Explanation
Background: The passage of ordinance 2656-2023 enabled The City Treasurer’s Office to contract with US Bank in order to provide City agencies the ability to use gift cards as incentive payments for agency programs.
Funding for ordinance 2656-2023 was provided by the Department of Public Safety, Division of Police and the Office of Violence Prevention for the Community gun buy-back event. The Office of Violence Prevention, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety hosted the community gun buy-back event on September 30, 2023, during which individuals voluntarily surrendered firearms and were compensated with a gift card. In total, $250,000.00 was authorized via ordinance 2656-2023, comprised of $200,000.00 from the General Fund and $50,000.00 from the Contraband Seizure Fund.
The 2023 gun buy-back event was a success and as such, the Department of Public Safety and the Office of Violence and Prevention will co-sponsor another such event in September 2024. From the funds authorized via ordinance 2656-2023, $106,225.00 in gift cards remain. The Department of Public Safety and the Office of Violence Prevention would like to use these previously issued (and remaining) gift cards for the upcoming gun buy-back event.
Title
To authorize the Department of Public Safety and the Office of Violence Prevention to distribute previously issued and remaining gift cards from the 2023 gun buy-back event totaling up to $106,225.00 for the 2024 gun buy-back event(s); and to declare an emergency. ($106,225.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Office of Violence Prevention, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety plans to host a community gun buy-back event on September 14, 2024 during which individuals who voluntarily surrender firearms will be compensated with a gift card; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Violence Prevention deems this gun buy-back necessary to help reduce to the number of firearms in the community in an effort to reduce gun violence; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Violence Prevention determined that incentivizing the community to voluntarily surrender firearms in exchange for a gift card has been successful in reducing the number of firearms in the community; and
WHEREAS, $106,225.00 in remaining gift cards exist from the 2023 gun buy-back event, as authorized by ordinance 2656-2032; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Violence Prevention and the Department of Public Safety request authority to use these previously issued gift cards in connection with the September 14, 2024 gun buy-back program; and
WHEREAS, as an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Office of Violence Prevention in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the usage of previously issued and remaining gift cards in connection with the September 2024 gun buy-back event for the immediate 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 Office of Violence Prevention and the Department of Public Safety are hereby authorized to use up to $106,225.00 in previously issued and remaining gift cards for the 2024 gun buy-back program event(s).
SECTION 2. That 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 its passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.