Ordinance No. _______, SERIES 2020
Title
AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 044, SERIES 2020 TO FACILITATE THE OPERATION OF THE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUND TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE RELATED TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (AS AMENDED).
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SPONSORED BY: COUNCIL MEMBERS GEORGE, COAN, SEXTON SMITH, DORSEY, FOX, SHANKLIN, TRIPLETT, YATES, FOWLER, MCCRANEY,
ENGEL, FLOOD, GREEN, WINKLER, MULVIHILL, BLACKWELL,
PEDEN, AND PRESIDENT JAMES
WHEREAS, the Legislative Council of the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (“Council”), in Ordinance No. 044, Series 2020, established an emergency assistance fund for the sole purpose of recapitalizing existing programs for food assistance and emergency assistance for housing for the community related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, many of the non-profit external agencies providing these vital services operate on razor thin budget margins, with limited cash flows, which restrict or impede their ability to provide the very services this Council authorized them to provide unless they receive advance funding; and
WHEREAS, this Council recognizes the need to provide some of these agencies with funding in advance of their incurring these extraordinary expenditures on behalf of our community, rather than solely on a reimbursement basis, to enable these agencies to fulfill the intent of the Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, this Ordinance requires emergency consideration as authorized by Council Rule 7.01 because it is essential that the government act expeditiously to make resources available to address this evolving public health crisis.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO GOVERNMENT (“COUNCIL”) AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I: Section III of Ordinance No. 044, Series 2020, is hereby amended as follows:
SECTION III. The Office of Resilience & Community Services shall act as a fiscal agent for purposes of administering the CRF established under Section II of this Ordinance. The monies transferred to the CRF shall only be used to add funding or reimburse current External Agency Funding non-profits or fund current Metro administered programs. The monies shall be used solely for the purpose of capitalizing or recapitalizing existing programs that provide food assistance and or emergency assistance for housing.
An online application for funding or reimbursement will be weekly reviewed for eligibility by a threefive-person panel consisting of a representative of the Mayor, three members of the Metro Council appointed by the Metro Council President (or designee) consisting of two majority caucus members and one minority caucus member, and a representative of the Metro United Way. The panel will meet weekly to decide which requests receive funding or reimbursement. Efforts will be made by the three-person panel to distribute monies equitably across Jefferson County. Monies will only be distributed to non-profits on a reimbursement basis, and the applicant The applicants must show increased demand for services due to the COVID-19 epidemic. External Agencies requesting funding or reimbursement for emergency housing assistance must show evidence of loss directly associated with the COVID-19 epidemic and of individual need. The Office of Resilience & Community Services shall fund or reimburse eligible entities only to the extent that demand and need at those entities exceeds 2019-2020 approved operating budgets and other funds available to those programs from other sources that were specifically provided for COVID relief efforts. No funding shall be used for administrative costs associated with the programs, but shall be used solely to provide food assistance and emergency assistance for housing.
Any external agency recipient of funding or reimbursement from the CRF shall submit records relating to any CRF funded or reimbursed assistance when it submits its regular FY20 External Agency Fund closeout report. The records for CRF funded or reimbursed assistance shall comply with regular External Agency Fund reporting requirements. Because mortgage assistance is not a typical EAF expense, but is authorized by this Ordinance, any CRF recipient providing mortgage assistance shall follow the same reporting requirements that apply to rental assistance, substituting “mortgage holder” for “landlord.”
SECTION II: This Ordinance shall take effect upon its passage and approval.
_________________________________ ______________________________
Sonya Harward David James
Metro Council Clerk President of the Council
__________________________________ _____________________________
Greg Fischer Approval Date
Mayor
Approved as to form and legality:
Michael J. O’Connell
Jefferson County Attorney
BY: _____________________________
O-159-20 - Emergency Assistance Fund Amendment - mhh - 4-9-20- docx