Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the City Clerk to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with the Government Finance Officers Association to facilitate the City’s participation in their Putting Assets to Work initiative.
Putting Assets to Work supports a cohort of government jurisdictions working together over a roughly six-month period to identify and value publicly-owned assets and develop policies and tools to unlock new revenues and other public benefits from unused or underutilized government land.
The not-for-profit service contract will include an endeavor in asset inventory and mapping, as well as a feasibility assessment and implementation playbook. The cost of the City’s participation in this cohort is $140,000.00. The asset inventory and mapping will yield a public real estate asset map and valuation. The feasibility assessment and implement playbook will engage City leaders to identify budgetary goals and other public benefit opportunities that Columbus is seeking and address how this initiative can support the City’s objectives.
City Council staff first became aware of this program at the National League of Cities conference in 2023 and have since been in conversation with the Government Finance Officers Association about the opportunity to participate in the Putting Assets to Work initiative. Columbus has been granted a slot in the Spring 2025 cohort.
The services included in this not-for-profit service contract cannot be provided by existing city employees because these services are beyond the City’s current staffing capacity to provide.
Emergency action is requested in order to pay the costs of the City’s participation in this cohort in a timely manner, as some collaboration is already underway with the Government Finance Officers Association. This is also the reason for the request to allow for the authorization of expenditures prior to the date of the purchase order.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding is available within the Job Growth subfund.
Title
To authorize the City Clerk to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with the Government Finance Officers Association in an amount of up to $140,000.00 to facilitate the City’s participation in their Putting Assets to Work initiative; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure within the Jobs Growth subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($140,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Government Finance Officers Association has selected the City of Columbus as a participant in the upcoming Putting Assets to Work initiative; and
WHEREAS, Columbus City Council seeks to utilize public assets in an informed manner that will provide the greatest benefit to the community; and
WHEREAS, participation in the Putting Assets to Work initiative will provide City Council with a map, valuation, and implementation playbook associated with the assessment of publicly-owned assets performed through the program and informed by conversation with local leaders; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the City Clerk in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Clerk to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with the Government Finance Officers Association to ensure a timely execution of the contract prior to the start of the upcoming Putting Assets to Work program cohort, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; and NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Clerk is authorized to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with the Government Finance Officers Association in an amount of up to $140,000.00 to facilitate the City of Columbus’ participation in the Putting Assets to Work program, and to authorize expenditures incurred prior to the date of the purchase order. Authorization is conditional upon the Government Finance Officers Association registering to do business in the State of Ohio through the Ohio Secretary of State.
SECTION 2. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $140,000.00 in the Jobs Growth subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100015, to the City Clerk per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $140,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the action authorized in SECTION 1 of this ordinance, is hereby authorized in the Jobs Growth subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100015 per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That this contract is awarded in accordance with the relevant provisions of City Code Chapter 329 relating to not-for-profit service contracts.
SECTION 5. 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 6. 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.