Explanation
BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Administrative Judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court to accept a grant in the amount of $611,273 from the State of Ohio, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, and to appropriate from the unappropriated balance of the general government grant fund. The Court is required to provide a cash match of $16,902 to cover 40% of the supervisor’s salary. The Court will need to appropriate these funds.
This grant is a pilot program that will fund the salaries and fringe benefits of five probation officers and a supervisor who will provide pretrial assessments and supervision to defendants in custody awaiting arraignment in the Municipal Court. With regard to charge severity, pre-trial services will be limited to those defendants appearing in Municipal Court arraignment for a minor misdemeanor, criminal misdemeanor and/or OVI. The program will not include the following charge categories: Traffic, Felony (conducted by Common Pleas pre-trial program), and Domestic Violence. Aggregate data from CY2014 suggests the pre-trial pilot program could potentially provide screening services for close to 800 individuals over the 18-month performance period with a sub-set of that population eligible to receive pre-trial supervision and case management services.
The grant will also pay for computers and bus passes.
FISCAL IMPACT
$611,273.00 will be expended from the General Government Grant Fund.
$16,902 will be expended from the Probation User Fees Fund.
Title
To authorize and direct the Administrative Judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court to accept a grant award from the State of Ohio, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction; to appropriate $16,902.00 in matching funds from the probation user fees fund and transfer said funds to the general government grant fund; to appropriate $628,175.00 from the unappropriated balance of the general government grant fund to the Franklin County Municipal Court; and to declare an emergency. ($628,175.00)
Body
WHEREAS, , it is in the city's best interest that the Franklin County Municipal Court receive support for this enhanced probationary services for defendants awaiting trial; and
WHEREAS, grant monies from the State of Ohio, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, in the amount of $611,273 are available to provide for salaries and benefits for six employees and to pay for the for program expenses ; and
WHEREAS, the acceptance of the grant requires matching funds in the amount of $16,902; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the daily operation of the City in that it is immediately necessary to accept and appropriate the grant award and to transfer and appropriate the matching funds in order that the services supported may commence at the beginning of the grant period and for the 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 Administrative Judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court be and is hereby authorized to accept a grant in the amount of $611,273 from the State of Ohio, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
SECTION 2. That the sum of $16,902 be and is hereby appropriated from the unappropriated balance of the special revenue fund, fund 227, subfund 003, and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources unappropriated for any other purposes during the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015, to the Franklin County Municipal Court Judges, department number 2501, oca code 250324, as follows: object level 1 - 10, object level 3 -5501, $16,902.
That the amount of $16,902 is hereby transferred as follows:
From: department number 2501, oca code 250324; object level 1 - 10, object level 3 -5501, $16,902.
To: general government grand fund 220, grant number 251502, oca code 251502; object level 1- 03, object level 3 - 0886.
SECTION 3. Funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated. That from the unappropriated balance in the general government grant fund, fund 220, and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and appropriated for any other purpose during the twenty-four months ending June 30, 2017, the sum of $628,715 is appropriated to the Franklin County Municipal Court, department number 2501 as follows: grant number 251502, oca 251502, object level 1 - 01, object level 3 - 1000, $622,325; object level 1 - 02, object level - 2000, $3,600; and object level 1 - 03, object level 3 - 3000, $2,250.
SECTION 4. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Section 3 shall be paid upon the order of the Administrative Judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court 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 5. At the end of the grant period, any repayment of unencumbered balances required by the grant is hereby authorized and any unused City match monies may be transferred back to the City fund from which they originated in accordance with all applicable grant agreements
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.