Explanation
BACKGROUND
In the Fall of 2019, President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown, the Mayor’s Office, and the Columbus Women’s Commission were awarded a CityStart grant from Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) supporting the creation of a financial empowerment roadmap to help women and families achieve financial security. Prior to the pandemic, one in four women were financially insecure, with women of color facing disproportionate financial challenges. With the knowledge that an extreme economic shock such as a global health crisis could have an outsized impact on families already experiencing financial insecurity, CFE Fund developed a new funding opportunity for existing grantees shortly after the pandemic struck. The City of Columbus applied successfully for $80,000 to launch the Financial Navigator program to support families’ increased need for resource navigation during the health crisis.
The City successfully launched the Financial Navigator program in the Fall of 2020 with the partnership of HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc., and the Legal Aid Society of Columbus and is now seeking to continue the program through at least the end of the year. This ordinance provides funding to HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc. for their continued work to embed enhanced resource navigation within the existing 211 information and referral service line. In doing so, residents will be able to continue to seek the help of trained financial navigator staff to understand and connect to new and existing federal, state, and local resources intended to support them through financial struggles.
This legislation authorizes the Office of the Mayor to modify a contract with HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc. for the Financial Navigator Program to modify the scope of services based upon lessons learned, extend the contract end date, and to add additional funds, in an amount up to $28,364.00.
Original contract amount $57,760.50 Ord. 1563-2020 PO232810
Modification No. 1 amount $28,364.00
Total contract amount $81,124.50
Emergency action is requested in order to continue to services without interruption.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding is available in the General Fund, Jobs Growth subfund.
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE: the vendor number is 004677 and expires 2/16/2023.
Title
To authorize the Office of the Mayor to modify a contract with HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc. for the Financial Navigator Program in an amount up to $28,364.00, to modify the scope of services, and to extend the end date; to authorize the appropriation of and expenditure of up to $28,364.00 from the General Fund, Jobs Growth subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($28,364.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the success and vitality of Columbus as a whole is inexorably linked to the financial security of families; and
WHEREAS, in the Fall of 2019, President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown, the Mayor, and the Columbus Women’s Commission launched a partnership to create a Financial Empowerment Roadmap to support the financial security of women and families;
WHEREAS, the Financial Navigator program represents the first initiative stemming from the Financial Empowerment Roadmap and endeavors to connect residents to trained financial navigator staff to support them through financial struggles; and
WHEREAS, as a part of the Financial Navigator program, HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc. has been embedding enhanced resource navigation within their existing 211 information and referral service and will continue this work throughout the remainder of 2021 through the funding support authorized by this ordinance; and
WHEREAS, the Office of the Mayor has identified the need modify a contract with HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc. for the Financial Navigator Program to modify the scope of services based upon lessons learned, extend the contract end date, and to add additional funds; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Office of the Mayor in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the this contract modification in order to continue program services without interruption, thereby preserving the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. 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 fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, the sum of $28,364.00 is appropriated in Fund 1000 (General Fund), Subfund 100015, Dept-Div 40-01, in object class 03 (Services) per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That the Office of the Mayor is hereby authorized to execute a contract modification with HandsOn Central Ohio, Inc. for the Financial Navigator Program in an amount up to $28,364.00, to allow for this contract modification to cover services beginning the date the original contract ended, to modify the scope of services, and to extend the contract end date.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $28,364.00 or so much thereof as may be needed is hereby authorized in Fund 1000 (General Fund), subfund 100015, Dept-Div 40-01, 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 passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.