Explanation
BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes a contract to provide parking violation processing services for the City of Columbus pursuant to a Request for Proposal (RFP), in accordance with the Columbus City Codes. ACS State and Local Solutions (ACS) (cc #131996647, expiring 06/01/2008), the current service provider, was the lone responder to the RFP. This new contract will allow for continued uninterrupted processing services and will not jeopardize the proven revenue flow.
This contract is a complete turnkey system that includes all software, hardware, licenses, and maintenance necessary to process parking citations on a transaction fee basis. It presently includes: a cash remittance system that incorporates walk-in, US Mail, pay-by-web, and pay-by-phone technologies; data entry, data processing, mailing of notices; a registration hold interface with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles; and a secondary collection effort for tickets that remain unpaid after going through the entire noticing process and still remain outstanding. The net funds collected under this effort are deposited in the General Fund, while a collection percentage fee is deposited in the Collection Fees Fund, established by the City Auditor and Finance Department through Ordinance 0474-2003.
New items contained in this contract include an Outbound Calling Collections initiative that will attempt to collect on the delinquent accounts that are the most difficult to collect and otherwise deemed uncollectible by the City after proceeding through all available means, including the abovementioned secondary collection effort. These include accounts where names and addresses no longer match and are not traceable by any of the options currently available to the Parking Violations Bureau. This option does not cost any additional money and is payable by a percentage of the delinquent accounts collected. Also included are 5 new electronic ticket writing computers for use by the Police Impound Unit. These new units will replace hand written tickets and will allow for ticket information to be uploaded overnight to the data base and available for citizens to pay via our ePay options in a timely manner. Additionally, included within this contract is an option for "image collection" from all of the handheld electronic ticket writing computers. This feature will allow for visual evidence collection on parking citations that are most challenged by citizens. With visual evidence, the adjudication process will be quicker and more accurate by a preponderance of evidence. These last 2 options will add a total of $0.12 to the price the City pays for each citation to be posted to the master data base file.
FISCAL IMPACT
As a result of the current ticket processing contract, the Parking Violations Bureau deposited in excess of $5.4 million dollars into the General Fund in calendar year 2007. The expense for this time period was $537,877.72. The processing contract is not on a calendar year cycle and the past two completed contract year expenditures were as follows: 2006 - $511,499.20; 2005 - $567,023.39.
EMERGENCY ACTION
Emergency action is requested due to insufficient time between the anticipated passage of the 2008 Executive Budget and the current ticket processing contract's expiration date.
Title
To authorize the Public Service Director to enter into contract for the Parking Violations Bureau with ACS State and Local Solutions to provide parking violation processing services; to authorize the expenditure of $490,906 from the General Fund; to authorize the appropriation and expenditure of $55,000 within the Collection Fee Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($545,906)
Body
WHEREAS, the Parking Violations Bureau has contracted out for parking violation processing services since its inception in 1983, and;
WHEREAS, the current parking violation processing services contract expires on February 29, 2007, and;
WHEREAS, the net funds collected as part of a special collection effort are deposited into the General Fund, with the collection fee associated with this effort are deposited in the Collection Fee Fund, in special sub fund entitled Delinquent Parking Tickets, and;
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Parking Violations Bureau that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Public Service Director to enter into contract with ACS State and Local Solutions for continued, uninterrupted, parking violation processing services, and special collection processing there by 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 Public Service Director be, and is hereby authorized and directed to enter into contract with ACS State and Local Solutions for parking ticket processing services pursuant to a RFP. The initial period of this contract shall be from March 1, 2008 thru March 31, 2009 with five (5) additional one-year options thereafter.
SECTION 2. That from the unappropriated funds in the Collection Fees Fund, Delinquent Parking Tickets Subfund, and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purpose during the period ending March 31, 2009, the sum of $55,000.00 is appropriated to the Department of Public Service, Parking Violations Bureau, Department/Division 59-06, Collection Fee Fund 295, Subfund 003, Object Level One of 03, ObjectLevel Three of 3336, OCA number 590648.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of up to $545,906 or so much thereof that may be necessary in regard to the action authorized in SECTION'S 1 and 2. above, be and is hereby authorized and approved as follows:
FUND |
Sub Fund |
Dept |
OCA |
Obj. Level One |
Obj. Level Three |
Amount |
General |
010 |
59-06 |
590644 |
03 |
3336 |
$490,906 |
Collection Fee |
003 |
59-06 |
590648 |
03 |
3336 |
$ 55,000 |
SECTION 4. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is declared an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approved by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.