Explanation
BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Administrative and Presiding Judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court to accept a grant in the amount of $2,147,440 from the State of Ohio, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, and to appropriate the funds from the unappropriated balance of the general government grant fund.
The purpose of this Justice Reinvestment and Incentive Grant is to provide funds to the Franklin County Municipal Court Department of Probation and Pre-trial Services to adopt policies and practices based on the latest research on how to reduce the number of offenders on probation supervision who violate the conditions of their supervision.
This grant will continue to fund the salaries and fringe benefits of 11 existing probation officers and an exisiting supervisor who will provide pretrial assessments and supervision to defendants in custody awaiting arraignment in the Municipal Court. With regard to charge severity, pre-trial services will be limited to those defendants appearing in Municipal Court arraignment in custody for criminal misdemeanor and/or OVI. The program will not include the following charge categories: Traffic and Felony (conducted by Common Pleas pre-trial program). The grant will also pay for continued services through Alvis Inc. (Safe Housing residential beds, Move-In Kits, and 3 GRaSP Facilitators).
Emergency Legislation is requested so the grant funds can be used as close to the July 1, 2019 start date as possible.
FISCAL IMPACT
$2,147,440 will be expended from the General Government Grant Fund following an appropriation of funds.
Title
To authorize and direct the Administrative and Presiding Judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court to accept a grant award from the State of Ohio, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction with the purpose of providing funding to the Probation and Pre-trial Services Department; to appropriate $2,147,440.00 from the unappropriated balance of the general government grant fund to the Franklin County Municipal Court; and to declare an emergency. ($2,147,440.00)
Body
WHEREAS, it is in the city's best interest that the Franklin County Municipal Court receive support for this enhanced probationary services for defendants awaiting trail; and
WHEREAS, grant monies from the State of Ohio, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, in the amount of $2,147,440 are available to provide for salaries and benefits for 12 employees and to pay for program expenses; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the daily operation of the City in that it is immediately necessary to accept and appropriate the grant award and to transfer and appropriate the matching funds in order that the services supported may commence at the beginning of the grant period and for the preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; and, now therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Administrative and Presiding Judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court be and is hereby authorized to accept a grant in the amount of $2,147,440 from the State of Ohio, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
SECTION 2. Funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated. That from the unappropriated balance in the general government grant fund, fund 2220, and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and appropriated for any other purpose during the months ending June 30, 2021, the sum of $2,147,440 is appropriated to the Franklin County Municipal Court according to the account codes in the attachment.
SECTION 3. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Section 2 shall be paid upon the order of the Administrative and Presiding Judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court 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. At the end of the grant period, any repayment of unencumbered balances required by the grant 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 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.