elon Simms, accused council of putting the auditor in the middle of a political fight during a council hearing early on Oct. 19, calling it a "gotcha."
Lewis told The Dispatch that her role is to be objective and apolitical when looking at the city's finances, and yes that sometimes historically means being in the middle of council and the mayor.
Lewis gently pushed back on the mayor office's characterization of city finances at the hearing, saying the city is facing a deficit. Lewis also warned that one of the three major credit rating agencies, S&P, has signaled that continued reliance on city reserves could lead to a future downgrade of Columbus' prized triple-A bond rating. A credit downgrade could mean increased borrowing costs in the future for capital projects.
Lewis disagreed after Ginther's finance director, Chris Long, testified that the city will end with a $21 million operating surplus.
"If our expenditures in the current year are outpacing revenue in the current year, that's essentially a deficit to me," Lewis said.
The Ginther administration is tapping into $10 million more of the Income Tax Set-Aside subfund, a fund that is meant for capital debt, mid year to offset millions in police and fire overtime overages. But since city income tax revenue is coming in over what the previous auditor projected for 2026, Ginther's office is anticipating a year-end $21 million surplus it can use for next year's operating budget, Long said.
Hardin questioned if the Ginther administration is being transparent about the state of the city's finances.
Long and Simms testified about how the city is facing financial challenges including personnel costs that exceed revenue, but the Ginther administration is adjusting. The city has a hiring freeze for non-critical, non-safety personnel and has eliminated a few hundred vacant positions, Long said. Simms said the administration is working on moving from a one-year budgeting framework to a three-year framework.
"The triple-A bond rating is incredibly important to all of us and we’re doing everything we can to address the underlying factors that have provided an environment for us to use ITSA," Long said. "A key part of that is reducing personnel costs and we’re making meaningful headway in that area."
Hardin's proposal being voted on emergency would direct the auditor to estimate how much police and fire overtime will cost next year to inform the 2027 operating budget. Simms said this legislation is unnecessary because council could ask for those numbers at any time and then has the power to amend the mayor's budget proposal. Lewis said she understands that council wants to send a signal.
The city is projected to go over budget on police and fire overtime by at least $23 million this year.
Hardin is also introducing another piece of legislation on Oct. 19 that would update city code to ween the city off using the ITSA subfund for operating expenses over time. The code change is on first-read and will be voted on at a future meeting.
Long said he is concerned a firm cap could risk essential city services if the city faces an unexpected expense in the future and is unable to reach into ITSA.
When Hardin asked Lewis if she supported the code change, she attempted to give a nod to both him and the administration's side. She said at its core, it is responsible legislation but she said maybe there is an opportunity to amend it before it comes up for a vote.
Hardin said he was extending an olive branch and asking the administration to help council amend the code change. After the hearing, Simms said he was glad to hear council wants to work with the administration.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Columbus Auditor Lewis placed in middle of Hardin and Ginther budget fight
