Explanation
The City of Columbus and Franklin County need to enter into Intergovernmental Agreements as a special condition for the city to receive State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Sub-grantee Awards from Franklin County. The City of Columbus and Franklin County are entering into the agreements to provide for the administration of the sub-grant awards in order to expeditiously acquire and pay for the grant funded services and equipment while providing an appropriate audit trail for the expenditures. The State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) provides funding to enhance the ability of state and local agencies to prevent, deter, respond to and recover from threats and incidents of terrorism involving the use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) weapons and cyber attacks. The grant funds homeland security and emergency operations planning, the purchase of specialized equipment and training, and costs associated with implementing State Homeland Security Assessments and Strategies and Urban Area Security Initiatives. Multiple City agencies and projects are expected to receive sub-grant awards including but not limited to the areas of police, fire, support services and health. The Intergovernmental Agreements must be approved by the City of Columbus and Franklin County for the sub-grant processing to be completed and prior to the expenditure of project funds.
Emergency Designation: Emergency legislation is necessary to meet federal grant deadline and permit sub-grantee award processing at the earliest possible times.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact for the General Fund Account. The Agreements permit Franklin County to make the federal sub-grant expenditures.
Title
To accept Intergovernmental Agreements for each grant period executed between representatives of the City of Columbus and Franklin County as a special condition for receiving State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) sub-grantee awards from the county; and to declare an emergency.
Body
WHEREAS, the Government of the United States of America has created funding resources through the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) to enhance the ability of State and local agencies to prevent, deter, respond to and recover from threats and incidents of terrorism involving the use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) weapons and cyber attacks; and
WHEREAS, representatives of the City of Columbus and Franklin County need to enter into Intergovernmental Agreements to provide for the administration of the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) federal funding available to the City of Columbus through Sub-grantee awards; and
WHEREAS, federal grant deadlines and the need to expedite sub-grantee processing require that the agreements be completed at the earliest possible time so this ordinance is being submitted as an emergency measure; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual and daily operation of the City of Columbus in that it is immediately necessary to accept and enter into Intergovernmental Agreements for the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) to meet grant deadlines for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and welfare, now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
Section 1. That Columbus City Council, in the best interests of the City of Columbus, hereby recognizes and accepts the Intergovernmental Agreements for each grant period for the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) executed between representatives of the City of Columbus and Franklin County.
Section 2. That for reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part thereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.