Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a contract with Rebuilding Together Central Ohio (RTCO) to provide water containment systems on Land Bank owned parcels licensed for community gardens. The agreement will establish a process where a garden organization can request these systems through RTCO's Tools Library Program. The Tool Library currently supplies many different tools to community gardens across the City and will be able to work with the Land Redevelopment Office to manage these systems, which include a 350- or 550-gallon cistern, a pump, irrigation lines, a soil testing system, and all necessary labor and materials to install the equipment. The water containment systems will help provide a consistent source of water during the growing season and will be available for groups with at least one full year of successful garden operation. Funds for the water containment systems were provided by a City Council expansion of the 2011 Capital Improvement Budget and have been carried over to the 2012 Capital Improvement Budget.
FISCAL IMPACT: $60,000.00 is available for this contract from the 2012 Capital Improvement Budget.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a contract with Rebuilding Together Central Ohio to provide water containment systems on Land Bank owned parcels licensed for community gardens; to authorize the expenditure of $60,000.00 from the Capital Improvement Budget, Northland and Other Acquisitions Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($60,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, Council passed ordinance 2161-93, on October 25, 1993, as amended by 1325-98, on June 8, 1998, to authorize the adoption of a Land Reutilization Program under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5722; and
WHEREAS, the City owns hundreds of vacant lots acquired under the Land Reutilization Program and establishes licenses with various community based non-profit corporations to maintain community gardens; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to establish a contract with Rebuilding Together Central Ohio to improve various City-owned properties with water containment systems to benefit community gardens and to help the Columbus Land Bank Program manage the purchase, installation, site selection of such improvements; and
WHEREAS, the management of this program cannot be performed by existing City Staff due to the expertise, equipment, and time necessary to manage such a program; and
WHEREAS, cash is currently available in Fund 735 Northland and Other Acquisitions Fund; and
WHEREAS, emergency action is requested in order to install the systems during the 2012 growing season; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to enter into contract with Rebuilding Together Central Ohio for the improvement of existing City owned properties under the Land Reutilization Program, all for the immediate preservation of 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 Director of the Department of Development is hereby authorized to enter into a contract with Rebuilding Together Central Ohio for up to $60,000.00 to improve various City-owned properties with water containment systems to benefit community gardens and help the Columbus Land Bank Program manage the purchase, installation, site selection of such improvements
Section 2. That for the purpose stated in Section 1, the expenditure of $60,000.00 from the Development Department, Division No. 44-01, Fund 735 Northland and Other Acquisitions, Project No. 441749-100003 Community Gardens, OCA Code 737493 Object Level Three 6621 is hereby authorized.
Section 3. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for any contract or contract modification associated with the expenditure of the funds in Section 2.
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 passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after its passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.