Explanation
BACKGROUND: The City of Columbus has been awarded the FY2017 Columbus Police Laboratory Forensic Grant in the amount of $235,000.00 from the State of Ohio Attorney General’s Office. This grant provides funding for direct expenses related to chemistry laboratory work to support accredited Ohio Crime Labs with the increased drug chemistry caseload as a result of the opioid epidemic. The CPD Crime Lab seeks to purchase $20,000.00 in casework supplies and drug reference standards that include the newly emerging fentanyl-related compounds. $215,000.00 will be expended for equipment to update and increase the lab’s capacity to process the increased caseload of fentanyl-related compounds.
Emergency Designation: Emergency legislation is necessary to make the funds available as soon as possible for the grant award, effective as of July 1, 2017.
FISCAL IMPACT: All appropriated funds will be reimbursed by the grant award.
The grant appropriation will be activated upon receipt of a fully-executed agreement.
Title
To authorize and direct the Public Safety Director of the City of Columbus to accept the FY17 Columbus Police Laboratory Forensic Grant from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office; to authorize an appropriation of $235,000.00 from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grant Fund to the Division of Police to cover the costs associated with the FY17 Columbus Police Laboratory Forensic Grant; and to declare an emergency. ($235,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus, Division of Police, was awarded funding through the FY17 Columbus Police Laboratory Forensic Grant; and,
WHEREAS, the Columbus Division of Police Crime Laboratory seeks to address the increased drug chemistry caseload as a result of the opioid epidemic in Ohio by purchasing necessary supplies and equipment dealing with fentanyl-related compounds; and,
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operations of the Division of Police, Department of Public Safety, in that it is immediately necessary to accept and appropriate the FY17 Columbus Police Laboratory Forensic Grant award in order to make funds available for the grant award period, thereby preserving the public peace, health, property, safety, and welfare; NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Safety Director of the City of Columbus be and is hereby authorized and directed to accept a FY17 Columbus Police Laboratory Forensic Grant award.
SECTION 2. That from the unappropriated monies and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purpose during the Project Period, the sum of $235,000.00, is appropriated in Fund 2220 General Government Grants in Object Class 02 Materials & Supplies and 06 Capital Outlay per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the monies in the foregoing Section 2 shall be paid upon the 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 at the end of the grant period, any repayment of unencumbered balances required by the grantor is hereby authorized and any unused City match monies may be transferred back to the City fund from which they originated in accordance with all applicable grant agreements.
SECTION 5. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated.
SECTION 6. 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.