Explanation
BACKGROUND: In 2003 the Discovery District Development Corporation asked Capitol South Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation to initiate an effort to work with Discovery District property owners to create a Special Improvement District (SID) on the east side of downtown. Property owners were surveyed and overwhelmingly were in support of seeing a proposal to create a SID. The SID was created for an initial five year period, was very successful and reauthorized in 2010 and again in 2015. The property owners initiated a one-petition process to reauthorize the SID in which at least 60% of the property owners within the District signed that they are interested in reauthorizing the SID and approving the Articles of Incorporation. This petition was accepted and approved by Columbus City Council by Ordinance 0639-2015, passed March 23, 2015. Another action required by the Ohio Revised Code is the approval of the Plan for Improvements and Services and the inclusion of City owned property in said plan. This legislation was approved by Columbus City Council by Resolution No. 0060X-2015, passed March 23, 2015. The third piece of legislation was to declare the necessity to implement the Plan of Services adopted by the Discovery Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc., and to levy a special assessment for the services. This legislation was approved by Columbus City Council by Resolution No. 0097-2015, passed April 27, 2015. A final piece of legislation, providing for the levy of assessment to property owners, was approved by City Council by Ordinance No. 1893-2015, passed July 27, 2015. Each assessment is to be returned to the SID for operational requirements as set forth in the District Plan.
This legislation appropriates and approves the expenditure of assessments collected in fiscal year 2017 that are to be returned to the SID. This legislation also allows the Director of Development to enter into a contract with the Discovery Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc. for disbursement of these funds.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funds for this expenditure will be received from the levy of assessments collected from property owners in the Discovery Special Improvement District. These funds are deposited into and expended from Agency Fund 3310.
Title
To authorize the Director of Development to enter into a contract with the Discovery Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc. for the implementation of services set forth in the District Plan; to direct the City Auditor to appropriate and expend up to $750,000.00 from assessments levied from property owners; and to declare an emergency. ($750,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution 0060X-2015, City Council approved the reauthorization and implementation of a plan for services for the Discovery Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc. for a period of 5 years from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2020; and
WHEREAS, City Council has also levied assessments in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 1710 for such purposes, which funds are in the process of collection and are required by law to be distributed to the District by the City; and
WHEREAS, the assessment funds collected by the County and forwarded to the City for disbursement will be available in March 2017 and September 2017; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately to authorize the Director to enter into contract with the Discovery SID in order to fund this money to operate its’ organization and to fund its’ initiatives in a timely manner, and for the further 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 Development is hereby authorized to enter into a contract with the Discovery Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc. for the implementation of services for the operations requirements set forth in the District Plan previously approved by City Council pursuant to Resolution 0060X-2015, for an amount not to exceed $750,000.
SECTION 2. That from the unappropriated monies and from all the monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purpose during the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017, the sum not to exceed $750,000 is appropriated in fund 3310 Discovery SID, Object Class 05 Other Expenditures per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That for the purpose stated in Section 1, the expenditure of $750,000 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized in Fund 3310 Discovery SID in Object Class 05 Other Expenditures per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. 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 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.