Explanation
BACKGROUND:
The purpose of this ordinance is to authorize the City Auditor to create a new subfund within the City’s Special Purpose Fund for the Department of Building and Zoning Services. In 2024, City Council passed several housing initiatives including Vacant Registry, Foreclosure Registry and Wholesaler Registry. This year, City Council is reviewing Ordinance No. 0923-2026, which is intended to create a Rental Registry. These registries improve the accuracy of the City’s information regarding who is responsible for a property and create processes by which health and safety risks can be proactively identified. The data contained in the registries also provides the city with the name and number of an emergency contact. The Registry Program encompasses all the aforementioned registries in the Department of Building and Zoning Services.
All monies received for these registrations shall be used to offset the costs relating to registering and processing applications, including staffing and software, costs relating to inspections, education and enforcement, and costs relating to other expenses as set forth in each chapter for the Vacant, Foreclosure, Wholesaler, or Rental Registry.
To properly track and account for these monies, we are requesting that the City Auditor create a new subfund within the City's Special Purpose Fund, Fund No. 2223.
This ordinance is submitted as an emergency to create a new subfund within the City’s Special Purpose Fund to properly account for these revenues and expenditures and promptly increase the Registry Program’s transparency.
FISCAL IMPACT: Currently, revenues collected for registries are deposited into the Development Services Fund, Fund 2240. This ordinance will authorize the City Auditor to create a subfund within the City's Special Purpose Fund, Fund 2223, and appropriate any funds deposited into such subfund. All revenues arising from registry fees shall be deposited into said subfund and shall be used to offset the costs relating to registering and processing applications, including staffing and software, costs relating to inspections, education and enforcement, and costs relating to other expenses as set forth in each chapter for the Vacant, Foreclosure, Wholesaler, or Rental Registry. Utilizing the City's Special Purpose Fund provides the best means of properly tracking and accounting for these monies.
Title
To authorize the City Auditor to create a new subfund named the Registry Program Subfund within the City’s Special Purpose Fund to account for Registry Program activities; to authorize the appropriation of any funds deposited into such subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, City Council has approved the creation of registries for vacant and foreclosure property, property wholesalers, and is considering a rental property registry all to provide the City with information that enables the proactive identification of risk and contacts in cases of emergency; and
WHEREAS, to properly deposit these registry revenues and account for the expenditures necessary for implementing and operating the registries per Columbus City Code Chapter 45, it is necessary for the City Auditor to create a new subfund within the City’s Special Purpose Fund; and
WHEREAS, a future ordinance intended to capture the totality of all registry revenue previously deposited into the Development Services Fund, Fund 2240, will be submitted to transfer and appropriate said revenue into the new Registry Program Subfund; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Building and Zoning Services in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the creation of this subfund in order to begin depositing the registry funds into this subfund at the earliest possible time, all for the preservation of public health, peace, property, safety, and welfare; now, therefore:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized to establish a subfund within the City’s Special Purpose Fund, Fund No. 2223, titled Registry Program Subfund, to properly track and account for the fiscal activities of the Registry Program.
SECTION 2. That all revenues arising from registry fees shall be deposited into said subfund within the Special Purpose Fund, Fund No. 2223 and shall be used to offset the costs relating to registering and processing applications, including staffing and software, costs relating to inspections, education and enforcement, and costs relating to other expenses as set forth in each chapter for the Vacant, Foreclosure, Wholesaler, or Rental Registry.
SECTION 3. Appropriations are authorized up to the amount of unappropriated cash in the Registry Program Subfund upon request by the Director of the Department of Building and Zoning Services as necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 4. 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.