Explanation
Background: This legislation authorizes the amendment of Ord. 3304-2025, passed by Columbus City Council on January 12, 2026, to approve the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Education to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with Columbus Early Learning Centers, to reimburse them for the early education services provided to Hilltop children from August 1 to August 31, 2024, and to authorize the payment of expenses incurred prior to the issuance of a purchase order back to and including August 1, 2024. However, the correct time period for which CELC should have been reimbursed was August 1 to August 31 2025.
An amendment is requested to allow for the reimbursement of early education services provided to Hilltop children from August 1 to August 31, 2025, and to authorize the payment of expenses incurred prior to the issuance of a purchase order back to and including August 1, 2025.
Emergency action is requested as the work has been completed and costs have accrued.
Fiscal Impact: This legislation amends Ord. 3304-2025 with no fiscal impact.
Title
To amend Ord. 3304-2025, passed by Columbus City Council on January 12, 2026, to authorize the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Education to allow for expenses incurred prior to the purchase order, starting August 1, 2025; and to declare an emergency. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, The City previously passed Ord. 3304-2025 authorizing the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Education to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with Columbus Early Learning Centers, to reimburse them for the early education services provided to Hilltop children from August 1 to August 31, 2024, and to authorize the payment of expenses incurred prior to the issuance of a purchase order back to and including August 1, 2024.
WHEREAS, it is necessary to amend Ord. 3304-2025 to authorize early education expenses incurred prior to the creation of the purchase order, starting August 1, 2025; and
WHEREAS, no funding is required for this amendment; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Mayor’s Office of Education in that it is immediately necessary to amend Ord. 3304-2025 to reimburse CELC for their costs incurred in providing early education services to Hilltop Children, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, welfare and safety; and NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Background of Ordinance No. 3304-2025 is hereby as follows, with additions in underline and deletions in strikethrough:
On March 2, 2022, Columbus City Council approved Ordinance 0441-2022, authorizing the Director of the Department of Finance and Management to enter into three-year, renewable Operations agreement, a three-year License Agreement, and a one-year start up contract with Columbus Early Learning Centers (CELC). CELC had been selected, via a competitive selection process, to serve as the operator and tenant of the new Hilltop Early Learning Center located at 45 Clarendon Avenue.
The agreement was renewed in the second (2023) and third (2024) year of the agreement and $3,120,000.00 was appropriated each year.
Ordinance 1683-2024, passed by City Council on June 6, 2024, modified the ordinance by authorizing the Department of Finance and Management to execute an appendix to the Operations Agreement on behalf of the Office of Education to allow a short-term pilot program provision of early learning activities to infants and toddlers.
At the conclusion of the three-year agreement authorized by Ordinance 0441-2022, a new three-year contract was authorized by City Council that allowed the Director of the Office of Education to enter into a new three-year agreement with CELC for the same purposes.
However, it was discovered that through a miscommunication with CELC, the Purchase Order associated with the original three-year agreement was canceled while a final invoice was pending.
Therefore the Office of Education requests the authority to enter into a retroactive not-for-profit service contract with Columbus Early Learning Centers, to reimburse for the early education services provided to Hilltop children from August 1 to August 31, 2024 2025. These services have already been provided and said services cannot be provided by existing city employees due to lack of human resources.
Fiscal Impact: $90,000.00 is budgeted and available in the 2025 Office of Education General Fund budget.
SECTION 2. That the existing Background of Ordinance No 3304-2025 is hereby repealed.
SECTION 3. That the Title of Ordinance No. 3304-2025 is hereby amended as follows, with additions in underline and deletions in strikethrough:
To authorize the Director of the Office of Education to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with Columbus Early Learning Centers; to reimburse for the early education services provided to Hilltop children from August 1 to August 31, 2024 2025; to authorize the payment of expenses incurred prior to the issuance of a purchase order back to and including August 1, 2024 2025; and to authorize the expenditure of $90,000.00. ($90,000.00)
SECTION 4. That existing Title of Ordinance No. 3304-2025 is hereby repealed.
SECTION 5. That Section 1 of Ordinance No. 3304-2025 is hereby amended as follows, with additions in underline and deletions in strikethrough:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Office of Education is authorized to enter into a retroactive contract with Columbus Early Learning Centers to reimburse them for the early education services that they provided to Hilltop children from August 1 to August 31, 2024 2025, and the payment of expenses incurred prior to the issuance of a purchase order back to and including August 1, 2024 2025 is hereby authorized.
SECTION 6. That existing Section 1 of Ordinance No. 3304-2025 is hereby repealed.
SECTION 7. That all provisions of Ordinance No. 3304-2025 not expressly repealed herein shall remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 8. 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.