Columbus City Council Announces Proposed Budget Amendments
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
January 16, 2013
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More Information:
John Ivanic, (614) 645-6798
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Columbus
City Council Announces Proposed Budget
Amendments
(Columbus)—The Columbus City Council continues
to invest in strong and safe neighborhoods while ensuring the long-term
financial sustainability of the community. Councilmembers have announced
their 2013 proposed budget amendments that include an unprecedented investment
in small businesses and other economic development efforts while increasing the
City’s Economic Stabilization or rainy day fund.
“These budget amendments support the
core mission of city government, which is to
deliver crucial services in the most cost effective manner while investing in
programs and services that will grow the local economy,” said Priscilla R.Tyson, chair of the Finance Committee.
Columbus City Auditor Hugh J. Dorrian
reported to City Council a carryover of approximately $7.5 million in general
fund revenues from 2012. As in past years, the City Council has
decided to place a substantial amount of the carryover, this year $3 million,
in the rainy day fund to help Columbus pay for critical city services, like
police and fire protection, during economic downturns.
“Council has committed to building a
reserve fund that will protect future generations from the type of recession we
have come to know all too well, and to prepare for those challenges yet
unknown,” said Council President Ginther. “We are not only investing in
priorities that will strengthen Columbus’ financial position, but those that
will strengthen our neighborhoods, and keep them healthy, safe and strong.”
Columbus City Council will hold a
public hearing to address these budget amendments and related spending
priorities, Thursday, January 17, at 5:30 pm in City Council Chambers.
Speaker slips may be filled out beginning Thursday morning at 8:00 am at the
security desk at the Front Street entrance to City Hall. Speaker
slips will be accepted until 6 pm and the meeting will be broadcast live on
CTV, Columbus’ government channel 3 on local cable systems.
Councilmember Priscilla R. Tyson
$325,000 Workforce Development
A key funding priority of the 2013
budget amendments is creating a more robust, well trained and ready
workforce. In the past, the City Council has partnered with local
agencies, such as the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corporation, Columbus
State Community College, and IMPACT Community Action to provide the resources
for numerous programs designed to give workers the technical and soft skills,
such as communication and customer service, needed for the workers and
businesses to succeed. This $325,000 amendment will greatly increase the
City’s ability to shape a workforce necessary to grow companies in Columbus for
decades to come.
Councilmember A. Troy Miller
$400,000 Small Business Incubators
Small business development is
critical to a healthy local economy and President Pro Tem A. Troy Miller is working
to help small companies get off the ground by establishing small business
incubators to support startup firms and increase their chances of long term
success. Councilmember Miller, with his experience as a small business
owner, has identified four small business incubator programs that provide
businesses with a range of services including financial management, marketing,
and networking opportunities to help grow businesses in Columbus. One
budget amendment proposed by Councilmember Miller will fund a retail incubator
in the Linden neighborhood that will not only provide an outlet for area
vendors, but which will improve the overall
retail market in the community. Other incubators that will be supported through
Councilmember Miller’s budget amendments include one sponsored by the Economic
and Community Development Institute, another by the Columbus College of Art and
Design, and a separate downtown technology accelerator.
Councilmember Eileen Y. Paley
$20,000 Small Business Development
Assistance
The neighborhood near the
Ohio State University campus is filled with a wide range of businesses that
serve the needs of thousands of residents, students and faculty who live and
work in the area. Councilmember Eileen Y. Paley is providing
$20,000 for the University Area Business Association to help grow the
organization, pay for administrative costs, and aggressively seek project
funding, with a goal to offer services comparable to Capital Crossroads in the
Downtown and the Short North Alliance. The group represents businesses
from Southern Gateway north to Clintonville.
Councilmember Zach M. Klein
$700,000 Small Business Loan Programs
Here in Columbus, there are a number
of non-profit groups that help businesses grow during the difficult first years
of existence. Two of the most successful, the Economic and Community
Development Institute and Community Capital Development Corporation, offer a
wide range of services to startup businesses as well as small and minority
companies. This budget amendment of $750,000 will support and expand
microenterprise loan programs and small business loan programs in Columbus.
Councilmember Hearcel F. Craig
$10,000 Small Business Training
Services
Small business owners and their
employees seeking to expand proficiency in critical computer skills that will
lead to future economic success will be able to tap into City sponsored
training sessions with this $10,000 amendment to the budget.
The City of Columbus offers a wide variety of training for programs necessary
for business success including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and
Acrobat.
Councilmember Michelle M. Mills
$150,000 License Section in Public
Safety Department
One growing segment of the Columbus
economy that exploded in popularity in the last year is the mobile food
industry, or food trucks. The City of Columbus has engaged
stakeholders to better regulate this industry, bringing food truck
owners/operators, the Safety Department, Public Service, the Health Department,
and other interested parties to the table to develop easy to understand, common
sense rules and regulations to help grow this industry. This
$150,000 budget amendment will allow the Safety Department to hire the personnel
needed to assist with the implementation of new regulations for this industry
and others they oversee.
Council President Andrew J. Ginther
$50,000 Equal Business Opportunity
Commission Office (EBOCO)
The mission of the EBOCO is to find
ways to grow small minority, female, and veteran owned businesses in Columbus
by helping them connect to the capital and resources, such as workforce
training, health care, and pension programs, they need to be
successful. This amendment will help EBOCO meet those goals and
begin an aggressive outreach program to help EBOCO’s target clients become more
competitive when bidding for non-city related projects.
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