What: Emergency ordinance 1051-2026 authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter a grant agreement of up to $1,500,000.00 with Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio, making it the Designated Organization under the Columbus City Codes to provide free full legal representation to unrepresented tenants facing eviction at Franklin County Municipal Court. Expenses incurred from March 1, 2026, before the purchase order, are reimbursable.
Vote (4/27/2026): Ross / Wyche; approved 8-0 (Dorans absent from the vote). It came from the Housing, Homelessness, and Building committee (Ross, chair; Hardin, vice chair).
Related items approved the same night on the consent agenda (8-0): 1065-2026, up to $300,000.00 for Community Mediation Services of Central Ohio to continue mediation at eviction court; 1037-2026, up to $90,000.00 for The Homeless Families Foundation's Vacated Tenant Services program; 1089-2026, up to $965,250.00 for seven social service agencies under the Resilient Housing Initiative. Expenses for all three could be reimbursed from April 1, 2026.
Where it stands: approved. The minutes record no debate.