Explanation
BACKGROUND: The Division of Police has been awarded a FY2008 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act grant. This is a federal grant program from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. The City must be a subgrantee to the State of Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services to participate in this program according to the federal grant guidelines. Therefore, the Mayor is required to sign a subgrantee award to accept this award on behalf of the City. The official City program contact authorized to act in connection with this grant is Crime Lab Manager, Jami St. Clair. The grant program provides funds to improve forensic crime lab activities. This award will fund training and travel costs for Columbus Police Department forensic lab personnel to attend new and/or updated forensic training. The award is also to purchase furniture for the Crime Lab for a renovated area in the lab for drug and firearms identification, for personnel to perform administrative tasks, and provide more space in laboratory areas for casework analysis.
Emergency Designation: Emergency legislation is needed to make the grant funds available as quickly as possible for upcoming training registration deadlines and to begin the purchasing process procedures.
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance authorizes an acceptance of a grant in the amount of $28,308.30 from the Federal government for training and office furniture for the city's Crime Lab. There will be no fiscal impact for the City General Fund account. All funds appropriated are reimbursable from the grant award.
Title
To authorize and direct the Mayor of the City of Columbus to accept a subgrantee award through the FY2008 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act via the State of Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services; to authorize Jami St. Clair, Crime Lab Manager, as the official city representative to act in connection with the subgrant; to authorize an appropriation of $28,308.30 from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grant Fund to the Division of Police to cover the costs of the subgrant project, and to declare an emergency. ($28,308.30)
Body
WHEREAS, the Division of Police has been awarded funding through the FY2008 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act for the training of forensic lab personnel and the purchase of furniture for a renovated area in the crime lab for drug identification, firearms and questioned documents personnel to perform administrative tasks and provide more space in the laboratory areas for casework analysis; and
WHEREAS, advancing technology and crime lab employees have created a need for up-to-date and additional forensic science training and furniture for a renovated administrative work area to provide more space in the laboratory areas for casework analysis; and
WHEREAS, Crime Lab Manager, Jami St. Clair, has been identified as the official representative to act in connection with the FY2008 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act Subgrant and to provide additional information as required; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance is being submitted as an emergency measure because the grant funds need to be made available as quickly as possible to register for training opportunities and begin the procedures for grant purchases; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the daily operation of the City of Columbus in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Mayor to accept a FY2008 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act Subgrant for the Division of Police Crime Lab and to authorize an appropriation for the grant activities for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare, now therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Mayor of the City of Columbus be and is hereby authorized and directed to accept a FY2008 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act Subgrant for specialized training and furniture for the Columbus Police Crime Lab.
SECTION 2. That Crime Lab Manager, Jami St. Clair, is designated as the official program contact and authorized to act in connection with the FY2008 Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Act Grant Program, and to provide any additional information required.
SECTION 3. That from the unappropriated monies in the General Government Grant Fund and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purposes during the subgrant award period the sum of $28,308.30 is appropriated as follows:
DIV FD OBJ#1 OBJ#3 OCACD GRANT AMOUNT
30-03 220 02 2140 339032 339032 11,678.30
30-03 220 03 3330 339032 339032 10,730.00
30-03 220 03 3331 339032 339032 5,900.00
SECTION 4. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Section 3 shall be paid upon order of the Director of Public Safety; 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. That for 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.