Love Columbia’s proposal to enter a 15-year lease on a city-owned property was the center of a Columbia City Council debate due to its location on the historic African American Heritage Trail.
Newly elected Fifth Ward councilperson Christina Hartman was the only vote against the motion, which First Ward councilperson Valerie Carroll pulled out for debate. Love Columbia is estimated to spend $168,000 to rehabilitate the home without any city funds.
The organization aims to renovate the property to be a transitional, two or three bedroom single-family housing unit.
Traci Wilson-Kleekamp, founder of Race Matters, Friends, expressed disappointment in the lack of public input the item received before being considered by the council.
“Here’s what I want: transparency, but I also want equity, and I want inclusion,” she said. “Who’s supposed to be at the table when you have these meetings? And if the answer is ‘we didn’t meet with them,’ somebody failed.”
She also balked at the price tag.
“Has a calculation been done on how much historical neglect has happened in the central city? Let’s put that up against that 168,000,” Wilson-Kleekamp said.
Throughout discussion, council members were hesitant to vote against Love Columbia’s proposal due to its commitment to keep the building from being razed. Carroll said a number of markers on the African American Heritage Trail have already been demolished.
“This is one of the ones that still exists, and retaining that is my number one priority here because it’s important,” she said. “Because a plaque on an empty field doesn’t say the same thing as a well-maintained property that was cared for, where the history is known and honored.”
Other council members were unwilling to deny a proposal that would renovate a currently boarded-up property.
“I mean, it’s better to have a house that’s being used than one that is boarded up, which is what it is right now. And I think we’ve heard loud and clearly that we need to be more careful, and we need to change the way we do things in the future,” Sixth Ward councilperson Betsy Peters said.
The proposal revealed a larger problem the council faces. Council members said more public input was needed to evaluate city-owned properties for affordable and transitional housing.
Both Second Ward councilperson Vera Elwood and Caroll drew connections between the Love Columbia item and the Douglass Park basketball court renovations, as public comment was central to both discussions, but came up right before council decisions.
After approving Love Columbia’s acquisition, the council discussed the need to improve overall transparency and the process for expression of interest.
Third Ward councilperson Jacque Sample was not present at the council meeting.
Approved items
The council also approved various items.
On March 2, the council split the feral animal ordinance in two — one ordinance with controversial items and one ordinance with non-controversial items. On Monday, the council reintroduced the non-controversial ordinance and approved the following items:
- Classifying animal neglect as abuse.
- Establishing a Dangerous or Aggressive Animal Advisory Board.
- Creating a standardized appeal process for dangerous or aggressive animal determinations.
- Strengthening protections for tethered animals during weather warnings or advisories.
- Allowing home quarantine for animal bite cases (with conditions).
Columbia’s Board of Health scheduled public meetings over the ordinance. They are scheduled for the following dates: May 8, June 12, July 10 and Aug. 14.
Additionally, the Columbia Police Civilians Association, made up of non-uniformed employees of the Police Department, is now formally recognized by the city, according to a council memo.
Introduced items
The council introduced a 1% sales tax that is estimated to generate $38 million annually to support public safety. If approved, this measure will be on the Aug. 4 primary election ballot.
The sales tax revenue would be funneled into a new Public Safety Fund usable only by the Columbia Police Department and the Columbia Fire Department. This revenue is in addition to the allocated money these departments receive from the general fund.
With the added revenue, the departments would:
- Hire 50 more police officers and 40 new firefighters over the next four years.
- Build a new police facility.
- Purchase vehicles and equipment for the police department.
- Build a new fire station and renovate three fire stations.
- Develop a police and fire technology plan.
- Maintain competitive wages.
Placing this measure on the ballot will be up for a vote at the next City Council meeting.
The council also introduced an item adding three new full-time shuttle driver positions at Columbia Regional Airport. Drivers will transport travelers between terminals and parking lots. This will cost almost $75,000 for the remainder of the 2026 fiscal year and nearly $150,000 per year afterward for full-time salaries and benefits.
Other items
The council was originally set to vote on a motion aimed at creating a flat fee of $35 for a temporary business license. After the City Council removed the item from the agenda, temporary businesses will continue to be charged under the same licensing fee system as permanent businesses — based on annual gross receipts.
Stands, pop-ups and event booths will continue to estimate their annual income to receive a license, despite only having limited operations. It is unclear when the council will hear this again.
Hartman’s campaign manager Devon McTye spoke during public comment about the scale of local campaign finances, asking the council to consider the issue at a later meeting.
“We’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars being spent in local races, races that are ultimately decided by only a few thousand people,” she said.
The council unanimously appointed Ann Marie Gortmaker to the Bicycle/Pedestrian Commission, and Glyn Laverick and Justin Riley were appointed to the Downtown Community Improvement District Board of Directors.
Hartman and Carroll sworn in
In the pre-council session, Carroll was sworn in again as First Ward councilperson, a role she has held since 2024. Incoming Fifth Ward councilperson Hartman was also sworn in for her first term after beating incumbent Don Waterman in the April 7 election.
Waterman had some advice for his successor.
“You will quickly find out that city governance is a lot harder than it looks on the outside. There is so much to learn. And you will,” he said.
He listed police recruitment gains and the pedestrian safety ordinance as highlights of his term. He also touted the start of the discussion for the public safety sales tax and a new transmission line.
In her opening comments, Carroll reflected on how her outlook during this election is different compared to her first campaign
“When you run for the first time, it’s all excitement and hubbub, and platform building and cheers,” she said. “Running the second time with full knowledge of what the role is, what your duties are in detail — it’s pretty humbling.”
Hartman thanked the people who helped her during the election season.
“I want to thank everyone who came out to support me in so many different ways,” she said. “Columbia is huge, and there’s a lot of different issues that affect all of us.”
