Explanation
The Public Service Department, Transportation Division, routinely legislates capital improvement expenditures and City Council endorses these expenditures by virtue of passage of appropriate legislation. The Division reviews old authorizations on an ongoing basis to determine if these are still relevant and whether the funds are still needed. If no longer needed the financial documents are cancelled and the remaining monies revert back to the unencumbered balance of the Fund from which they originally came. These cancelled monies are then available for other uses, again if authorized by legislation passed by Council.
Very occasionally, documents are inadvertently canceled prematurely, before the work has been completed. Such a situation occurred in 2003 with the cancellation of $2,065.00 from Auditor's Certificate AC800483, previously established in connection with the North High Street Bridge Enhancement project--the High Street "Cap". The City Attorney's Office, Real Estate Division, has recently indicated there was still a need for this and some additional money. These monies will be used for legal fees, court costs and publication charges in addition to services performed by the Real Estate Division.
This ordinance appropriates $10,000.00 within the General Permanent Improvement Fund and authorizes its expenditure by the City Attorney's Office, Real Estate Division, for a remaining and as yet unpaid expenses in connection with this project.
Fiscal Impact: Unappropriated cash to support this expenditure exists within the Transportation Division's General Permanent Improvement Fund.
Emergency action is requested to reauthorize the cancelled funds as soon as possible to allow the City Attorney's Office, Real Estate Division, to satisfy outstanding liabilities and related project tasks.
Title
To appropriate $10,000.00 within the General Permanent Improvement Fund; to authorize the City Attorney to expend $10,000.00 from this Fund for any remaining expenses for the North High Street Bridge Enhancement ("Cap") project for the Transportation Division and to declare an emergency. ($10,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, Auditor's Certificate AC800483 was established in 1999 or earlier by legislation passed by City Council for the North High Street Bridge Enhancement (the High Street "Cap") project; and
WHEREAS, the $2,065.00 balance on this Auditor's Certificate was cancelled in 2003 based on the assumption that the project was complete; and
WHEREAS, the City Attorney's Office, Real Estate Division, has recently indicated a need for this money remains and that the money needs to be reauthorized along with some additional spending authority; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usually daily operation of the Public Service Department, Transportation Division, in that this reauthorization is needed immediately to satisfy an outstanding obligation, thereby preserving the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the sum of $10,000.00 be and hereby is appropriated from the unappropriated balance of the General Permanent Improvement Fund, Fund 748, 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 ending December 31, 2005, to the Transportation Division, Department No. 59-09, Object Level One Code 06, Object Level Three Code 6600, OCA Code 642678 and Project 537650.
SECTION 2. That the monies appropriated in Section 1 shall be paid upon order of the Public Service 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 3. That the City Attorney be and hereby is authorized to expend $10,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed for any remaining obligations connected with the North High Street Bridge Enhancement (High Street "Cap") project from Fund 748, the General Permanent Improvement Fund, Department No. 59-09, Transportation Division, Object Level One Code 06, Object Level Three Code 6600, OCA Code 642678 and Project 537650.
SECTION 4. 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.