Explanation
BACKGROUND: The City of Columbus has been awarded a Federal Fiscal Year 2016 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Award from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs via the State of Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services. The JAG program provides funding to allow states and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice system.
The FY16 JAG Award #2016-JG-A02-V6717 will provide additional overtime funds for Columbus Division of Police Critical Incident Team Officers to increase support of the Division of Fire Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT), a collaborative strategic response effort originally launched in May 2017 between CFD, the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH) and Southeast Healthcare Services, Inc. intended to provide rapid response and follow-up services to City of Columbus residents who overdose on opiates and other drugs. In 2017, CPD received a two-year, Ohio Attorney General grant to fund OT for the addition of CPD CIT Officers to the RREACT Team to provide much needed outreach and support to the growing population of substance abusers refusing additional clinical services after being revived with Narcan. This grant project goal seeks to help stabilize households in an effort to reduce barriers to accessing treatment for the substance abuse user, and this new grant award addresses the gap in funding based on the increase in outreach activities related to this project work. The City will act as subgrantee to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance via the State of Ohio Department of Public Safety, Office of Criminal Justice Services. Therefore, the Mayor is required to sign a subgrantee award on behalf of the City and to appropriate $50,000.00 for expenditure.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency legislation is necessary to make the funds available as soon as possible for the grant award start date of April 1, 2019.
FISCAL IMPACT: $50,000.00 of appropriated funds will be reimbursed by the grant award.
Title
To authorize and direct the Mayor of the City of Columbus to accept a subgrantee award through the FY16 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance via the State of Ohio Department of Public Safety, Office of Criminal Justice Services; to authorize an appropriation of $50,000.00 from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grant Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($50,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, in 2016, Ohio had the second highest rate of death due to drug overdose in the nation and Franklin County ranked second for the total number of overdose deaths in Ohio; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus Department of Public Safety launched the Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) in May 2017, a multidisciplinary team, to address the growing opioid crisis; and,
WHEREAS, the Columbus Division of Police seeks to increase their Critical Incident Team (CIT) Officer support of the Columbus Division of Fire Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus, Department of Public Safety was awarded funding through the FY16 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) for the FY16 JAG Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) Project; and,
WHEREAS, the City will act as subgrantee to the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs via the State of Ohio Department of Public Safety, Office of Criminal Justice Services; and,
WHEREAS, an appropriation of $50,000.00 from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grant Fund is needed; and,
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Safety in that it is immediately necessary to accept, appropriate, and expend funds related to the FY16 Justice Assistance Grant award in order to make funds available for the final year of the federal 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 Mayor of the City of Columbus be and is hereby authorized and directed to accept a FY16 Justice Assistance Grant for the Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) Project 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 $50,000.00 is appropriated in Fund 2220 General Government Grants in Object Class 01 Personnel per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance. This appropriation is effective upon receipt of the fully executed agreement.
SECTION 3. That the monies in the foregoing Sections 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, 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.