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COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
June 18, 2012
WORLD SICKLE CELL DAY: Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. The disease can cause serious health problems, including tissue and organ damage, prolonged intense physical pain, stroke, blindness and vision problems, and increased susceptibility to infections. Councilmember Priscilla R. Tyson is sponsoring resolution 0119X-2012 to recognize June 19, 2012, as “World Sickle Cell Day” in the city of Columbus. More than 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell diseases, and one of every five hundred African-American children is born with sickle cell anemia. World Sickle Cell Day was created by the United Nations to promote local and global awareness of the disease.
PROMOTING LEAD SAFE HOMES IN COLUMBUS NEIGHBORHOODS: Lead-based hazards can still be found in many Columbus homes. Development Committee Chair Zach M. Klein is sponsoring ordinance 1232-2012, which authorizes the expenditure of $400,000 from the Housing Preservation Fund 782 as match funds for a grant through the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Program with HUD. The funding will allow the Lead Safe Columbus program to provide eligible property owners with grant resources for lead abatement activities including lead level testing and clearance tests performed on city lead hazard control and/or home repair projects. The program demonstrates the city’s commitment to generating lead-safe affordable housing and the prevention of lead poisoning in children and adults.
PROTECTING FIREFIGHTERS: When firefighters rush into a burning building or work at the scene of an accident, they rely upon their protective uniforms to keep them safe. Public Safety Committee Chair Michelle M. Mills is sponsoring ordinance 1225-2012 to authorize the expenditure of $150,000 for replacement sets of turnout gear for the brave men and women who serve as Columbus’ first responders. Turnout gear must be periodically replaced as it loses effectiveness over time.
MAKING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES MORE EFFICIENT: The Department of Public Utilities encompasses the Division of Sewers & Drains and the Division of Power and Water. Those Divisions supply and manage water, municipal power, street lighting and waste water treatment for the City of Columbus. Public Utilities Committee Chair Eileen Y. Paley is sponsoring ordinance 0974-2012 to authorize the expenditure of $1.5 million for a contract modification of Phase 4 for the Asset Management Program. The Five Phase Asset Management Program began in 2008 as a way to identify new, efficient ways to operate the department’s facilities and reduce chemical and energy usage. These reductions in resource consumption allow for reductions in pollution and better environmental quality for the city. The efficiencies have also produced cost savings. The first three phases saved over $2 million and all five phases of the program will save more than $12 million over 20 years.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT HONORS RUSSIAN DELEGATION: The Compass for Childhood program is a USAID funded program that strengthens and develops a regions’ capacity to provide child welfare services. The program focuses on preventing child maltreatment at many points along the at-risk continuum by confronting social problems such as parental alcoholism, drug use, family violence, homelessness, joblessness, and poverty. Council President Andrew J. Ginther is sponsoring resolution 0127X-2012 to honor and recognize the visiting Russian delegation involved in the Compass for Childhood program who strive to improve the capacity of child welfare professionals to meet the needs of families and children in Russia. The delegation consists of members of the National Foundation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NFPCC) and high level administrators from various regions of Russia. They are visiting our city’s social service agencies, public and private to discover the models of our system.
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