Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
On December 7, 2015, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the Smart City Challenge, a program to demonstrate how advanced data and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies and applications can be used to reduce congestion, keep travelers safe, protect the environment, respond to climate change, connect underserved communities, and support economic vitality.
On January 11, 2016, Columbus City Council passed Ordinance 0064-2016 supporting the City’s application to the Smart City Challenge.
The USDOT notified the City on March 12, 2016 of its selection as one of seven Smart City Challenge Finalists. As a Finalist, the City received $100,000 in federal funding to support the development of its second round grant application and related planning activities.
On June 23, 2016, the USDOT notified the City of Columbus of its selection as the winner of the Smart City Challenge. As the winner, the City will receive $40 Million in federal funds, $10 million in private funds from Vulcan, Incorporated, and a variety of materials, services and equipment from USDOT Smart City Challenge partners. In assembling its winning proposal, the City also assembled its own team of partners, who have additionally committed resources in the form of materials, in-kind services, and equipment.
The USDOT currently has nine (9) Smart City Challenge partners, and the City of Columbus has seventeen (17) partners. The USDOT partners include Paul Allen’s Vulcan, Mobileye, Autodesk, Amazon Web Services, NXP, Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs, US Department of Energy, AT&T, and DC Solar. The USDOT has continued to announce new partners throughout the Smart City Challenge, and new partners may be announced in the future. The City partners include Franklin County, Ohio, American Electric Power, The Ohio State University, the Columbus Partnership, Ohio Department of Transportation, Battelle, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Experience Columbus, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Honda of America, HERE, Inc., Peloton, SPARC, Mass Factory, INRIX, Econolite, and FleetCarma. The list of City partners may also grow.
This legislation authorizes the Director of Public Service to sign agreements with USDOT, Vulcan, or others in connection with the award of the Smart City Challenge grant, the expenditure of those grant funds through additional council action, if needed, and the return of unused Smart City Challenge grant funds if any should remain at the end of the grant. This legislation also authorizes the Director of Public Service to enter into agreements with organizations or individuals to accept contributions of materials, services, equipment, grants, or other type of assistance related to the Smart City Challenge, to administer the contributions according to the terms and conditions of the agreements, and authorizes the return of any contributions if required at the end of the term of the agreement.
The City will be introducing additional legislation in addition to this ordinance to award professional service contracts related to the Smart City Challenge. As the City deploys the Smart Columbus program, additional legislation will be introduced to City Council for expenditure of grant funds and City funds associated with the agreements being authorized with this legislation.
2. FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this legislation will allow the Department of Public Service to accept grants funds, materials, services, equipment, and other assistance and to enter into agreements with USDOT and USDOT Smart City Challenge partners Vulcan; Mobileye; Autodesk; Amazon Web Services; NXP; Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs; US Department of Energy; AT&T; DC Solar; and any future partner announced by USDOT. In addition, this legislation will allow the Department of Public Service to accept materials, services, equipmentand other assistance and to enter into agreements with its Smart Columbus partners Franklin County, Ohio; American Electric Power; The Ohio State University; the Columbus Partnership; Ohio Department of Transportation; Battelle; Greater Columbus Arts Council; Experience Columbus; Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission; Honda of America; HERE, Inc.; Peloton; SPARC; Mass Factory; INRIX; Econolite; FleetCarma, and any future Smart Columbus Partners announced by the City. As a part of its winning Smart City application, the City has committed to a local match of $8 million in capital funds over the four-year Smart Columbus deployment, which will be brought to City Council for passage at a future time.
3. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION
Emergency action is requested to allow the Department of Public Service to accept grant funds, materials, services and equipment, to enter into agreement with USDOT; current and future USDOT Smart City Challenge partners; and Smart Columbus partners, and expend those funds in accordance with the conditions of the Smart City Challenge grant award, and to meet critical deadlines imposed by the Smart City Challenge.
Title
To authorize the Director of Public Service to execute agreements for grants, materials, services, equipment, and other assistance related to the Smart City Challenge; to authorize the acceptance and expenditure of grant funds, or acceptance and use of other materials, services, equipment, or other forms of assistance; to authorize the return of unused funds or contributions at the end of the agreement period; and to declare an emergency. ($0.00)
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WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced on December 7, 2015, the Smart City Challenge, which is a grant program to be awarded on a competitive basis; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Smart City Challenge award is for a mid-sized city that can demonstrate how advanced data and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies and applications can be used to reduce congestion, keep travelers safe, protect the environment, respond to climate change, connect underserved communities, and support economic vitality; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus was announced the winner of the Smart City Challenge on June 23, 2016; and
WHEREAS, other Smart City Challenge partners include Vulcan, Mobileye, Autodesk, Amazon Web Services, NXP, Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs, US Department of Energy, AT&T, DC Solar, and any future USDOT Smart City Challenge partners; and Smart Columbus partners Franklin County, Ohio, American Electric Power, The Ohio State University, the Columbus Partnership, Ohio Department of Transportation, Battelle, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Experience Columbus, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Honda of America, HERE, Inc., Peloton, SPARC, Mass Factory, INRIX, Econolite, FleetCarma; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Service in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to execute agreements and accept grant monies, materials, services and equipment, or other forms of assistance from and enter into agreement with the United States Department of Transportation and other USDOT Smart City Challenge partners and any other future Smart Columbus partners as soon as possible, 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 Public Service be and is hereby authorized to accept grant monies, materials, services, equipment, and other forms of assistance from and execute agreements and any other documents necessary with the United States Department of Transportation in connection with the Smart City Challenge to effectuate acceptance.
SECTION 2: That the Director of Public Service be and is hereby authorized to accept grant monies, materials, services, equipment, and other forms of assistance from and execute agreements and any other documents necessary with the following USDOT Smart City Challenge partners in connection with the Smart City Challenge to effectuate acceptance of the assistance: Vulcan, Mobileye, Autodesk, Amazon Web Services, NXP, Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs, US Department of Energy, AT&T, DC Solar, and any future USDOT Smart City Challenge partners.
SECTION 3: That the Director of Public Service be and is hereby authorized to accept grant monies, materials, services, equipment, and other forms of assistance from and execute agreements and any other documents necessary with the following Smart Columbus partners in connection with the Smart City Challenge to effectuate acceptance of the assistance: Franklin County, Ohio, American Electric Power, The Ohio State University, the Columbus Partnership, Ohio Department of Transportation, Battelle, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Experience Columbus, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Honda of America, HERE, Inc., Peloton, SPARC, Mass Factory, INRIX, Econolite, and FleetCarma and any future Smart Columbus partners.
SECTION 4. The Department of Public Service is authorized to expend the funds and use other contributed items in accordance with the grant/agreement conditions, to refund unused funds if there should be unused funds at the end of the grant period, and to dispose of other contributions per the agreement terms at the end of the agreement period.
SECTION 5. 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.