Explanation
BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Public Safety to enter into contract with Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. dba WCMH in support of the Love Our Children, Lock Your Guns safety initiative.
Love Our Children, Lock Your Guns is a Council initiative that is beginning its community-wide education and marketing campaign on the importance of gun safety and protecting our City’s children from harm. Council, in partnership with WCMH, will develop the wider message platform and resources to reach residents throughout Columbus including a special focus on parents and households with children.
WCMH designed a three-month partnership that involves live television, online presence, and targeted streaming on their platforms. It will collaborate in producing public service announcements, advertisements, and work on strategic public event presence. This will include information about gun locks, with an interactive map showing all gun lock pick-up locations and a schedule of events where gun locks will be available for distribution.
A bid waiver for the formal bidding requirements of Chapter 329 of Columbus City Code is requested to enter into this contract as staff has evaluated vendors and concluded that Nexstar Broadcasting provides unique multi-platform services above the rest of the market, and would be prepared to immediately begin services for the summer months.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency action is requested in order to immediately provide the funds necessary to begin the public safety campaign for the summer months in conjunction with gun lock giveaways.
FISCAL IMPACT: Total appropriation is $50,000.00 and is available in the budget.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Safety to enter into contract with Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. dba WCMH in support of the Love Our Children, Lock Your Guns safety initiative; to authorize an appropriation of $25,000.00 within the Jobs Growth subfund; to authorize a transfer of $25,000.00 within the general fund; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure of $50,000.00 within the Public Safety initiative subfund; to waive the competitive bidding requirements of the Columbus City Codes; and to declare an emergency. ($50,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, in the U.S., one in three families with children have at least one gun in the house, and each year, nearly 1,300 children die from shootings, many of those from accidental shootings; and
WHEREAS, most commonly, these shootings occur at the hand of a friend or relative of a similar age that gained access to the firearm; and
WHEREAS, Love Our Children, Lock Your Guns is a Council initiative that is beginning its community-wide education and marketing campaign on the importance of gun safety and protecting our City’s children from harm; and
WHEREAS, Council, in partnership with WCMH, will develop the wider message platform and resources to reach residents throughout Columbus including a special focus on parents and households with children; and
WHEREAS, there is funding available in the budget for this purpose; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Safety in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to enter into contract with Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. dba WCMH, ensuring that the public campaign can commence for the summer months in conjunction with gun lock giveaways; all for the immediate 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 Public Safety is hereby authorized to enter into contract with Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. dba WCMH for the purpose of supporting the Love Our Children, Lock Your Guns safety initiative.
SECTION 2. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $25,000 in the Jobs Growth subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100015, in Transfers-10 per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to transfer $25,000.00 within the general fund per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That the Auditor is hereby authorized to appropriate $50,000.00 within the Public Safety Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100016, to the Department of Public Safety in Services-03 per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 5. That per the action authorized by Section 1 of this ordinance, the expenditure of $50,000.00 is hereby authorized per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 6. 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 7. 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 8. That this Council finds it in the City’s best interest to waive the competitive bidding provisions of City Code Chapter 329 to enter into this contract.
SECTION 9. 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.