Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a beneficiary grant agreement with Columbus State Community College, through their Small Business Development Center, in an amount up to $250,000.00 of Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to provide continued program management services for the Columbus-Franklin County Small Business COVID-19 Response and Recovery Program and to pay for expenses starting April 1, 2023.
Ordinance 1201-2021 authorized the City of Columbus to accept and appropriate approximately $187,030,138.00 of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as signed into law by the President of the United States on March 11, 2021.
It is expected that the guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury will be modified while this beneficiary grant agreement is in effect and it is requested that the Director of Development be given the authority to modify the terms and conditions of the beneficiary grant agreement without seeking additional Council approval in order to align with the most current version of the laws, regulations, and guidance.
The Ohio Small Business Development Center at Columbus State Community College is a public / private partnership supported in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Ohio Development Services Agency, Columbus State Community College, the City of Columbus and other local partners. SBDC serves an eight county region including Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Logan, Madison, Pickaway, and Union counties.
SBDC is part of America’s Small Business Development Centers, a national network comprised of over 1000 Centers across the U.S. including 29 in Ohio. The Ohio SBDC Network provides one-on-one advising, by Certified Business Advisors, at no cost and conduct no or low cost business training. SBDC focuses on all industries and business needs from seed to maturity and everything stage in-between.
Emergency action is requested to allow the Columbus-Franklin County COVID-19 Small Business Response and Recovery Fund to meet immediate needs to provide small businesses with financial and technical assistance to address the severe hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that have been amassing since at least April 2023.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding is provided to the City of Columbus from the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress and signed into law March 11, 2021.
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE: the vendor number is 004263 and expires 05/30/2025.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a beneficiary grant agreement with Columbus State Community College, through their Small Business Development Center, in an amount up to $250,000.00 of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to provide continued program management services for the Columbus-Franklin County Small Business COVID-19 Response and Recovery Program and to pay for expenses starting April 1, 2023; to authorize the Director of Development to modify the terms and conditions of the not-for-profit service contract as needed without seeking further City Council approval; to authorize the expenditure of up to $250,000.00 of ARPA funds; and to declare an emergency. ($250,000.00) (AMENDED BY ORD. 2653-2023 PASSED 10/2/2023) BA
Body
WHEREAS, The Ohio Small Business Development Center at Columbus State Community College is a public / private partnership supported in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Ohio Development Services Agency, Columbus State Community College, the City of Columbus and other local partners. SBDC serves an eight county region including Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Logan, Madison, Pickaway and Union counties; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in negative impacts on small businesses, such as loss profits, reduced hours, reduced customers, and even closing for a period of time; and
WHEREAS, expenditure of ARPA funding to support small business recovery is necessary to alleviate the negative impacts caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency; and
WHEREAS, such expenditure of funds has not been previously accounted for in the 2023 Budget; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to enter into a beneficiary grant agreement to allow the Columbus-Franklin County COVID-19 Small Business Response and Recovery Fund to continue to provide small businesses with financial and technical assistance to address the severe hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, such immediate action is necessary for the preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Department of Development is authorized to enter into a beneficiary grant agreement with Columbus State Community College, through their Small Business Development Center, in an amount up to $250,000.00 of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to provide continued program management services for the Columbus-Franklin County Small Business COVID-19 Response and Recovery Program and to pay for expenses starting April 1, 2023.
SECTION 2. That for the purpose stated in Section 1, the expenditure of $250,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized in Fund 2209 (ARPA), Dept-Div 44-02 (Economic Development), in object class 03 (Services) per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 4. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 5. For the reasons stated in the Preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this Ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.