Explanation
BACKGROUND: This ordinance authorizes the Executive Director of CelebrateOne, on behalf of the Office of the Mayor, to enter into contract with Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio to implement a healthcare-focused summer youth workforce development program and to expand the existing capacity in sexual health peer-to-peer education programming, and authorizes expenditure of funding in the amount of $250,000.00 from the City’s allocation from the American Rescue Plan, which is administered by the U.S. Treasury.
The American Rescue Plan was signed into law on March 11, 2021. The Plan established the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, and authorized the U.S. Treasury to make payments from that Fund to states and eligible units of local government, including the City of Columbus, to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its negative economic impacts. The American Rescue Plan funds will be available for use through December 31, 2024.
The American Rescue Plan requires that the payments from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund be used to cover expenses that respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency, or its negative economic impacts, including but not limited to: providing assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits, offering aid to impacted industries, or supporting essential workers. Expenditures authorized in this ordinance have the dual purpose of providing youth employment opportunities and career exposure while also investing in critical, up-stream efforts to mitigate the negative personal and community-level impacts of unintended pregnancies exacerbated by the pandemic.
Up to $150,000.00 in funding will be used to implement a summer youth workforce and career development program facilitated by Planned Parenthood’s Ohio Center for Sex Education in partnership with Nationwide Children's Hospital. This includes an 8-week, paid summer fellowship with the goal of learning life and work skills alongside professionals in the healthcare field while also becoming positive sexual health messengers within their communities. This paid fellowship program will be for youth ages 14-19 and serve a total of 50 participants.
Up to $100,000.00 in funding will be used to expand the implementation of Planned Parenthood’s local Peer Education program. The intent of this program is to recruit and train teenagers between the ages of 14-18 years of age to become peer educators and serve as sexual health ambassadors among their peers within Columbus City Schools. Funds will allow Planned Parenthood to recruit and train an additional 50 peer educators with the ability to educate as many as 2,500 of their peers about sexual health. Recruitment priority will be given to students residing in CelebrateOne opportunity neighborhoods.
Emergency action is requested to allow program services to be provided without delay, as programming is intended to serve up to 100 youth with a majority of programming occurring over the summer months.
Fiscal Impact: $250,000.00 of funding will be provided from the Recovery Fund, Fund 2209, which was established by Ordinance 1201-2021 and funded by the U.S. Treasury.
Title
To authorize the Executive Director of CelebrateOne, on behalf of the Office of the Mayor, to enter into a contract with Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio to implement a healthcare-focused summer youth workforce development program and to expand the existing capacity in sexual health peer-to-peer education programming; to authorize the expenditure of up to $250,000.00 of the Recovery Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($250,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Office of the Mayor, CelebrateOne, desires to enter into a contract with Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio to implement a healthcare-focused summer youth workforce development program, and to expand the existing capacity in sexual health peer-to-peer education programming; and
WHEREAS, the City is the recipient of American Rescue Plan funding from the U.S. Treasury; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to expend the funding from the American Rescue Plan program before the deadline of December 31, 2024; 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 Executive Director of CelebrateOne to enter into a contract with Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and expend funds from the American Rescue Plan program prior to the deadline of December 31, 2024 to be in compliance requirements established by the U.S. Treasury, thereby preserving 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 Executive Director of CelebrateOne on behalf of the Office of the Mayor is authorized to enter into contract with Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio in the sum of $250,000.00 from the Recovery Fund, to implement a healthcare-focused summer youth workforce development program and to expand the existing capacity in sexual health peer-to-peer education programming.
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of $250,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized in Fund 2209, Department-Division 40-01, Subfund 220902, Object Class 03 per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 4. 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 5. 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 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.