Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to modify a beneficiary grant agreement that was entered into pursuant to Ordinance No. 1699-2023 with Columbus State Community College, through their Small Business Development Center, in an amount up to $250,000.00 of Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. This agreement provides continued financial support for staff, including a Spanish-speaking business advisor. These staff will continue their support of Columbus small businesses as they continue their recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. This modification will allow for the extension of the expiration of the beneficiary grant agreement to October 31, 2025.
Ordinance 1201-2021 authorized the City of Columbus to accept and appropriate approximately $187,030,138.00 of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as signed into law by the President of the United States on March 11, 2021.
It is expected that the guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury will be modified while this beneficiary grant agreement is in effect and it is requested that the Director of Development be given the authority to modify the terms and conditions of the beneficiary grant agreement without seeking additional Council approval in order to align with the most current version of the laws, regulations, and guidance.
The Ohio Small Business Development Center at Columbus State Community College is a public/private partnership supported in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Ohio Department of Development, Columbus State Community College, the City of Columbus and other local partners. SBDC serves an eight-county region including Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Logan, Madison, Pickaway, and Union counties.
SBDC is part of America’s Small Business Development Centers, a national network comprised of over 1000 Centers across the U.S. including 29 in Ohio. The Ohio SBDC Network provides one-on-one advising, by Certified Business Advisors, at no cost and conduct no or low-cost business training. SBDC focuses on all industries and business needs from seed to maturity and everything stage in-between.
Emergency action is requested to accommodate the forthcoming August recess and to ensure that the agreement does not lapse, leading to the loss of encumbered ARPA funds.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE: the vendor number is 004263 and expires 05/30/2025.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to modify the beneficiary grant agreement initially authorized under Ordinance No. 1699-2023 to allow for the extension of the expiration of the beneficiary grant agreement; and to declare an emergency. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, The Ohio Small Business Development Center at Columbus State Community College is a public / private partnership supported in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Ohio Development Services Agency, Columbus State Community College, the City of Columbus and other local partners. SBDC serves an eight-county region including Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Logan, Madison, Pickaway and Union counties; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in negative impacts on small businesses, such as loss profits, reduced hours, reduced customers, and even closing for a period of time; and
WHEREAS, expenditure of ARPA funding to support small business recovery is necessary to alleviate the negative impacts caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Department, in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director of Development to extend the expiration of the beneficiary grant agreement authorized under Ordinance No. 1699-2023 in a timely and effective manner to ensure that the agreement does not lapse, leading to the loss of encumbered ARPA funds, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, safety, peace, property, and welfare and that it is immediately necessary to extend this beneficiary grant agreement to promote job creation and economic development; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Department of Development is authorized to modify the beneficiary grant agreement that was entered into pursuant to Ordinance No. 1699-2023 with Columbus State Community College, through their Small Business Development Center, to allow for the extension of the expiration of the beneficiary grant agreement to October 31, 2025.
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 approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.