Explanation
Background: The City of Columbus has been awarded $23,200,773.00 of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2) grant funds under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-005) (Recovery Act) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funds will provide for the acquisition, rehabilitation, redevelopment or demolition of foreclosed, abandoned and vacant properties in order to stabilize neighborhoods and stem the decline of housing values. This ordinance authorizes an appropriation of $11,117,773.00 in various divisions and object levels of the General Government Grant Fund to provide funding for approved programs. Prior ordinance number 0156-2010 authorized the Director of the Department of Development to enter into consortium funding agreements with members of the NSP2 Consortium and the appropriation and expenditure of $12,083,000.00.
The City of Columbus is the Lead Applicant of the NSP 2 Consortium which is an association of seven organizations and government entities formed for the purpose of applying for and implementing NSP2 funds, as well as, pooling their resources and services for achieving a common goal: Creating vital, healthy neighborhoods by implementing strategies that build a stronger housing real-estate market in weak-market areas of Columbus and Franklin County. Members of the NSP2 Consortium include The City of Columbus, Franklin County, Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus and Franklin County, Campus Partners, Columbus Housing Partnership, Community Development Collaborative of Greater Columbus, and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Columbus.
This legislation is presented as an emergency for the effective implementation of 2010 NSP2 activities to address the current mortgage crisis in our city.
Fiscal Impact: This legislation authorizes the appropriation of $11,117,773 for the 2010 NSP2 programs. Costs will be reimbursed to the city by HUD as expended.
Title
To authorize an appropriation of $11,117,773.00 in various divisions and object levels of the General Government Grant Fund to provide funding for approved Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 activities; and to declare an emergency. ($11,117,773.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the city of Columbus has been awarded $23,200,773.00 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the implementation of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to address the current mortgage crisis; and
WHEREAS, the funds will provide for the acquisition, rehabilitation, redevelopment or demolition of foreclosed, abandoned and vacant properties in order to stabilize neighborhoods and stem the decline of housing values; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus is the Lead Applicant of the NSP 2 Consortium which is an association of seven organizations and government entities formed for the purpose of applying for and implementing NSP2 funds, as well as, pooling their resources and services for achieving a common goal; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance authorizes an appropriation of $11,117,773.00 in various divisions and object levels of the General Government Grant Fund to provide funding for approved programs; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development, in that it is immediately necessary to appropriate the aforementioned funds to implement 2010 NSP2 activities that address the current mortgage crisis in our city and to meet deadlines established by the NSP Program, thereby preserving the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; Now, Therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
Section 1. That from the unappropriated monies in the fund known as the General Government Grant Fund, Fund No. 220, Grant No. 451036, and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources during the 12 months ending December 31, 2010, there be and hereby is appropriated to the following divisions the following sums:
Division / OCA Code / Object Level One / Amount
44-01 / 441042 / 01 / $231,384
44-01 / 441041 / 01 / $162,073
44-01 / 441049 / 06 / $1,000,000
44-01 / 441058 / 03 / $1,500,000
TOTAL 44-01 $2,893,457
44-03 / 441038 / 01 / $285,923
44-10 / 441059 / 01 / $626,244
44-10 / 441039 / 01 / $123,610
44-10 / 441039 / 02 / $5,000
44-10 / 441043 / 05 / $1,000,000
44-10 / 441046 / 05 / $1,000,000
44-10 / 441039 / 03 / $33,000
44-10 / 441040 / 03 / $549,940
44-10 / 441052 / 05 / $4,300,200
TOTAL 44-10 $7,637,994
45-01 / 451037 / 01 / $283,399
45-01 / 451037 / 03 / $5,000
45-01 / 451039 / 03 / $12,000
TOTAL 45-01 $300,399
Grand Total $11,117,773
Section 2. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Section 1 shall be paid upon the order of the respective department directors or elected officials for which the appropriations are made, except that small claims in amounts not to exceed Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) may be paid as authorized by Chapter 335 of the Columbus City Code, 1959, as amended; and except that payments or transfers between departments, divisions or funds of the City may be made by the City Auditor; and except that payments for premiums for official bonds, depository commissions, employees' hospitalization, life insurance, pensions, dental insurance and prepaid legal services, shall be made on the order and approval of the Director of the Department of Finance and Management or City Auditor; and that no order shall be drawn or money paid except upon voucher, the form of which shall be approved by the City Auditor.
Section 3. Except in the matter of payrolls providing for the payment of the salaries of officers and employees regularly employed by the City and extraordinary emergencies, no warrant shall be issued in liquidation of vouchers, unless the department contracting the expense shall have first obtained an order duly certified that there are sufficient funds appropriated to the credit of the proper funds from which the expenditure is to be made, which certificate must be obtained prior to the incurrence of the obligation, and the head of any department or division authorized to contract expenditures will be held personally responsible for any obligation incurred contrary to the provisions of this section. Except that such certificate shall not be issued for obligations pertaining to "Capital Outlay" in programs or activities funded by federal or state categorical grants without the prior approval of the Director of the Department of Finance and Management; such prior approval must be obtained before submission of any requisition for items coded as "Capital Outlay" to the Department of Finance and Management. The Director of the Department of Finance and Management will review such requests for conformity with the approved budget.
Section 4. That it is understood that this Council is not making specific appropriations for each item of every classification herein before contained but only for the total for each department and subdepartment, as shown in the final column. The itemized classification shall, however, constitute limitations on the powers of the several department heads as granted in Section 3, and no such officer shall make any expenditure for any other purpose in any amount beyond that of the particular classification; provided, however, that transfers may be made from Object Level 1 to another, within any one department or division. Transfers of sums exceeding $25,000 shall be authorized only by ordinance of Council. Transfers of sums of $25,000 or less shall be approved by letter with the signatures of the head of the department, the Director of the Department of Finance and Management, the City Auditor and the Chairman of the Finance Committee.
Section 5. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to pay obligations of various departments pertaining to preceding years obligations from current appropriations up to a maximum of $25,000.00 per obligation.
Section 6. 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.