Explanation
BACKGROUND: The Department of Public Safety desires to lease the property located at 285 East Main Street from Franklin University to accommodate the needed relocation of Precinct 16 and Community Response Team (CRT) 5 at 333 West Town Street. In addition to the Precinct and CRT, the Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) will use the facility, currently located in the State of Ohio Facility at 1970. There has been an ongoing desire by the City to vacate the Franklinton property at 333 West Town Street to better utilize that real estate. The lease agreement would be for 22,896 +/- square feet of office space and the associated parking. The required renovation needed to the facility will be borne by the Landlord and amortized into the annual rent, to be $472,115.52 annually for the first five (5) years.
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Development, or authorized signatory, and the Director of Public Safety to enter into a new lease agreement for ten (10) consecutive one-year terms with Franklin University and authorizes the appropriation and expenditure of $472,115.52, or so much thereof as may be needed, from within the Income Tax Set Aside Fund for payment of rent per the terms of the lease agreement.
Fiscal Impact: This ordinance authorizes the appropriation and expenditure of $472,115.52, or so much thereof as may be needed, from the Income Tax Set Aside Fund for payment of rent associated with the lease at 285 East Main Street, Columbus, Ohio. $472,115.52 is budgeted within the 2026 Income Tax Set Aside Fund for the Department of Public Safety to pay rent for this leased office space.
Emergency Action: Emergency action is requested to allow for the immediate execution of the new lease agreement which will allow for the Landlord to commence Tenant related build-out of the space immediately thereafter and establish the earliest possible occupancy by City.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development, or authorized signatory, and the Director of Public Safety, to execute a lease agreement for office space at 285 East Main Street, Columbus, Ohio; to authorize the appropriation and expenditure of $472,115.52 from the Income Tax Set Aside Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($472,115.52)
Body
WHEREAS, the Department of Development, is responsible for leasing commercial properties for use in City operations; and
WHEREAS, the City’s has a need to vacate the city-owned property at 333 West Town Street and must relocate Columbus Precinct 16 and Community Response Team (CRT) 5 to a suitable facility within their defined boundaries; and
WHEREAS, the City and Franklin University have negotiated a lease agreement for the property at 285 East Main Street for ten (10) consecutive one-year terms, subject to annual appropriation and certification of necessary funds by the Columbus City Council, commencing upon the completion of Tenant’s build-out being performed by the Landlord, estimated to be on or about July 1, 2026; and
WHEREAS, funding for the payment of the rent associated with this lease agreement is provided for within the 2026 Income Tax Set Aside Fund; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to authorize the appropriation and expenditure of funding within the 2026 Income Tax Set Aside Fund for payment of the rent associated with this lease agreement; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operations of the City, in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director of Development, or authorized signatory, and the Director of the Department of Public Safety to execute those documents necessary to enter into a lease agreement with Franklin University; and to appropriate and expend funds for the payment of rent for the lease for the 2026-2027 term; execution of the lease is immediately necessary to allow Landlord build-out of the space so that the City can begin occupancy as soon as possible to ensure that City operations continue uninterrupted, 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 Development, or authorized signatory, and the Director of the Department of Public Safety be, and hereby is, authorized to execute those documents, as prepared and approved by the Department of Law, Division of Real Estate, necessary to enter into a ten-year lease agreement effective on or about July 1, 2026, by and between the City of Columbus and Franklin University the lease of office space located at 285 E. Main Street, Columbus, Ohio.
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SECTION 2. 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 ended December 31, 2026, the sum of ($472,115.52) is appropriated in Income Tax Set Aside Fund in Object Class 03, Lease and Rental of Property or Building, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the monies appropriated in SECTION 2 shall be paid upon order of the Finance and Management Director 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 4. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes necessary to ensure that this contract is properly accounted for and recorded accurately on the City's financial record. The City Auditor is authorized to make any changes to revise the funding source for any contract or contract modification associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 5. 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.