Whitehall City Council has voted to approve the city’s $44.9 million budget for 2026 during their final regular meeting of the year.

Council members voted 5-1 to approve next year’s budget at their Dec. 16 meeting. President Pro Tempore Larry Morrison was the sole dissenting vote, citing concerns over salaries and the establishment of a city Department of Neighborhoods.

Council member Gerald Dixon, who had just survived a vote seeking to expel him from City Council over pending sex crime charges involving minors, was not present during the vote because he left out of an abundance of caution due to the presence of a group of children who had been brought into council chambers.

The 2026 Whitehall budget includes $10.8 million for the police division, nearly $7 million for the fire division, $10.6 million for building maintenance, a little more than $227,400 for city council, and funding for the newly formed Department of Neighborhoods.

“For me, the 2026 budget is about being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars while continuing to move Whitehall forward in very intentional ways,” Whitehall Mayor Michael Bivens said in an emailed statement to The Dispatch. “This budget reflects what I have said consistently over the years: we must invest in our people, our neighborhoods and our infrastructure while maintaining the financial stability of the city.”

Bivens said the budget was 100% focused on residents, infrastructures, and safety. He also said it would help improve economic mobility for residents and employees.

Council member Lori Elmore said the Department of Neighborhoods would meet the needs of “underserved” community members in different areas of the city.

What else is in the 2026 budget?

The budget earmarks more than $5.98 million for employee-related expenses. Nearly half of that expense – $3 million – is for firefighter and police pensions.

Also included in the budget is $165,500 for the newly formed Department of Neighborhoods. The position will consist of a director, an events and advancement coordinator, and neighborhood advocates, according to a draft legislation describing the positions.

Some of the duties of the neighborhoods director would include handling landlord-tenant issues, coordinating community events at the neighborhood level, facilitating better communication with residents, and increasing community engagement and attendance at town halls. But some council members questioned the need for the new department and the salary that will be paid to the future director.

The director will have a $92,000 salary, according to a copy of the budget.

Other expenditures include:

City council approves salary, hourly pay increases for city positions

Council also approved several salary and hourly pay increases for city positions in 2026. Some of the positions that received salary or hourly wage increases include:

Legislation barring interference with council communications fails

In other business, City Council members voted 4-1 against legislation that would prohibit the city from interfering with council communications. Morrison was the only council member to vote for the legislation, which was sponsored by Dixon.

The legislation was proposed Dec. 9 in response to accusations that top Whitehall city officials blocked incoming emails from Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, which represents city police officers. The FOP has filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Columbus against the city over the email block. The suit is ongoing.

Bivens previously voiced opposition to the legislation, saying it would affect other city charter amendments and that it was overly broad. Bivens also questioned Dixon’s motives in introducing the legislation.

Council members Joanna Heck and Amy Smith said they voted against the legislation because they didn’t time to properly research the legislation to see how it would be implemented and its potential impacts.

It was the final meeting for Heck and Smith, neither of whom sought reelection in the Nov. 4 election.

Brian McCann will replace Heck on the council, representing the city’s 2nd Ward. Mike Adkins will replace Smith, representing the city’s 3rd Ward.

Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky. 

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Whitehall City Council approves $44.9M budget for 2026

Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect