Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to make financial assistance available through the Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund administered by the Housing Division. The funds will be used to provide financial assistance to homeowners that are eligible veterans or homeowners with an eligible veteran whose permanent address is the same as the homeowner’s but is not a rental tenant of the homeowner for necessary and prioritized home improvements.
The Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund represents City Council's continued commitment to serving the housing needs of our nation's heroes. Eligible participants are those homeowners who reside within the City of Columbus and are either an eligible veteran or a homeowner with an eligible veteran whose permanent address is the same as the homeowner’s but is not a rental tenant of the homeowner. Eligible veterans are those individuals who have presented a government record denoting his or her other than dishonorable discharge or release from active military, naval, or air service.
The staffing costs associated with this housing program are initially expensed to the General Fund or other funds; however, project related activities are able to be expensed using capital funds. Time spent on capital related projects are tracked and expensed accordingly to the appropriate capital fund. The process is consistent with the City of Columbus procedure to reimburse the General Fund or other funds for the portion of the staff time attributable to capital projects.
Emergency action is necessary to allow the Housing Division to continue making the Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund available to veterans without interruption.
FISCAL IMPACT: $315,378.25 is available from the Housing Preservation Fund, Fund 782.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to make financial assistance available through the Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund administered by the Housing Division; to authorize the expenditure of up to $299,609.34 from the Housing Preservation Fund; to authorize the expenditure of $15,768.91 from the Housing Preservation Fund to reimburse the General Fund or other funds for personnel expenses incurred; and to declare an emergency. ($315,378.25)
Body
WHEREAS, City Council is committed to helping the veterans who protected the very freedoms we enjoy; and
WHEREAS, Columbus is home to over 110,000 veterans, including men and women returning from ongoing missions overseas; and
WHEREAS, as a result of its ongoing commitment to veterans, City Council established the Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund; and
WHEREAS, through this Ordinance, the Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund will continue to serve veterans on a citywide basis in 2015; and
WHEREAS, the Housing Division employs personnel engaged in capital improvement projects; and
WHEREAS, these expenses are initially expensed in the General Fund or other funds; and
WHEREAS, capital funds can reimburse these funds for capital related projects; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to authorize this expenditure in order to provide adequate operating resources; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development, Housing Division, in that it is immediately necessary to allow the immediate continuation of the Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund initiative thereby avoiding causing delays in the availability of this important service; thereby 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 Director of the Department of Development is hereby authorized to make financial assistance available through the Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund administered by the Housing Division. For the purposes of this Section, eligible homeowners are those homeowners who are an eligible veteran or those homeowners with an eligible veteran who permanently resides in the household; and eligible veterans are those veterans who have presented a government record denoting his or her discharge other than dishonorable discharge or release from active military, naval, or air service.
SECTION 2. That for the purpose stated in Section 1, the expenditure of $299,609.34, or so much thereof as may be necessary is hereby authorized as follows:
Division: 44-10
Fund: 782
Project/Detail: 782001-100007
OCA: 782107
Object Level 1: 06
Object Level 3: 6617
Amount: $299,609.34
SECTION 3. That the Director of Development is hereby authorized to expend $15,768.91 or so much thereof as may be necessary, to reimburse the General Fund or other funds for personnel expenses incurred with the Capital Improvement Program.
SECTION 4. That for the purpose stated in Section 3, the expenditure of $15,768.91 or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby authorized as follows:
Division: 44-10
Fund: 782
Project/Detail: 782001-100007
OCA: 782107
Object Level 1: 06
Object Level 3: 6621
Amount: $15,768.91
SECTION 5. That the expenditure of capital improvement budget funds from this authorization must be used to provide home repair services to correct substandard and deteriorating conditions of houses where the homeowner meets the requirements of Section 1 of the Ordinance; the Department of Development, Housing Division shall establish income limits for applicants within the program guidelines of the Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund and financial assistance under this program shall not exceed $20,000 per homeowner.
SECTION 6. That, to the extent practicable, the Department of Development, Housing Division be and hereby is authorized and directed to partner with veteran service organizations in the City of Columbus to notify veterans of the aforementioned program.
SECTION 7. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 8. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 9. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized to transfer the unencumbered balance in a project account to the unallocated balance account within the same fund upon receipt of certification by the Director of the Department administrating said project that the project has been completed and the monies are no longer required for said project.
SECTION 10. 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 its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.