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| COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS For Immediate Release: July 23, 2012 For More Information: John Ivanic, (614) 645-6798 | ||
IMPROVING HEALTH IN PUBLIC PLACES: In 2004, the Columbus City Council passed the Columbus Smokefree Indoor Air Act, which banned, except in narrow circumstances, smoking in enclosed workplaces as a measure to improve and protect the health, safety and welfare of Columbus residents and visitors. In May 2012, the Ohio Supreme Court upheld a statewide indoor workplace smoking ban passed by voters in 2006. Ordinance 1447-2012, sponsored by Health & Human Service Committee Chair Priscilla R. Tyson, will allow the Columbus Public Health Department to enter into a contract with the Ohio Department of Health to accept a grant not to exceed $72,250.00. The money will be used to support future investigations and complaints.
PROMOTING JOB GROWTH: During the formation of the 2012 General Fund Budget, City Council created the Jobs Growth Fund to for the purpose of actively seeking key job investment opportunities tied to the City’s municipal workforce. Ordinance 1464-2012, sponsored by Administration Committee Chair Hearcel F. Craig will move $70,000 from the fund to the Department of Human Resources to allow for the hiring of an employee in the Compensation Management program to focus on workforce planning, strategic recruitment and retention citywide. It will assist departments with creating, updating and reviewing their strategic plans, determining the resources and competencies necessary to implement the strategic plan, reviewing current resources and determining where there are gaps, designing a recruitment strategy to close the gaps, and ensuring that compensation is aligned with the departments short and long term strategic vision. This is a strategic investment that will ultimately aid in retaining talented and qualified workers to best serve our citizenry.
REC CENTER IMPROVEMENTS: The Willis Athletic Complex is named in honor of one the greatest athletes ever from Columbus, Bill Willis. Willis was a high school star at East High School who went on to play college football at The Ohio State University. He played professionally for the Cleveland Browns and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. Councilmember Zach M. Klein, chair of the Recreation and Parks Committee, is sponsoring ordinance 1520-2012 authorize the expenditure of $1,464,000 from the Voted Recreation and Parks Bond Fund to pay for major renovations at the Mock Road facility. Upgrades include a new wood gymnasium flooring, HVAC system and structural improvements.
KICKSTART TO SUCCESS: The Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI) is a local non-profit that provides a wide range of business programs including microenterprise development training and capitalization programs to help grow the Columbus economy. Ordinance 1696-2012, sponsored by Small & Minority Business Development Committee Chair A. Troy Miller, will provide $7,000 from City Council’s Jobs Growth Fund for ECDI’s Kickstart contest. Kickstart is a business plan competition that will award up to three winners various prizes related to business development including free sponsor provided lease space.
LIGHTING THE WAY: The Residential Street Lighting Assessment program gives neighbors an opportunity to improve the safety and attractiveness of their properties through the installation of new street lights. Resolution 0135X-2012, sponsored by Public Utilities Committee Chair Eileen Y. Paley, declares the necessity of installing a high pressure sodium street lighting system under the assessment procedure for homes in the Broad Meadows - Highfield Drive area on the north side of Columbus.
SMOKE DETECTORS SAVE LIVES: According to the National Fire Protection Association, working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. That is why Safety and Judiciary Committee Chair Michelle M. Mills is sponsoring ordinance 1483-2012 to authorize the Columbus Fire Chief to accept a grant award of $5,000.00 from State Farm Insurance under its Good Neighbor Citizenship grant program. The funds will be used to purchase smoke detectors for the smoke detector distribution program. Since 2009, The Columbus Division of Fire has installed nearly 2,000 free smoke detectors in Columbus homes.
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JOHN IVANIC
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
_____________________________________________________
90 W. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Direct: 614-645-6798
Cell: 614-701-1411
