Explanation
Background:
This legislation will authorize the appropriation of $40,000.00 from the Bad Checks Fund. This fund is generated by fees collected by the City Attorney's Bad Checks Diversion Program and funds a portion of the salary of the Bad Checks Program Coordinator.
The Bad Checks Program is designed to reduce the number of bad check cases that backlog the court and to help local merchants recover the money they are owed. The staff works directly with the merchant and the check writer to resolve the matter and therefore keep the case out of the court system.
In 2013 approximately 10,145 criminal complaints were diverted from the court system and approximately $358,736 was recovered for the merchants.
Fiscal Impact: The Bad Checks Diversion Program is partly funded from collected fees. The cash balance of the fund as of 12/31/13 was $10,985.94. The anticipated revenue coming into said fund in 2014 is approximately $33,000.00.
Title
To authorize the appropriation of Forty Thousand Dollars from the fees collected by the City Attorney's Bad Checks Diversion Program for the purpose of funding said program and to declare an emergency. ($40,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, administrative fees are imposed and collected by the City Attorney's Office for participation in the Bad Checks Diversion Program, and
WHEREAS, the cost of this program is partly supported by the fees collected, and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the City Attorney's Office in that it is necessary to immediately authorize the appropriation of these collected fees for the continuance of the program and for the preservation of public peace, property, safety, health and welfare; and now therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS, OHIO:
SECTION 1. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate Forty Thousand Dollars ($40,000.00) from the Special Purposes Fund as follows: City Attorney's Office, department 24-01, Bad Check Fees fund, fund number 223, organizational cost account 223131, object level three 1101.
SECTION 2. That funds appropriated in the foregoing Section 1 shall be paid upon order of the City Attorney and that no order shall be drawn or money paid except by voucher, the form of which shall be approved by the City Auditor.
SECTION 3. 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.