Explanation
In 2017, the City of Columbus negotiated Memorandum of Understanding #2017-02 between the Columbus Board of Health and the Ohio Council 8, AFSCME Local 2191, Ohio Council 8, AFSCME Local 1632 and CWA to provide funding for the Ohio AFSCME Care Plan. This plan provides a hearing aid benefit for these employees. Per this agreement, payments are to be made annually on June 1st and December 1st. The payment is $3.00 per covered employee. The city assumes no other role in this plan. The first payment was made in December 2017, and was funded through the administrative sub fund of the Employee Benefits Trust Fund; the more appropriate subfund is the medical subfund. At that time, however, the cost for this new coverage was not known and therefore, not budgeted in the medical subfund. At this time, it is necessary to appropriate $25,000 from the unappropriated balance of the Employee Benefits Trust Fund, medical subfund, to allow the Department of Human Resources to pay costs associated with both the June, 2018 and December, 2018 payments for the provision of hearing aid insurance.
Fiscal Impact: Funds are currently available and budgeted in the Employee Benefits Trust Fund, medical subfund. This ordinance appropriates the funds and allows payments to be made on June 1, 2018 and December 1, 2018, per the negotiated agreement.
Emergency action is respectfully requested to allow payments to be made per the city’s contractual obligation and so financial transactions are posted in the City’s accounting system as soon as possible. Up to date financial posting promotes accurate accounting and financial management.
Title
To make appropriations from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 to fund costs associated with the hearing aid insurance program negotiated for AFSCME and CWA employees; to authorize the expenditure of $25,000.00, or so much thereof as may be necessary; and to declare an emergency. ($25,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, an appropriation is needed to pay costs associated with hearing aid insurance negotiated for AFSCME and CWA employees; and
WHEREAS, funds for this appropriation and expenditure are currently available and designated for this purpose in the Employee Benefits Trust Fund, medical subfund, and
WHEREAS, this ordinance is submitted as an emergency to allow the financial transaction to be posted in the city's accounting system as soon as possible in order to promote accurate accounting and financial management; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operations of the Human Resources Department in that it is immediately necessary to appropriate funds and authorize the Director to expend funds to ensure continuity of service for the hearing aid program for qualified city employees, thereby preserving the public peace, health, safety and welfare; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1: That from the unappropriated monies in the Employee Benefits Trust Fund, and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purpose during the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018, the sum of $25,000.00 is appropriated in Fund 5502, Employee Benefits Trust Fund, in Object Class 03 Professional Services, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That the monies appropriated in Section 1 shall be paid upon the order of the Human Resources Director 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 the expenditure of $25,000.00 or so much thereof as may be necessary to the Ohio AFSCME Cares Plan is hereby authorized to be expended as follows:
Department 4602/ Fund 5502/ Subfund: 550206/ Program: RM007/ Amount: $25,000.00
SECTION 4. 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 5. 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 passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.