Explanation
The City of Columbus Transportation Division has been selectively acquiring properties ultimately necessary to accommodate the widening of Hard Road between State Route 315 and Linworth Road as these become available for purchase. Such "advanced" acquisitions may result in the city paying less for the properties than what it would later and may serve to mitigate owner hardships incurred in selling properties that will ultimately be condemned. It is the division's intent to allow the homes on these properties to be leased until they must be demolished for the roadway improvement. Rental income from the leases is deposited into the Federal-State Highway Engineering Fund and is used to offset the city's cost of ownership such as grounds upkeep, maintenance, cleaning, rental expenses, utilities and property taxes. Ordinance #3360-1998 passed December 14, 1998, and Ordinance #2329-2000 passed October 23, 2000, provided $33,000.00 and $50,000.00, respectfully, for this purpose. These previous authorizations have been exhausted. Ownership-related expenses have been incurred and paid by the division's operating fund, the Street Construction, Maintenance and Repair Fund; this Fund should be reimbursed for these expenses. This ordinance authorizes an additional $150,000.00 for ownership-related expenses, some of which will be used to reimburse the operating fund.
Funds for this purpose have been identified in the unappropriated balance of the Federal-State Highway Engineering Fund.
Emergency action is requested to provide for timely payment of ownership-related expenses and reimbursement of the operating fund.
Title
To appropriate $150,000.00 within the Federal-State Highway Engineering Fund; to authorize the Public Service Director to pay ownership-related expenses including but not limited to grounds upkeep, maintenance, cleaning, rental expenses, utilities and property taxes for occupied and unoccupied properties acquired by the cit...
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