Explanation:
BACKGROUND:
This ordinance authorizes the appropriation of $342,667 and reflects the anticipated expenses for fiscal year 2009 within the Franklin County Municipal Court's fund for probation fees. These funds are collected as a one-time probation supervision fee 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 2005, the fee for probation supervision was increased to $40.00 per case.
Funds are to be used for the enhancement of probation services, not to supplant existing funds. The intent of these funds is to provide for specialized probation staff, the purchase of needed equipment, services, 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 $342,667 for 2009 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. ($342,667.00)
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 $342,667 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, 2009, to the Franklin County Municipal Court Judges, department number 2501, oca code 250324, as follows: object level 1 - 01, $150,917; object level 1 - 02, $33,000; object level 1 - 03, $85,750; object level 1 - 10, $73,000.
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.