The City Council of Columbus authorized the Director of the Department of Neighborhoods to enter into a non-profit service contract with the Center for Employment Opportunities, Inc. (CEO) for citywide litter abatement and clean-up work. The contract is for a total expenditure of $450,000.00. This includes a transfer of $250,000.00 from the General Fund Citywide Account to the Department of Neighborhoods' General Fund, in addition to $200,000.00 already available in the Department of Neighborhoods' General Fund. The services provided by CEO, through participants in their job training program, will include litter abatement and disposal, illegal dumping removal and disposal, clearing weeds and brush, and alley clean-up. The partnership aims to enhance responsiveness to urgent clean-up needs across the city and supports individuals recently released from incarceration with employment services. The ordinance was declared an emergency measure to resume stalled clean-up efforts that directly benefit communities' health and safety and impact local jobs.