Explanation
BACKGROUND: The City of Columbus, Division of Public Safety received 2023 Overdose Data to Action funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) via a sub award from Franklin County Public Health (FCPH). This sub award addresses the local opioid crisis by expanding the capacity of the Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) and increasing linkages to RREACT outreach and education services. This ordinance accepts and appropriates year one project funds totaling $280,941.00. The 2023 CDC OD2A subaward budget period is September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024. The full project period is September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028. This ordinance authorizes an appropriation of funds upon receipt of annual executed agreements.
Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) is an innovative outreach effort addressing the opioid crisis ravaging Columbus, Ohio. RREACT team members go out into the community and do face to face follow up visits with substance users revived from opioid overdose by police or fire first responders who have refused immediate transport to clinical facilities thereby bi-passing treatment and recovery resources available through emergency rooms across the city. RREACT connects with survivors in their neighborhoods within 48 hours of overdose. The team includes a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained peace officer, a paramedic, a social worker and a trauma specialist. The goal of this multi-disciplinary outreach team is to help stabilize the household in an effort to reduce barriers to accessing drug and/or behavioral treatment for the substance user.
RREACT will use the CDC OD2A funding for the continued operation of the RREACT EMS/mobile crisis outreach team, dedicated to serving Franklin County neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by opioid-related overdose (zip codes 43204, 43207, 43211, 43223, and 43232) and extending outreach to the under served minority populations. RREACT will also collaborate with OD2A partners, community organizations, and advocacy groups to provide CPR/First Aid training and distribute naloxone and fentanyl strips to at-risk minority communities and refugee groups. The OD2A funding will allow the RREACT team to develop a comprehensive anti-stigma campaign for first responder personnel, including roundtable discussions with LE and EMS/Fire leadership and personnel, roll call videos for first responders, educational brochures, and awareness posters.
CDC funds will support total compensation for one CIT trained peace officer; one part-time CFD paramedic and contract costs for program and grant management services.
In order to achieve project deliverables, RREACT requests legislative approval to waive bidding requirements and enter into a $60,000.00 service contract with Village Venture, LLC to provide program management, grant management and data analysis services.
EMERGENCY ACTION: This ordinance is submitted as an emergency as to not delay program services and to allow the financial transactions to be posted to the City’s accounting system as soon as possible.
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance authorizes the acceptance and appropriation of $280,941.00 in year one U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention award monies from Franklin County Public Health to fund expansion of RREACT outreach activities. The full term of the FCPH CDC OD2A project period is September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028. This ordinance authorizes an appropriation of funds upon receipt of annual executed agreements.
This initiative does not generate any revenue nor require a City match.
Sub recipient Agreement Number: CDC OD2A (this is a federal award administered as a sub award via Franklin County Public Health):
• Budget period: September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024 - $280,941.00
• Project Period: September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028 **Note: Year 2, 3, 4, 5 award funds to be appropriated to grant project account upon future receipt of annual executed contracts with FCPH
• No City match required
Title
To authorize the Public Safety Director to accept U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Overdose Data to Action program funding via a sub award from Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) in the amount of $280,941.00; to authorize the appropriation of award funds in the amount of $280,941.00 to the Public Safety Department for expansion of Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team outreach activities from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grants Fund; to authorize the expenditure of $280,941.00; to authorize the Director of Public Safety to enter into a $60,000.00 service contract with Village Venture, LLC to continue program management, grant management and data analysis; to waive the competitive bidding provisions of City Code; and to declare an emergency. ($280,941.00)
Body
WHEREAS, Franklin County Public Health sub awarded the City of Columbus $280,941.00 in federal U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds to expand Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) outreach services to high-risk, under served areas within Franklin County;
WHEREAS, it is necessary to accept and appropriate CDC funds from Franklin County Public Health to support successful expansion of RREACT outreach activities; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to accept said project award; and
WHEREAS, the year one contract period with FCPH is September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024 for a total award of $280,941.00 and the full term of the award is September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028;
WHEREAS, Columbus Public Safety requests permission to waive competitive bidding and use $60,000.00 in CDC funds to enter into contract with Village Venture, LLC to continue RREACT program management, grant management and data analysis services; and,
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operations of the Department of Public Safety in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to accept the award and appropriate award funds so services may commence and financial transactions can be posted in the City’s accounting system given the project start date of September 1, 2023, for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; now, therefore:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Public Safety Director is hereby authorized to accept $280,941.00 in CDC funding from FCPH to support expansion of RREACT outreach services for budget period September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024 and the full term of the award is September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028;
SECTION 2. That from the unappropriated monies in the General Government Grants Fund No. 2220, the sum of $280,941.00 is hereby appropriated to Columbus Division of Fire 3004 according to the attached accounting document for the budget period of September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024.
SECTION 3. That the Public Safety Director is hereby authorized to accept CDC funding from FCPH to support expansion of RREACT outreach services for the full project period of September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024 in the amount of $280,941.00 and that the Auditors office is hereby authorized to appropriate funds upon receipt of annual executed agreements.
SECTION 4. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Section 2 shall be paid upon order of the city departments named above 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 5. That the Director of the Department of Public Safety is hereby authorized to enter into a $60,000.00 service contract with Village Venture, LLC to continue program management, grant management and data analysis.
SECTION 6. That this Council finds it is in the best interest of the City to waive the provisions of Chapter 329 of City Code relating to competitive bidding to permit the aforementioned service contract.
SECTION 7. That for the aforesaid purposes, the expenditures of $60,000.00 for Village Venture, LLC or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized from grant project funds according to the attached accounting document.
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. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized to transfer appropriations between object classes for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Overdose Data to Action program grant as needed upon request by the Columbus Public Safety department.
SECTION 10. That, 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, if applicable, may be transferred back to the City fund from which they originate in accordance with all applicable grant agreements.
SECTION 11. 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 12. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Sections shall be paid upon order of the Director of Public Safety 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 13. That for 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.