Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with Aspyr, formerly known as the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio, to provide fiscal manager and other services as a partner in the City of Columbus CAREER 500 grant program.
The City of Columbus seeks to create the CAREER (Columbus Access to Resources for Expanding Employment Readiness) 500 grant program. This grant program is designed to provide transformative support to the workforce development ecosystem. CAREER 500 aims to uplift 500 or more Columbus residents by supporting existing programs that provide training, wraparound support, and job placement services to underemployed individuals. Workforce development organizations will be able to apply for capacity-building grants with pay-for-performance structures. The program’s strategic design is meant to help agencies maximize their strengths, expanding in areas where flexible dollars will allow them to recruit, serve, and graduate more clients. Programs like CAREER 500 have the unique benefit of serving underemployed individuals who do not qualify for traditional WIOA-funded employment services.
The not-for-profit service contract will include a fee to Aspyr for administration expenses. To ensure that grants are disbursed in an expedient manner, the Department of Development shall issue all funds associated with CAREER 500 to Aspyr in advance of program administration and grant disbursement.
Aspyr, formerly known as the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio, is the appropriate organization to administer this program and manage these funds because of their expertise on the workforce development ecosystem in Central Ohio. Aspyr’s vision is for a future in which Central Ohio’s workforce ecosystem thrives, providing career opportunities for all and driving regional economic growth. Aspyr leads Central Ohio’s workforce development ecosystem, providing information, resources, and services. Aspyr also houses the Central Ohio Workforce Development Network, a new large-scale collaborative between thirteen organizations working to open a wide new pipeline funneling workers to employers.
The services included in this not-for-profit service contract cannot be provided by existing city employees because these services are beyond the City’s current staffing capacity to provide.
Emergency action is requested in order to launch the CAREER 500 program in a timely manner. Aspyr plans to launch the application this fall, and grants may be issued as early as January 1st. It is essential that sufficient time is allowed to establish a contract with Aspyr, provide support for their administrative work on this program, and issue funds to Aspyr to support their grantmaking. A delay in this process could create confusion, a sense of unreliability, or even a gap in expected funding for workforce development agencies.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding is available within the general fund citywide account.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with Aspyr in an amount not to exceed $2,000,000.00 to provide fiscal manager and other services as a partner in the City of Columbus CAREER 500 grants program; to authorize the advancement of funds on a pre-determined schedule during the term of the agreement; to authorize a transfer and expenditure within the general fund; and to declare an emergency. ($2,000,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus seeks to establish the new grant program, CAREER 500, which aims to issue transformative capacity-building funding to the workforce development ecosystem and uplift at least 500 Columbus residents; and
WHEREAS, Columbus City Council seeks promote good jobs that create pathways to financial stability, and CAREER 500 aspires to support residents in launching careers than can support wealth-building individually and wealth equity for the Columbus community; and
WHEREAS, Aspyr leads the Central Ohio workforce development network and is the best-equipped non-profit organization to administer this grant program on behalf of the City of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with Aspyr in order to provide funds and launch the grant program in a timely manner, 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 Development is authorized and directed to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with Aspyr in an amount not to exceed $2,000,000.00 to provide fiscal manager and other services as a partner in the City of Columbus CAREER 500 grants program and to authorize the advancement of funds on a pre-determined schedule during the term of the agreement.
SECTION 2. That the Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to transfer $2,000,000.00 of appropriations within the general fund, fund 1000, subfund 100010, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $2,000,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the action authorized in SECTION 1 of this ordinance, is authorized in Fund 1000 (General Fund), in Object Class 03 (Services), per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That this contract is awarded in accordance with the relevant provisions of City Code Chapter 329 relating to not-for-profit service contracts.
SECTION 5. 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 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.