Explanation
BACKGROUND: In 2005 the Discovery District Development Corporation asked Capitol South Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation to initiate an effort to work with Discovery District property owners to create a Special Improvement District (SID) on the east side of downtown. Property owners were surveyed and overwhelmingly were in support of seeing a proposal to create a SID. The SID was created for an initial five-year period, was very successful and was reauthorized in 2010 & 2015 and again in 2020 with City Council’s consent.
In 2020, a one petition process was initiated in which property owners representing at least 60% of the front feet within the District signed that they were interested in reauthorizing the SID and they approved of the Plan for Services delineating the services to be provided by the SID. The petition was accepted and approved by Columbus City Council’s Ordinance No. 0808-2020, passed May 4, 2020. Subsequently, two additional Resolutions were approved by the City Council; 0068X-2020 on May 18, 2020 and 0101X-2020 on June 29, 2020. The final action as required by Chapter 1710 of the Ohio Revised code to reauthorize the SID, Ordinance 1893-2020, was approved by the City Council on September 14, 2020. Each assessment is to be returned to the SID for operational requirements as set forth in the Plan for Services.
This legislation appropriates and approves the expenditure of assessments collected in fiscal year 2023 that are to be returned to the SID. This legislation also allows the Director of Development to enter into a contract with the Discovery Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc. for disbursement of these funds in 2023.
Emergency designation is requested to prevent any interruption of service as these critical payments are only released from the auditor bi-annually for continued cleaning and safety services, and are the sole source of employee payroll for the districts they serve.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funds for this expenditure will be received from the levy of assessments collected from property owners in the Discovery Special Improvement District. These funds are deposited into and expended from Agency Fund 3310.
Title
To authorize the Director of Development to enter into a contract with the Discovery Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc. for the implementation of services set forth in the Plan for Services; to direct the City Auditor to appropriate and expend up to $1,000,000.00 from assessments levied from property owners; and to declare an emergency. ($1,000,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, City Council approved in 2020 the reauthorization and implementation of a plan for services for the Discovery Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc. for a period of 5 years from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025; and
WHEREAS, City Council has also levied assessments in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 1710 for such purposes, which funds are in the process of collection and are required by law to be distributed to the District by the City; and
WHEREAS, the assessment funds collected by the County and forwarded to the City for disbursement will be available in March 2023 and September 2023; and
WHEREAS, this legislation needs to be an emergency because the Discovery SID needs this money to operate its organization and to fund its initiatives in a timely manner; and
WHEREAS, there is an emergency in the usual daily operation of the City, requiring the distribution of such funds, to prevent any interruption of service as these critical payments are only released from the auditor bi-annually for continued cleaning and safety services, and are the sole source of employee payroll for the districts they serve and for the further 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 Development is hereby authorized to enter into a contract with the Discovery Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc. for the implementation of services to fulfill the operations requirements set forth in the Plan of Services previously approved by City Council pursuant to Resolution 0068X-2020, for an amount not to exceed $1,000,000.00.
SECTION 2. That for the purpose stated in Section 1, the expenditure of $1,000,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized in Fund 3310 in care of Discovery SID, under an assigned Object Class for Other Expenditure per the accounting codes.
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 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.