Columbus City Council Meeting October 16, 2023

Columbus City Council Meeting
October 16, 2023

Meeting Highlights

Authorizing Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Project
Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorans is sponsoring Ordinance 2503-2023 to authorize the Department of Public Utilities to accept the Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) totaling $1,000,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The grant provides funding under the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the City of Columbus to develop regional climate mitigation plans to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and co-pollutants and reduction measures.

Supporting the Downtown Ground Floor Growth Initiative
Councilmember Nick Bankston, chair of the Small and Minority Business Committee, is sponsoring Ordinance 2661-2023 to authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into an agreement with Columbus Downtown Development Corporation (CDDC) for the property renovation portion of the Downtown Ground Floor Growth Initiative. This program is aimed at decreasing vacancy downtown and providing small, minority, local businesses with a storefront.
 
Supporting Postsecondary and Career Outreach for Columbus Students
Councilmember Mitchell Brown, chair of the Education Committee, is sponsoring Ordinance 2002-2023 to modify a grant agreement through the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio (WDBCO) to extend support for I Know I Can's (IKIC) post-secondary and career support programming. This allows the creation of a mobile service unit that will be used for community outreach. The vehicle will be retrofitted with tools like computers to help bring students post-secondary and career resources into their neighborhood. For 33 years, IKIC has been supporting Columbus students in their college and career journey.

Expanding Emergency Rental Assistance
Councilmember Shayla Favor, chair of the Housing Committee, is supporting Ordinances 2753-2023 and 2756-2023 to authorize the Director of Development to modify a grant agreement for Greenwood LLC and the Tony R Wells Foundation to disperse Emergency Rental Assistance from the U.S. Department of Treasury. The modification would expand funds totaling $17.25 million providing rental assistance dollars to residents facing housing instability, eviction, or possible homelessness. This expansion is increasingly necessary as provided rental assistance equals one to two million each week.

Recognizing Crime Prevention Month
Councilmember Emmanuel Remy, chair of the Public Safety Committee is sponsoring Resolution 0200X-2023 to recognize and designate October as Crime Prevention Month. National Crime Prevention Month began in 1984 to encourage U.S. residents to take part in their community’s crime prevention efforts. Crime prevention takes all of us in the community. The City of Columbus is committed to improving safety one home at a time by offering gun buyback events and giving away free gun cable locks and lock boxes. If you need a gun lock, you can pick one up at any Columbus fire station. For more information, go to www.columbus.gov/gunsafety/.