Explanation
This legislation authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to accept the award for the 2024 EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant, G602100, in the amount of $109,891.22 from American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP), and it authorizes the appropriation and expenditure of the 2024 grant award to accelerate the City’s conversion from high-pressure sodium lights to light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures. The ordinance also authorizes the Finance and Management Director to associate all General Budget Reservations resulting from this ordinance with the following current and pending Universal Term Contract Purchase Agreements listed below for the Division of Power, and lastly, it authorizes the City Auditor to transfer funds in the amount of the 2018 EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant from the Electricity Grants Fund to the Electricity Operating Fund. The transfer is necessary because the approved expenditure for the 2019 EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant used operating funds and the Electricity Grant Fund maintains the cash from that award.
UNIVERSAL TERM CONTRACT PURCHASE AGREEMENTS:
Lamps (Line #10)
Street Lights (Line #10)
VENDORS:
Crescent Electric Supply Company, vendor #012052, cc exp 3/14/27 majority
Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc., vendor #010270, cc exp 5/4/25, majority
The Loeb Electric Company, vendor #006028, cc exp 8/1/26, majority
PEPCO, vendor #006514, cc exp 2/15/26, majority
W. W. Grainger, Inc., vendor #007170, cc exp 1/17/26, majority
The companies are not debarred according to the Excluded Party Listing System of the Federal Government or prohibited from being awarded a contract according to the Auditor of State Unresolved Findings for Recovery Certified Search.
The EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant program was instituted by AMP to return unused funds to participating members, recognizing EcoSmart Choice participating communities that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability through the promotion of environmentally focused, community based grant projects. Funds are unused if market renewable energy certificate (REC) prices are lower than anticipated.
The Division of Power (DOP) street light system has around 59,000 streetlights. DOP has been converting these from high-pressure sodium lights to light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures, and thus far, around 10,000 lights (18%) have been converted. The EcoSmart award will allow approximately 90 additional decorative post and top conversions and 220 standard cobrahead models, or some combination thereof.
Expenditures of prior year EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant awards contributed to DOP’s SMART Street Lighting Project, an offer of smart thermostats to customers in connection with the ongoing Enhanced Meter Project, and installation of solar photovoltaics (PV) as part of a low- to moderate-income co-op program.
FISCAL IMPACT
DOP is eligible for $109,891.22 for the 2024 EcoSmart Choice program year. This ordinance authorizes an appropriation of this same amount from the Electricity Grants Fund to accelerate the City’s conversion from high-pressure sodium lights to light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures.
$2,808,934.30 was spent on lamps in street lights in 2024
$917,031.04 was spent in 2023
Separately, $50,366.00 will be transferred from the Electricity Grants Fund to the Electricity Operating Fund because the approved expenditure for the 2019 EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant used operating funds and the Electricity Grant Fund maintains the cash from that award. ACPO004638 is the encumbrance of grant funds, while the approved expenditure used operating funds through PO205197.
Title
To authorize the Director of Public Utilities to accept the 2024 EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant Award in the amount of $109,891.22 for the Division of Power; to authorize the appropriation and expenditure of $109,891.22 from the Electricity Grants Fund to support the City’s streetlight conversions; to authorize the Director of the Department of Finance and Management to associate all General Budget Reservations resulting from this ordinance with the appropriate current and pending Universal Term Contract Purchase Agreements, and to authorize the City Auditor to transfer $50,366.00 within the Electricity Grants Fund and $50,366.00 from the Electricity Grants Fund to the Electricity Operating Fund. ($160,257.22)
Body
WHEREAS, American Municipal Power’s EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant Program returns unused funds to participating members, recognizing EcoSmart Choice participating communities that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability through the promotion of environmentally focused, community-based grant projects; and
WHEREAS, funds are unused if market renewable energy certificate (REC) prices are lower than anticipated; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to accept $109,891.22 from American Municipal Power for the 2024 EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant (G602100), per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance; and
WHEREAS, American Municipal Power approved the Division of Power’s application to accelerate its streetlight conversions from high-pressure sodium lights to light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures; and
WHEREAS, the Purchasing Office has established current and pending Universal Term Contract Purchase Agreements for the purchase of materials and supplies; and
WHEREAS, the expenditure of $109,891.22 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized in Fund 6316, Electricity Grants Fund, in object class 02, Materials and Supplies, per the accounting codes attached to the ordinance; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Utilities has a need to transfer $50,366.00 between Object Classes within the Electricity Grants Fund (Fund 6316), and funds for the transfer have been identified and are available in Object Class 02 (Materials and Supplies) and Object Class 03 (Services); and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Utilities has a need to transfer $50,366.00 between the Electricity Grants Fund and the Electricity Operating Fund in order to reimburse the Power Operating Fund for the expense associated with the 2018 approved EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant; and
WHEREAS, it has become necessary in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Utilities, Division of Power, to authorize the Director of Public Utilities to accept the 2024 EcoSmart Choice Grant Award from American Municipal Power, to authorize the Director of the Department of Finance and Management to associate all General Budget Reservations resulting from this ordinance with the appropriate current and pending Universal Term Contract Purchase Agreements, to authorize the expenditure of said grant funds for street light conversions, and to authorize the City Auditor to transfer funds to reimburse the Electricity Operating Fund; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of Public Utilities is hereby authorized to accept $109,891.22 from American Municipal Power for the 2024 EcoSmart Choice Sustainability Grant (G602100) to support additional street light conversions from high-pressure sodium lights to light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures.
SECTION 2. That the Director of the Department of Finance and Management is hereby authorized to associate all General Budget Reservations resulting from this ordinance with the appropriate current and pending Universal Term Contract Purchase Agreements for the purchase of materials and supplies for the Division of Power.
SECTION 3. That the transfer of $50,366.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized within Fund 6316 (Electricity Grants Fund), from Dept-Div 6007 (Public Utilities Division of Power), object classes 02 (Materials and Supplies) and 03 (Services) to Dept-Div 6007 (Public Utilities Division of Power), object class 10 (Transfers Out) per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That the transfer of $50,366.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized from Fund 6316 (Electricity Grants Fund), Dept-Div 6007 (Public Utilities Division of Power) to Fund 6300 (Electricity Operating Fund), Dept-Div 6007 (Division of Power), per the accounting codes attached to this ordinance.
SECTION 5. That from the unappropriated monies in Fund 6316, Electricity Grants Fund, and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purpose during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the sum of $109,891.22 is appropriated upon receipt of an executed grant agreement in Fund 6316, Division 6007, Grant No. G602100, in object class 02 (Materials and Supplies) per the accounting codes attached to this ordinance
SECTION 6. That the expenditure of $109,891.22 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized in Fund 6316, Electricity Grants Fund, in object class 02, Materials and Supplies, per the accounting codes attached to the ordinance.
SECTION 7. 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 8. 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 9. At the end of the grant period, any repayment of unencumbered balances required by the grantor is hereby authorized and any unused City match monies may be transferred back to the City fund from which they originated in accordance with all applicable grant agreements.
SECTION 10. That this Ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.