Explanation
The City of Columbus, Public Service Department, Transportation Division, is engaged in the improvement and widening of Norton Road from a point approximately 500 feet south of Hall Road north to the intersection of Norton Road with West Broad Street. This is a city/county/state/federal participation project that will be administered by the City of Columbus with 80 percent of the costs being paid with federal funds and 20 percent being paid with City of Columbus funds. Both the State of Ohio and the City Real Estate Division are involved in right-of-way acquisition and both are incurring costs.
Total right-of way acquisition costs due the State of Ohio were originally estimated at $1,500,000.00 based on out-of-date appraisals but are now estimated at $3,100,000.00 and the City must fund 20 percent of this amount. Ordinance No. 0348-2003 passed by City Council on March 3, 2003 authorized $300,000.00 for this purpose. As costs have escalated, an additional $300,000.00 was authorized by Ordinance No. 2292-2003 passed November 3, 2003. An actual invoice received from the Ohio Department of Transportation on November 26, 2003 was for $320,000.00--$20,000.00 more than was previously authorized. The City must fund this $20,000.00 shortfall immediately.
Ordinance No. 0478-2003 passed March 31, 2003 authorized $75,000.00 for the Real Estate Division's costs for this project. The expenditure of an additional $20,983.91 must be authorized at this time to pay for actual Real Estate Division staff expenses incurred against the project through November 8, 2003.
A total of $40,983.91 is needed at this time. Additional money will likely be needed later for acquisition purposes for this project. Money for this purpose is available for transfer from various projects within the 1995, 1999 Voted Streets and Highways Fund, Fund 704. This ordinance transfers monies within the first Fund and then to the Streets and Highways Improvement Fund, wh...
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