Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to execute grant agreements with numerous recipients of the Lead Abatement Contractor Capacity-Building Grant Program. Each grant will be up to $10,000.00. This grant program is funded by a grant the Department received from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) (authorized by Ord. 2808-2023).
In June 2024, the Department of Development’s Division of Housing will issue a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to notify small business owners about a grant opportunity that will provide grants up to $10,000.00 to selected businesses to invest in assets (personnel, equipment) to help take the business to the next level. If the business does not have the resources to hire and provide training for licensed, lead abatement contractors or to promote a licensed contractor to licensed supervisor, this Grant Program can help the business grow in this service area.
The purpose of the Grant Program is to expand the number of state of Ohio licensed, lead abatement contractors and supervisors in the central Ohio region and to create a larger contractor pool for the City to work with in order to continue to create lead-safe housing in high-risk zip codes in Columbus through the Lead Safe Columbus Program. Contractors would conduct lead-safe renovations on homes built before 1978. Businesses that successfully complete this Program are eligible to be approved contractors for the City’s Lead Safe Columbus Program with the goal of each business submitting at least five bids in response to solicitations posted before December 31, 2025.
The Department is expecting to award 6 to 10 grants. The final number, and total amount, will not be known until after the applications are evaluated and awards made, expected in early July 2024. Under the authority of this ordinance, $100,000.00 will be transferred from Object Class 03 to Object Class 05 for the grant expenses. Once the recipients ...
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