Columbus City Hall is feeling the squeeze as police overtime tied to the unit guarding the mayor, the police chief, and now City Council balloons right in the middle of high-stakes budget talks. Records reviewed by local investigators show the Executive Protection Unit’s personnel costs and overtime have surged over the past three years, with officers on top-official details logging thousands of overtime hours. With an estimated $15 million shortfall looming in the city’s 2026 operating budget, the mounting cost of protecting top brass has quickly turned into a political headache.
What the Records Show
Public records obtained by investigators show the Executive Protection Unit’s overtime pay climbed from $101,166 in 2023 to $127,873 in 2024, then jumped again to $248,705 in 2025. Overall personnel-related spending followed the same trajectory, rising from $747,260 in 2023 to $2,115,797 in 2025. The reports, which Columbus police say cover May 2025 through May 2026, indicate that officers assigned to protection details clocked roughly 3,500 overtime hours during that span. Two members of the mayor’s detail each logged more than 600 overtime hours, and two others logged more than 400. Those figures, and the department’s confirmation that the numbers came from its internal timekeeping system, highlight overtime as a key driver of the cost spike, according to ABC6.
Council Alarm as Overtime Eats Into Budget
City Council President Shannon Hardin put the issue on blast during a June 18 budget hearing, after a first-quarter review projected roughly a $15 million deficit in the city’s $1.26 billion 2026 operating budget. Council members and staff pointed straight at public safety overtime as a prime culprit. As of mid-June, the administration told council that Columbus Police had already burned through about 75% of its overtime budget, while Columbus Fire had hit 98%, even though the city budgeted roughly $28 million for police and fire overtime this year. Hardin said council expects a concrete plan to close the gap before the end of July and warned that lawmakers could step in with legislation if the administration does not act, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch.
Mayor’s Office Responds and What Officials Say
The mayor’s office told investigators that the Division of Police “serves to keep everyone in Columbus safe” and said overtime for executive protection is monitored by the Department of Public Safety, noting that around-the-clock coverage can require additional hours. Columbus police said the reports they turned over were labeled “overtime” and “confidential” and did not include an explanation for each overtime entry, according to documents reviewed by local reporters. City officials say internal teams have been assembled to review staffing and operational needs as they work on budget fixes, per ABC6.
What’s Next for Taxpayers and the Department
The administration has signaled it will roll out a more detailed strategy after second-quarter projections are finalized, and council members have floated ideas that range from hiring and pay freezes to targeted cuts and tweaks to the fall capital plan. The city’s 2026 budget documents put the recommended operating budget at about $1.26 billion and list public safety as the single largest slice of spending, which helps explain why overtime overruns are hitting the bottom line so hard. For now, the big questions are how much of the shortfall is directly tied to executive protection overtime and whether police can bring those hours down without compromising security, questions that are already shaping the next round of talks between City Hall and public safety leaders, according to budget materials from the City of Columbus.
