Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to execute grant agreements with numerous recipients of the Lead Abatement Contractor Capacity-Building Grant Program. Each grant will be up to $10,000.00. This grant program is funded by a grant the Department received from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) (authorized by Ord. 2808-2023).
In June 2024, the Department of Development’s Division of Housing will issue a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to notify small business owners about a grant opportunity that will provide grants up to $10,000.00 to selected businesses to invest in assets (personnel, equipment) to help take the business to the next level. If the business does not have the resources to hire and provide training for licensed, lead abatement contractors or to promote a licensed contractor to licensed supervisor, this Grant Program can help the business grow in this service area.
The purpose of the Grant Program is to expand the number of state of Ohio licensed, lead abatement contractors and supervisors in the central Ohio region and to create a larger contractor pool for the City to work with in order to continue to create lead-safe housing in high-risk zip codes in Columbus through the Lead Safe Columbus Program. Contractors would conduct lead-safe renovations on homes built before 1978. Businesses that successfully complete this Program are eligible to be approved contractors for the City’s Lead Safe Columbus Program with the goal of each business submitting at least five bids in response to solicitations posted before December 31, 2025.
The Department is expecting to award 6 to 10 grants. The final number, and total amount, will not be known until after the applications are evaluated and awards made, expected in early July 2024. Under the authority of this ordinance, $100,000.00 will be transferred from Object Class 03 to Object Class 05 for the grant expenses. Once the recipients are determined, a purchase order will be created for each grant agreement.
The Department is requesting authority to execute grant agreements with recipients who are yet to be determined in order to have the funds available in mid-July should there be a delay in the NOFA process that would push the award of the grants to late July or August 2024, when Council is not in session.
Emergency action is requested to in order to have the funds available for grant execution as early as mid-July 2024 in order to give the recipients as much time as possible to schedule and attend state-approved training and take the licensing test, all before the grant with the recipient ends on January 30, 2025. The City needs to expend the ODH grant funds by June 30, 2025. All unused funds in the grant program will be used by the Department for other eligible expenses.
FISCAL IMPACT: $100,000.00 will be transferred from OC 03 to OC 05 in G442305 for this purpose.
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE: recipients will be required to create an account in Vendor Services and provide contract compliance information.
Title
To authorize the transfer of $100,000.00 in the Governmental Grant Fund (2023 ODH Lead Safe Housing grant); to authorize the Director of the Department of Development to execute grant agreements with to-be-determined recipients of the Lead Abatement Contractor Capacity-Building Grant Program for grant amounts not to exceed $10,000.00 per agreement; to authorize the expenditure of $100,000.00 from the Governmental Grant Fund (2023 ODH Lead Safe Housing grant); and to declare an emergency ($100,000.00).
Body
WHEREAS, the Department of Development received a grant from the Ohio Department of Health, of which some funds are to be used for Lead Abatement Contractor Capacity-Building Grant Program; and
WHEREAS, the Department will issue a NOFA in June 2024 and expects to award 6 to 10 grants to businesses in July 2024; and
WHEREAS, each grant will be up to $10,000.00; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to have the funds available for grant execution as early as mid-July 2024 in order to give the recipients as much time as possible to schedule and attend state-approved training and take the licensing test, all before the grant with the recipient ends on January 30, 2025, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, and safety; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the transfer of $100,000.00, or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized within Fund 2220 (General Government Grant Fund), Project G442305, from Dept-Div 44-10 (Housing), object class 03 (Services) to Dept-Div 44-10 (Housing), object class 05 (Other) per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That the Director of the Department of Development is authorized, pursuant to Columbus City Code Sec. 111.14, to execute grant agreements with numerous, to-be-determined recipients of the Lead Abatement Contractor Capacity-Building Grant Program and each grant will be up to $10,000.00.
SECTION 3. That for the purpose stated in Section 2, the expenditure of $100,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized in Fund 2220 (General Government Grant Fund), Project G442305, Dept-Div 44-10 (Housing), object class 05 (Other) per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That funds are hereby deemed appropriated and expenditures and transfers authorized to carry out the purposes of this ordinance and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 5. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all grants or grant 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 approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.