Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the appropriation of $527,404 and reflects the anticipated expenses for fiscal year 2012 within the Franklin County Municipal Court's fund for probation user fees. These funds are collected as probation supervision fees for all individuals placed under probation supervision by the Court effective December 1, 1995. The collection of said funds was authorized by Amended Substitute House Bill Number 406, signed into law in August, 1994. The Franklin County Municipal Court Judges incorporated the collection of probation fees into Local Court Rule 13, effective December 1 1995, in the amount of $20.00 per case. During 2011, the fee for probation supervision was amended to $10.00 per month of probation and PNC fees were raised to $50.00 per case. A new fee was established of $30.00 for probation violations when probation is continued.
The Ohio Revised Code 737.41 states these funds can be used as follows: to provide for specialized probation staff, the purchase of needed equipment, services, programs, treatment and other similar probation-related expenses not currently available to the Court's probation services department.
EMERGENCY: Emergency action is requested to allow uninterrupted payments to staff and vendors.
Title
To authorize the appropriation of $527,404 for 2012 from the unappropriated balance of the Franklin County Municipal Court Judges probation fee fund for all anticipated expenses associated with the enhancement of probation services; and to declare an emergency. ($527,404.00)
Body
Whereas, an appropriation of these funds is necessary in order to continue with the enhancement of probation services and the payment thereof; and
Whereas, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Franklin County Municipal Court Judges in that it is immediately necessary to undertake said activities, in order for the probation department to commence expending these funds, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, safety and welfare; now therefore;
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
Section 1. That the sum of $527,404 be and is hereby appropriated from the unappropriated balance of the special revenue fund, fund 227, subfund 003, and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources unappropriated for any other purposes during the fiscal year ending December 31, 2012, to the Franklin County Municipal Court Judges, department number 2501, oca code 250324, as follows: object level 1 - 01, $148,327; object level 1 - 02, $53,700; object level 1 - 03, $154,450; object level 1 - 10, $170,927.
Please refer to attachment probationfeeol3 for object level 3 detail.
Section 2. That monies appropriated in Section 1 shall be paid upon the recommendation of the Chief Probation Officer and upon the order of the Administrative and Presiding Judge, and that no order shall be drawn or paid except by voucher, the form of which shall be approved by the City Auditor.
Section 3. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which 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.