Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into grant agreements with various social service agencies for the provision of services for a nine-month period that begins on March 1, 2020, and terminates on November 30, 2020. The total amount of these grants is $14,249,853.00 and will be funded from CARES Act funds.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unforeseen needs among Columbus and Franklin County residents. In addition, human service agencies working to meet those needs have been impacted by unforeseen and unbudgeted costs. As a result, many residents and nonprofit human service providers are experiencing economic instability. It is essential for the City of Columbus to invest in ways that increase their resilience and stability. The Resilience Initiative was implemented to increase the capacity of human service providers to recover quickly and meet the increasing demands of residents for goods and services.
To support the City’s regional vision for economic security and resilience for all, the City, in partnership with the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, conducted a competitive funding process in July and August 2020 from which the City and County received 247 proposals representing 247 agencies with over $91 million in requests. From those proposals, 110 agencies were selected for funding. Eighty (80) agencies will enter into agreements with the City of Columbus and thirty (30) with Franklin County. This ordinance is one of four ordinances seeking approval to award these grants. See attached list for list of agencies and amount of each award.
The services provided by these agencies cannot be provided by existing city employees because these services are beyond the City’s current staffing capacity to provide.
Emergency Designation: Emergency action is requested to ensure that the organizations can begin providing additional services as soon as possible.
Contract Compliance: see attached list.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is provided to the City of Columbus from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed into law March 27, 2020, and available in the Department of Development’s CARES Act budget (fund 2207, subfund 220702).
Title
To authorize the Director of Development to execute grant agreements with various social service agencies to address and provide for multiple human service needs; to authorize an expenditure up to $14,249,853.00 from the CARES Act Fund; to authorize the payment of expenses starting March 1, 2020; and to declare an emergency. ($14,249,853.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic is causing unforeseen needs among Columbus and Franklin County residents and human service agencies working to meet those needs have been impacted by unforeseen and unbudgeted costs. As a result, many residents and nonprofit human service providers are experiencing economic instability; and
WHEREAS, expenditure of CARES Act funding will be used to provide assistance to eligible nonprofit human service agencies for eligible expenses and losses caused by, or in response to, the COVID-19 public health emergency; and
WHEREAS, the Resilience Initiative was implemented by the City of Columbus and Franklin County as a joint competitive process to increase the capacity of human service providers to recover quickly and meet the increasing demands of residents for goods and services resulting from the COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, the City received 247 proposals representing 247 agencies with over $91 million in requests; and
WHEREAS, 80 agencies were selected to be funded by the City of Columbus through the joint competitive funding process; and
WHEREAS, the Director of the Department of Development desires to enter into grant agreements, each of which will begin on March 1, 2020, and terminate on November 30, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the grants will be funded with Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act; and
WHEREAS, such expenditure of funds has not been previously accounted for in the 2020 Budget; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to enter into grant agreements with various social service agencies so organizations can begin providing additional services as soon as possible, all for the 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 the Department of Development is authorized to enter into grant agreements with the various agencies listed in the attached document, with each contract beginning on March 1, 2020, and ending November 30, 2020.
SECTION 2. That the grant applications of those agencies identified in Section 1 seeking financial assistance to address an emergency human service need are awarded pursuant to Columbus City Codes, 1959 Section 329.29 and 329.30.
SECTION 3. That for the purpose as stated in Section 2, the expenditure of $14,249,853.00 or so much thereof as may be necessary is hereby authorized in (fund 2207, subfund 220702 (CARES Act Fund), Dept. 44-01 (Administration), in Object Class 03 (Services) per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. Funds are hereby deemed appropriated and expenditures and transfers authorized to carry out the purposes of this ordinance, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 5. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 6. 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 approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.