Explanation
The City of Columbus Equal Business Opportunity Commission Office will develop and implement the Responsible Contracting Outreach Project, an initiative to assist Columbus-based small business owners and minority, female, and veteran business entities (M/F/VBEs) in meeting and exceeding the standards established for responsible contracting in Ordinance 2813-2012. Council deems this an appropriate use of $50,000.00 in general fund monies from the Jobs Growth Fund.
Title
To authorize the appropriation and expenditure of $50,000.00 from the Jobs Growth Fund to implement the Responsible Contracting Outreach Project; to authorize and direct the Executive Director of the Equal Business Opportunity Commission Office (EBOCO) to develop and implement the Responsible Contracting Outreach Project; and to declare an emergency. ($50,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, Ordinance 2813-2012 modernized city construction contracting code and will go into effect January 2014; and
WHEREAS, Through that Ordinance, this Council authorized and directed the Executive Director of the Equal Business Opportunity Commission Office (EBOCO) to develop and implement a Responsible Contracting Outreach Project to assist Columbus-based small business owners and M/F/VBEs in meeting and exceeding the standards established in new Chapter 329 of the Columbus City Codes, 1959; and
WHEREAS, This Council further authorized and directed that such Project should give specific attention to providing information regarding access to health insurance, retirement plans, licensing, bonding, and employee training; and
WHEREAS, To the extent practicable, the Project should also link such business entities with direct providers of the aforementioned services; and
WHEREAS, Recognizing the need to support these efforts, Council President Andrew J. Ginther set aside funding for the Project in the Jobs Growth Fund; and
WHEREAS, No later than August 1, 2013, and from time to time thereafter, the Executive Director of EBOCO must update Columbus City Council and the Mayor's Administration on the progress of this initiative; and
WHEREAS, An emergency exists in that it is immediately necessary to appropriate and expend funds to support the efforts of the Responsible Contracting Outreach Project, and for the 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 City Auditor be and is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $50,000.00 in the Jobs Growth Fund, Fund 015, to the Equal Business Opportunity Commission Office, Division No. 40-03, Object Level One 03, Object Level Three 3336, OCA Code 400302.
Section 2. That there be and hereby is created the Responsible Contracting Outreach Project within the Equal Business Opportunity Commission Office (EBOCO), the purpose of which is to assist Columbus-based small business owners and M/F/VBEs in meeting and exceeding the standards established in new Chapter 329 of the Columbus City Codes, 1959, as passed in Ordinance 2813-2012.
Section 3. That the Executive Director of EBOCO be and hereby is authorized and directed to expend the funds appropriated herein to implement the Responsible Contracting Outreach Project; and to enter into any contracts reasonably necessary to effect the purpose of this ordinance.
Section 4. That, for the purposes of the aforementioned Project, the Executive Director of EBOCO shall promulgate a rule defining business entities eligible for the project, provided that such definition shall limit eligibility to Columbus-based business entities. For the purposes of this ordinance, "Columbus-based" means those business entities physically located within the corporate boundaries of the City of Columbus.
Section 5. That, for the purposes of the aforementioned Project, specific attention shall be given to providing eligible business entities with information regarding access to health insurance, retirement plans, employee training, licensing, and bonding; and, to the extent practicable, the Project should also link such entities with direct providers of the aforementioned services, provided that, if this is not found to be practicable, the Executive Director must include in reports to this Council and the Mayor's Administration the reason(s) for such determination.
Section 6. 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 passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.