Explanation
BACKGROUND: The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement Program managed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides annual grants on a formula basis to cities and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low-and moderate-income persons. All City CDBG expenditures must be consistent with the community needs, priorities, and strategies stated in the City’s Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan and Draft FY 2025 Annual Action Plan, which were adopted by City Council as Ordinance #2968-2024.
This ordinance is needed to authorize the Director of Finance and Management to execute new and modified subrecipient agreements and contracts to complete work that could not be completed within the terms of existing subrecipient agreements and contracts. Delays caused by changes to federal policies and by ongoing litigation, as well as by inclement weather, prevented portions of certain projects from being completed. The Department of Finance and Management further needs to appropriate funds for general administration of these federal grant projects.
Listed below are the subrecipient agreements and contracts that will be authorized by this ordinance:
Habitat for Humanity of Ohio, Inc. - Roof Replacement Program, $149,880
Helping Hands Center for Special Needs, dba Bridgeway Academy - Roof Renovation, $3,737
Protect Environmental, LLC - Radon Mitigation Services, $17,145
BBCO Design LLC - Design Services, $35,000
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance will authorize the appropriation and expenditure of $205,762 in FY 2025 CDBG grant funds and $20,000 in 2021 CDBG grant funds awarded to the City by HUD (Fund 2248).
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: An emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Finance and Management in that it is immediately necessary to authorize these subrecipient agreements and contracts so that the Department of Finance and Management and its partners can complete necessary roofing and radon mitigation work to reduce health and safety risks, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare.
Title
To authorize the Director of Finance and Management to execute subrecipient agreements and contracts with community-based partners to complete existing projects, to appropriate and authorize the expenditure of $225,762 in CDBG grant funds; and to declare an emergency. ($225,762.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus is an entitlement community and a Participating Jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the City is a current recipient of Community Development Block Grant funds from HUD; and
WHEREAS, $7,527,430.00 in entitlement grant funds were awarded from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Community Development Block Grant program for Fiscal Year 2025; and
WHEREAS, under 24 CFR §570.500(c), the City of Columbus may select organizations as Subrecipients or Contractors to undertake eligible Community Development Block Grant activities; and
WHEREAS, the City wishes to use these funds to support local community-based organizations whose work advances HUD’s National Objectives, the City’s Consolidated Plan goals, and the City’s Opportunity Rising aspirations; and
WHEREAS, following a competitive application process, the City proposed eligible activities as described in the Draft FY 2025 Annual Action Plan as adopted by Ordinance #2968-2024 and executed Subrecipient Agreements as authorized by Ordinance #2969-2024; and
WHEREAS, the City entered into a professional service agreement with BBCO Design LLC, as authorized by Ordinance 2198-2025, to design improvements for CDBG-funded construction projects; and
WHEREAS, as a result of unforeseen delays caused by changes in federal policy, ongoing litigation, and inclement weather, there is a need to authorize additional agreements, a new contract, a contract modification, and additional administration funds, to complete required work approved under the Draft FY 2025 Annual Action Plan; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to appropriate and authorize the expenditure of $180,762 from Fund 2248 for the subrecipient agreements, contracts, and grant administration listed above; and
WHEREAS, it has become necessary in the usual daily operation of the Department of Finance and Management to authorize the Director to execute new subrecipient agreements and contracts with the organizations listed above; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Finance and Management in that it is immediately necessary to authorize these subrecipient agreements and contracts so that the Department of Finance and Management and its partners can complete necessary roofing and radon mitigation work to reduce health and safety risks, 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 from the unappropriated monies 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, 2026, the sum of $225,762.00 is appropriated in Fund 2248 Community Development Block Grant Fund per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of $225,762.00 is authorized within the CDBG Fund 2248 per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the Director of Finance and Management is hereby authorized and directed to execute subrecipient agreements and contracts with the organizations listed below to carry out the work described in the Draft FY 2025 Annual Action Plan as adopted by Ordinance #2968-2024, and as authorized by Ordinance 2198-2025:
Habitat for Humanity of Ohio, Inc. - Roof Replacement Program
Helping Hands Center for Special Needs, dba Bridgeway Academy - Roof Renovation
Protect Environmental, LLC - Radon Mitigation Services
BBCO Design LLC - Design Services (contract modification)
SECTION 4. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Section 1 shall be paid upon the order of the respective department directors or elected officials for which the appropriations are made, except that small claims in amounts not to exceed two-thousand five-hundred dollars ($2,500.00) may be paid as authorized by Chapter 335 of the Columbus City Code as amended; and except that payments or transfers between departments, divisions or funds of the City may be made by the City Auditor; and except that payments for premiums for official bonds, depository commissions, employees’ hospitalization, life insurance, pensions, dental insurance and prepaid legal services, shall be made on the order and approval of the Director of the Department of Finance and Management or City Auditor; and that no order shall be drawn or money paid except upon voucher, the form of which shall be approved by the City Auditor.
SECTION 5. That, except in the matter of payrolls providing for the payment of the salaries of officers and employees regularly employed by the City and extraordinary emergencies, no warrant shall be issued in liquidation of vouchers, unless the department contracting the expense shall have first obtained an order duly certified that there are sufficient funds appropriated to the credit of the proper funds from which the expenditure is to be made, which certificate must be obtained prior to the incurrence of the obligation, and the head of any department or division authorized to contract expenditures will be held personally responsible for any obligation incurred contrary to the provisions of this section. Except that such certificate shall not be issued for obligations pertaining to “Capital Outlay” in programs or activities funded by federal or state categorical grants without the prior approval of the Director of the Department of Finance and Management; such prior approval must be obtained before submission of any requisition for items coded as “Capital Outlay” to the Department of Finance and Management. The Director of the Department of Finance and Management will review such requests for conformity with the approved budget.
SECTION 6. That it is understood that this Council is not making specific appropriations for each item of every classification herein before contained but only for the classifications per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance. The itemized classification shall, however, constitute limitations on the powers of the several department heads as granted in Section 3, and no such officer shall make any expenditure for any other purpose in any amount beyond that of the particular classification; provided, however, that transfers may be made from one Object Level 1 to another, within any one department or division. Transfers of sums exceeding $100,000 shall be authorized only by ordinance of Council. Transfers of sums of $100,000 or less shall be approved by letter with the signatures of the head of the department, the Director of the Department of Finance and Management, the City Auditor and the Chairman of the Finance Committee.
SECTION 7. That the Director of the Department of Finance and Management may be required to transfer funding from one subfund to another within the Fund 2248, Community Development Block Grant Fund due to the availability of funding based on federal requirements of grants based accounting and account coding will be provided to the City Auditor.
SECTION 8. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated and authorized for expenditure, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 9. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modification associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 10. 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.