Explanation
BACKGROUND: The City of Columbus is required to conduct environmental reviews for all activities that utilize funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This includes activities undertaken by the City as well as housing projects subsidized by the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). The City’s Grants Management staff, which coordinates these environmental reviews, is funded by HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. However, coordinating the environmental reviews for CMHA subsidized projects is not an eligible use of CDBG funding. Therefore, it has become necessary for the City to enter into a revenue contract with CMHA to enable CMHA to reimburse the City for expenses incurred in the coordination of environmental reviews for CMHA subsidized projects.
FISCAL IMPACT: Expenditures and revenues to provide these services are budgeted in the Community Development Block Grant Fund (2248).
Title
To authorize the Director of Finance and Management to enter into a revenue contract with the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority for the provision of environmental review coordination services for the period of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2027.
Body
WHEREAS, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) is a Public Housing Agency (PHA) that develops, rehabilitates, and acquires affordable and mixed-income housing using various sources of funding including, but not limited to, federal financial assistance under Sections 8 and 9 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937; and
WHEREAS, such projects and activities receiving federal financial assistance are subject to the policies of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ("NEPA") and implementing regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality, including but not limited to the regulations at 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508, and implementing regulations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD"), including but not limited to HUD's regulations at 24 CFR Part 58; and
WHEREAS, for any CMHA project located in the City of Columbus that receives federal financial assistance, or any project located in the City of Columbus that receives HUD Section 8 vouchers (each a “CMHA Subsidized Project”), the CMHA Subsidized Project must undergo environmental reviews by a unit of local government where the project is located as the Responsible Entity ("RE") designated to assume environmental review obligations pursuant to 24 CFR 58.2(a)(7)(ii)(B); and
WHEREAS, the City has been designated as the RE with respect to all CMHA Subsidized Projects located within the City of Columbus, Ohio for which an environmental review is necessary; and
WHEREAS, the RE is responsible for insuring CMHA Subsidized Projects’ Environmental Review Records comply with NEPA and other related statutes, regulations, and executive orders; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus, Department of Finance and Management’s Grants Management Section, manages HUD environmental reviews for the City and the City’s Certifying Officer is the Director of the Department of Finance and Management; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus, Department of Finance and Management’s Grants Management Section staff, is funded by HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding; and
WHEREAS, the provision of environmental review coordination services to a PHA in carrying out RE duties and responsibilities is not an eligible use of CDBG funding; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary for the Director of Finance and Management to enter into an agreement with CMHA in order for the City to be reimbursed by CMHA for City expenditures related to environmental reviews of CMHA Subsidized Projects; Now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of Finance and Management is hereby authorized to enter into a revenue contract for the provision of environmental review coordination services for the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority for the period of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2027.
SECTION 2. That this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.