Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Technology to enter into contract with FUSE Corps in the amount of up to $60,000.00 for various City departments.
FUSE Corps is a national nonprofit that partners with local government to help urban communities thrive. The intent of this contract is to provide the City of Columbus, additional resources in the following three areas:
• Assessing and Addressing Housing Insecurity
• Responding to Mental Health Needs
• Advancing Public Safety Sensor Technology
The City of Columbus recognizes that housing instability is an increasing challenge for many residents, but certain communities and neighborhoods face greater risks of evictions, displacements, and homelessness. To better understand the challenge and develop more proactive approaches to increasing housing stability, FUSE Corps Executive Fellow will collect and analyze data from a wide array of sources. This information will help inform a data-driven action plan that carefully incorporates community perspectives and is built to be dynamic and sustainable.
Vulnerable communities in the City are experiencing soaring rates of mental health issues, as is true throughout the country. Columbus Public Health currently provides a range of crucial mental health services and is considering additional strategies to expand high-quality care where it is most needed. The FUSE Corps Executive Fellow will help assess these opportunities and develop a strategic plan to expand mental health resources for thousands of currently under served residents.
The City of Columbus aims to promote public safety by leveraging real-time safety sensor data collection technologies to respond to and investigate criminal activity. Key is data-driven approaches, public transparency, and affiliated public agency stakeholder engagement in the process of selecting, siting, and utilizing new and existing sources and methods of safety sensor data collection. The FUSE Corps Executive Fellow will help develop protocols for decision-makers to use when considering and deploying safety sensor data collection technologies.
The above-described services cannot be provided by existing City employees. The fellows providing services at FUSE Corps have unique skill-sets and will provide said service on a limited and/or short-term duration.
2. CONTRACT COMPLIANCE
FUSE Corps will have an active contract compliance number before the contract is executed.
3. FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for this contract is budgeted and available in the general fund for the above-described purpose. An appropriation, authorized by this ordinance, is needed in City Council’s Neighborhood Initiatives Subfund.
4. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION
Emergency action is requested to ensure the needed funds are available so the project can start as soon as possible.
Title
To authorize the Director of Technology to enter into contract with FUSE Corps, a national nonprofit to provide additional resources to address the issues of Housing Insecurity, responding to Mental Health Needs and Public Safety Sensor Technology; to authorize the appropriation in City Council’s Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; to authorize the expenditure of $60,000.00 from the general fund and from the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($60,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, there is a need for Assessing and Addressing Housing Insecurity, Responding to Mental Health Needs and Advancing Public Safety Sensor Technology within the City; and
WHEREAS, FUSE Corps is a national nonprofit that partners with local government with expertise to help understand the needs and address solutions with the community; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to enter into a contract with FUSE Corps for the provision to fund the projects “Assessment to Address Housing Insecurity, the Responding to Mental Health Needs and the Advancing Public Safety Sensor Technology” in the amount of up to $60,000.00; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to appropriate $15,000.00 within City Council’s Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to authorize the expenditure of up to $45,000.00 from the general fund and $15,000.00 from City Council’s Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Technology in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to enter into contract with FUSE Corps in order to provide funding for the projects “Assessment to Address Housing Insecurity, the Responding to Mental Health Needs and the Advancing Public Safety Sensor Technology” so that the project can start as soon as possible and to ensure mental health resources for thousands of currently under served residents, 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 Director of the Department of Technology be and is hereby authorized to enter into a contract with FUSE Corps, a non-profit corporation, to fund the studies “Assessment to Address Housing Insecurity, the Responding to Mental Health Needs and the Advancing Public Safety Sensor Technology” in an amount up to $60,000.00.
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of up to $45,000.00 is hereby authorized from the general fund, Fund 1000, as shown in the attachment to this ordinance (see 1799-2024).
SECTION 3. That the appropriation and expenditure of up to $15,000.00 is hereby authorized from City Council's Neighborhood Initiatives subfund 100018, as shown in the attachment to this ordinance (see 1799-2024).
SECTION 4. 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 5. 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 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.