Explanation
BACKGROUND: The City is engaged in the Roadway - Livingston Avenue-18th Street to Nelson Road Project (“Project”). City Ordinance Number 1742-2025, which passed on July 17, 2025, authorized the City Attorney to spend City funds to hire professional services and acquire real property interests needed for this Project. The Project’s design is complete, and the Project’s proposed construction schedule requires acquisition of the Project’s real property interests to be completed by October 1, 2027.
Because the City is receiving federal funding through the Federal Highway Administration (“Federal Highways”), the City must follow federally mandated quality-based selection (“QBS”) procedures for solicitation and selection of title work and appraisal professional services, which procedural requirements supersede local bidding requirements. The City Attorney complied with all appropriate QBS procedures, and, in accordance with the appropriate selection criteria, the City Attorney selected the following two (2) Ohio Department of Transportation, (“ODOT”) prequalified professional title companies: Alban and Alban LLP and MS Consultants, Inc.; three (3) ODOT prequalified professional appraisal firms to perform appraisal reports: Belcastro Valuation Services, Inc., Martin-Wood Appraisal Group, Ltd., and The Robert Weiler Company; and the following two (2) ODOT prequalified professional appraisal firms to perform appraisal reviews: Brain Barnes & Co., Inc. and Principle Real Estate Group.
The total cost of title work and appraisal services for the work and parcels assigned to each of the foregoing professional service firms may exceed fifty thousand and 00/100 U.S. dollars ($50,000.00) each. Therefore, it is necessary to waive the City Code, Sections 329.25 and 329.26, as applicable, for awarding the professional service contracts.
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE №: Not applicable
FISCAL IMPACT: City Ordinance Number 1742-2025 authorized the funds for the City Attorney to enter the Project’s title and appraisal contracts with future legislation anticipated to authorize additional grant funding from Federal Highways.
EMERGENCY JUSTIFICATION: Emergency action is requested to allow the City Attorney's Office, Real Estate Division to immediately begin acquisition of the rights-of-way needed for the Project in order to meet the October 1, 2027, deadline for property acquisition necessary to receive Project funding from Federal Highways.
Title
To authorize the City Attorney to execute contracts with independent title companies and appraisal firms for title work and appraisal professional services necessary for the Roadway - Livingston Avenue-18th Street to Nelson Road Project; to waive City Code, Sections 329.25 and 329.26, as applicable, for awarding professional service contracts that may exceed fifty thousand U.S. dollars, relating only to the transactions contemplated under this ordinance; and to declare an emergency. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the city is engaged in the Roadway - Livingston Avenue-18th Street to Nelson Road Project (“Project”);
WHEREAS, City Ordinance Number, 1742-2025, which passed on July 17, 2025, provided funding for the City Attorney to hire professional services and acquire real property interests needed for this Project;
WHEREAS, the Project’s design is complete, and the Project’s construction schedule, as set by the Federal Highway Administration (“Federal Highways”), requires acquisition of the Project’s real property interests to be completed by October 1, 2027;
WHEREAS, because the City is receiving federal funding through Federal Highways, the City must follow federally mandated quality-based selection (“QBS”) procedures for solicitation and selection of consultants for title work and appraisals, which procedural requirements supersede local bidding requirements;
WHEREAS, the City Attorney complied with QBS procedures, and, in accordance with the appropriate selection criteria, the City Attorney selected the following two (2) Ohio Department of Transportation, (“ODOT”) prequalified professional title companies: Alban and Alban LLP and MS Consultants, Inc.; three (3) ODOT prequalified professional appraisal firms to perform appraisal reports: Belcastro Valuation Services, Inc., Martin-Wood Appraisal Group, Ltd., and The Robert Weiler Company; and the following two (2) ODOT prequalified professional appraisal firms to perform appraisal reviews: Brain Barnes & Co., Inc. and Principle Real Estate Group.
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WHEREAS, the total cost of title work and appraisal professional services for the parcels assigned to each consultant may exceed fifty thousand U.S. dollars ($50,000.00) each;
WHEREAS, it is necessary to waive the City’s processes under City Code, Sections 329.25 and 329.26, as applicable, for awarding professional service contracts relating to each of the Project’s title work and appraisal professional service contracts executed by the City Attorney;
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the City’s, Department of Law, in that it is immediately necessary that Council waive all provisions as set forth in the City Code Sections 329.25 and 329.26, as applicable, relative to the process for awarding professional service contracts that may exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00), which will immediately allow the City Attorney enter into agreements with the aforementioned title and appraisal professional services firms immediately in order to meet deadlines imposed by Federal Highways to receive federal funding for the Project and for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property and safety; and NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS, OHIO:
SECTION 1. That the City Attorney is authorized to enter into contracts for title work and appraisal professional services for the Roadway - Livingston Avenue-18th Street to Nelson Road Project with the following two (2) Ohio Department of Transportation, (“ODOT”) prequalified professional title companies: Alban and Alban LLP and MS Consultants, Inc.; three (3) ODOT prequalified professional appraisal firms to perform appraisal reports: Belcastro Valuation Services, Inc., Martin-Wood Appraisal Group, Ltd., and The Robert Weiler Company; and the following two (2) ODOT prequalified professional appraisal firms to perform appraisal reviews: Brain Barnes & Co., Inc. and Principle Real Estate Group.
SECTION 2. That Council determined that it is in the best interest of the City to waive all provisions set forth in City Code Sections 329.25 and 329.26, as applicable, relative to the process for awarding professional service contracts relating only to the transactions for the Project contemplated under this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That this ordinance, for the reasons stated in the preamble, which are made a part of this ordinance and fully incorporated for reference as if rewritten, is declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after this ordinance’s adoption and approval by the Mayor or ten (10) days after its adoption if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes this ordinance.