Explanation
1. Background
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Public Service to enter into maintenance or similar agreements with other local or county governments that set forth maintenance or similar responsibilities of each entity as a result of joint construction projects or joint infrastructure maintenance operations.
From time to time the City of Columbus, Department of Public Service participates in joint construction projects with other local or county governments. During the planning and design of the project, questions arise about who will maintain elements of the infrastructure and a determination is made that one entity may maintain infrastructure in another jurisdiction because of the design or connectivity of the infrastructure. When this occurs, the two governments enter into a maintenance agreement to memorialize the maintenance responsibilities.
For example, the Department has a multi-year plan to upgrade traffic signals (Columbus Traffic Signal System [CTSS] project). For this project alone, it is estimated that the Department will enter into ten maintenance agreements / modifications with surrounding jurisdictions.
Additionally, during the course of daily infrastructure maintenance operations, the Department may approach or be approached by a local or county government to share maintenance or swap maintenance services for improved efficiency and cost effectiveness. For example, the Department has snow/ice removal agreements with other local and county governments in which Columbus would plow streets in the other jurisdiction and they would plow streets in Columbus. These responsibilities are memorialized in snow and ice removal agreements.
Instead of requesting City Council approval of each agreement, the Director is requesting approval to enter into these agreements as needed. If such an agreement would require the City to make payment to another jurisdiction, the Director would come before City Council to request approval to...
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