Columbus Mayor Kristen Brown opposes the use of public funds to pay $300,000 to the developer of The Cole apartment project, a sum considered key to the 2009 deal by individuals involved in the negotiations.
Payment to Buckingham Companies was earmarked for architectural fees.
According to documents reviewed by The Republic, the payment was authorized by the Columbus Redevelopment Commission and offered by Columbus Downtown Inc., the private company that works on behalf of the commission.
A sticking point is the fact that wording doesn’t specifically describe who should pay.
The initial document signed by former CDI board member John Burnett says “the City” is obligated to pay the money. Brown, also a member of the five-person Columbus Redevelopment Commission, said she is concerned that the wording means the city of Columbus, which would mean an expenditure from the city’s general fund. She said CDI has no legal right to obligate the city to pay any amount of money.
However, Burnett said it means the Columbus Redevelopment Commission would pay the money, and it would do so with tax-increment financing (TIF) district funds.
A city ordinance states that the Columbus Redevelopment Commission needs approval for expenditures from the Columbus City Council only if they exceed $500,000, Brown said.
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