Explanation
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.
Since then, the city has partnered with CFE Fund on a variety of programs to support Columbus women’s and families’ financial stability. Most recently, the CFE Fund awarded Columbus a $150,000 grant for 2022 to plan and launch a Financial Empowerment Center (FEC). Additional funds supporting the Columbus FEC are anticipated for 2023.
In 2021, Columbus issued a Request for Proposals (RFQ019295) for the launch of a Financial Empowerment Center, and received two responsive proposals. An evaluation committee reviewed and scored both proposals and recommended that the Department of Development enter into contract with Jewish Family Services of Columbus (JFS).
JFS hired and trained three financial counselors and planned a launch in collaboration with the Department of Development, President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown, and the Columbus Women’s Commission. The Financial Empowerment Center launched in April of 2022 and has grown to supporting over a hundred clients since then, helping Columbus residents pay down thousands of dollars in debt and to set aside even more in savings.
This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to modify a non-profit services contract with Jewish Family Services of Columbus by extending the contract period to December 31, 2023, and to add an additional $240,000.00 to the existing contract, and to authorize the expenditure of $240,000.00.
Columbus City Council voted on December 6, 2021 to pass Ordinance Number 3272-2021, which authorized the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a non-profit services contract with Jewish Family Services to plan the launch and of and operate a financial empowerment center in Columbus.
This modification is needed to extend the contract period to December 31, 2023, and add $240,000.00 to the existing contract to allow Jewish Family Services of Columbus to continue to act as the Financial Counseling Provider for the Columbus Financial Empowerment Center.
Original contract $300,000.00 Ord. 3272-2021 PO318789
Mod 1 $240,000.00
$540,000.00
Jewish Family Services will continue to act as the Financial Counseling Provider to provide free, professional, one on one financial counseling services to Columbus residents as a municipal service. The funding provided will be used to retain three (3) financial counselors and one (1) program manager employed by Jewish Family Services for the provision of financial counseling services. The funding will also support marketing services and supplies to raise public awareness of the availability of these free financial counseling services. These services cannot be provided by current City employees at this time.
Emergency action is requested in order to avoid any lapse in the provision of services through the Financial Empowerment Center.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding is available through the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to modify and extend a non-profit service contract with Jewish Family Services of Columbus for the continued operation of the Financial Empowerment Center; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($240,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, it is a priority of the City to support efforts that enhance the financial security of residents; and
WHEREAS, the Director of the Department of Development desires to modify a contract with Jewish Family Services of Columbus to continue the operation of the Financial Empowerment Center, including the provision of financial counseling services to Columbus residents; and
WHEREAS, financial stability is a social determinant of health and in the interests of both individual Columbus residents and the success of the city as a whole; and
WHEREAS, according to the Urban Institute, 57% of Columbus families are financially insecure with less than $2,000 in savings, higher than the national average; and
WHEREAS, according to that same study, 43% of Columbus residents hold delinquent debt, much higher than the national average of 34%; and
WHEREAS, Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund continues to support the efforts towards financial security in Columbus with staffing and technical guidance for the continued operation of the Financial Empowerment Center; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to authorize this appropriation, expenditure, and modification for the financial security and stability of Columbus residents to avoid any lapse in the provision of services through the Financial Empowerment Center; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Department of Development is hereby authorized to modify the non-profit service contract with Jewish Family Services of Columbus to continue the operation of the Columbus Financial Empowerment Center for the purpose of extending the contract period to December 31, 2023, and adding an additional $240,000.00 to the current contract.
SECTION 2. That the Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $240,000.00 within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That per the action authorized in Section 1 of this ordinance, the expenditure of $240,000.00, or so much thereof as necessary, is hereby authorized in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. This modification is made in accordance with the relevant provisions of the City Code Charter 329 relating to contract modifications.
SECTION 5. 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 6. 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 7. 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.