Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation is needed to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office to participate in a FY-16 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) awarded to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. The JAG grant provides funding for the continued activities of the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to locate, arrest and prosecute child sexual predators.
The Columbus Police Department will be one of twelve local collaborating agencies to share the funding for sworn overtime (base pay costs only) and specialized training. Columbus Police Detectives in the Exploited Children's Unit have actively worked as part of this task force since June 2009 via a different funding source and MOU.
The task force has been very successful and participating officers have benefitted of the training and experiences from their task force activities. It would be beneficial for the citizens of Columbus, the Columbus Division of Police and the Exploited Children Unit detectives to be able to continue to be an active participant of this collaborative task force.
The MOU allocates $10,000.00 for sworn overtime and $13,400.00 for training to be shared by the twelve collaborating agencies. The MOU period is January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 for funded activities to begin October 1, 2017; therefore, there is a need to enter into the MOU and appropriate the available grant funds at the earliest possible time.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency legislation is necessary to enter into the Memorandum of Understanding and appropriate the funding authorized in it for grant activities scheduled to begin October 1, 2017.
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance authorizes the appropriation of $23,400.00 in the General Government Grant Fund for a Memorandum of Understanding to participate in a collaborative Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to reduce and prevent child endangerment and protect the community from sexual predators. All funds appropriated are reimbursable through the FY16- JAG-3000 grant via the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. However, the funds will be allocated by the Sheriff's Office to the collaborating agencies in an ongoing process based on grant activities. The General Fund will be required to pay an estimated maximum up to $5,487.30 for non-reimbursed fringe benefits on the grant overtime amount up to $23,400.00. Funds are available in the Division of Police 2017 General Fund budget to pay the fringe benefits for the share of the grant funded overtime that is allocated to the Columbus Police Department.
Title
To authorize the Director of Public Safety to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office to participate in a FY-16 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG); to authorize an appropriation of $23,400.00 from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grant Fund to the Division of Police for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force activities; and to declare an emergency. ($23,400.00)
Body
WHEREAS, The Franklin County Sheriff's Office has been awarded an FY-16 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) that will fund sworn overtime and training costs to locate, arrest and prosecute child sexual predators; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus Division of Police will collaborate with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office on the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force activities; and
WHEREAS, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office will provide grant funded reimbursement to the Columbus Police Department for partial overtime costs and specialized grant training expenditures; and
WHEREAS, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the City of Columbus Police Division is needed to establish the terms and conditions for the FY-16 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) collaboration; and
WHEREAS, an appropriation is needed to cover the costs associated with the FY-16 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) activities; and
WHEREAS, the MOU period is January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 with the grant activities scheduled to begin October 1, 2017, so funds need to be made available at the earliest possible time; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Division of Police, Department of Public Safety in that it is immediately necessary to enter into the aforementioned MOU for the FY-16 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) and to appropriate $23,400.00 for the grant activities cost, thereby preserving the public peace, property, health, safety and welfare; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of Public Safety is hereby authorized and directed to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office covering the partial reimbursement of overtime costs and specialized grant training expenditures funded through a FY16 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG).
SECTION 2. That from the unappropriated monies in the General Government Grant Fund and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purposes during the MOU period the sum of $10,000.00 is appropriated in Fund 2220 General Government Grants in Object Class 01 Personal Services, and the sum of $13,400.00 is appropriated in Object Class 03 Contractual Services per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
The appropriation is effective upon receipt of a fully-executed agreement.
SECTION 3. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Section 2 shall be paid upon order of the Director of Public Safety; and that no order shall be drawn or money paid except by voucher, the form of which shall be approved by the City Auditor.
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 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.