Columbus City Council last night approved an 813.9 million dollar municipal budget for this year.
Council Finance Committee chair Priscilla Tyson says members added more than 800 thousand dollars in spending to Mayor Michael Coleman's budget proposal thanks to carryover money from last year. Council amendments include more funding for combating gang violence and infant mortality and providing public subsidies to private businesses.
This year's budget is nearly 7 million dollars larger than the 2014 spending blueprint. Council also approved a 55.7 million dollar contract for the city to provide electricity to its customers. The deal is between the Columbus Division of Electricity and American Municipal Power. Columbus Utilities Director Greg Davies dropped a 58 million dollar contract with Columbus-based American Electric Power in 2013.
The city has spent millions of dollars to keep the division operational. The division had a 10.9 million budget deficit in 2009, but Davies says it has posted surpluses in the last few years.
