Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a contract with the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County (AHT) to provide grants to finalists in the Parcels to Places competition for improving vacant parcels in the Land Bank program. Parcels to Places is a pilot project, which will showcase creative ideas and strategies for transforming Columbus' vacant land into an asset that contributes to community needs.
Additional funding for these grants is provided by the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) in the amount of $100,000 and the Columbus Foundation in the amount of $25,000. The agreement will establish a process by which finalists, selected by a committee of experts, will provide detailed plans and costs for the improvements. The AHT and the Neighborhood Design Center will administer the grants with assistance from the Land Redevelopment Office.
FISCAL IMPACT: $60,000.00 is available for this contract from the 2016 Capital Improvement Budget within Fund 7739, Development Taxable Bonds.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a contract with the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County to provide grants to finalists in the Parcels to Places competition for improving vacant parcels in the Land Bank program; to authorize the expenditure of $60,000.00 from the Development Taxable Bonds 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 Affordable Housing Trust to provide grants for improvement of various City-owned properties; and
WHEREAS, cash is currently available in the 2016 capital budget; 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, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to enter into contract with the Affordable Housing Trust to provide grants for 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, modify, increase, and extend a contract with the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County To provide grants to finalists in Parcels to Places competition for improving vacant parcels in the Land Bank program.
SECTION 2. That for the purpose stated in Section 1, the expenditure of $60,000 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized in Fund 7739 in Object Class 06 Capital Outlay per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. 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 4. 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 5. 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 administering said project that the project has been completed and the monies are no longer required for said project.
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 its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.