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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 10/07/2003 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 136, 2003 MAKING CE AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY ITEM NUMBER: 19 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL DATE: October 7, 2003 STAFF: Alan Krcmarik SUBJECT: First Reading of Ordinance No. 136, 2003, Making Certain Appropriations Related to Operating Expenses of the Metropolitan Planning Organization. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The combination of advances by the Transportation Fund and reimbursements from the North Front Range MPO should offset MPO costs incurred in 2003. In addition, the MPO has received funds from Latimer and Weld counties which may be sufficient to carry the MPO over the year-end with positive fund balance. In the event that the MPO does not have enough funding to maintain a positive fund balance at year end, it may request a loan or advance from the City of Fort Collins. This type of advance was successfully completed at the end of 2002. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City of Fort Collins has served as the host organization for the North Front Range Transportation and Air Quality Planning Organization ("MPO") since 1987 when the MPO began. The MPO consists of ten northern Colorado cities and towns, two counties, the Colorado Transportation Commission, and the Colorado Air Quality Commission. As the host organization, the City has advanced its funds on behalf of the MPO and member organizations. When the MPO receives federal and state grant monies, it reimburses the City. In 2003,the MPO has taken steps to become an independent organization. With the independent status of the MPO, the monetary transactions between the two organizations should be recognized more formally. Ordinance No. 136, 2003, appropriates prior year reserve funds in the City's Transportation Fund to transfer to the MPO. The Ordinance also appropriates the reimbursements that the MPO has made and expects to make to the City. In 2003,the City expects that the transfers to the MPO will not exceed$2,100,000,the amount of the appropriation from prior year reserves and unanticipated (at the time the budget was adopted)revenue. ORDINANCE NO. 136, 2003 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS MAKING CERTAIN APPROPRIATIONS RELATED TO OPERATING EXPENSES OF THE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION WHEREAS, the North Front Range Transportation & Air Quality Planning Council (the "NFRT&AQPC") is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and lead air quality planning agency for the North Front Range region; and WHEREAS, the MPO promotes regional transportation and transportation related air quality planning, and cooperation and coordination among federal, state, and local governments in the North Front Range area; and WHEREAS, voting members of the MPO include Fort Collins (the "City"), Greeley, Loveland, Evans, Timnath, Windsor, Berthoud, LaSalle, Johnstown, Milliken, Garden City, Larimer County, Weld County the State of Colorado Transportation Commission, and the State of Colorado Air Quality Control Commission; and WHEREAS, the funds for the administration of the MPO program are federal transportation program funds appropriated by the federal government and administered by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), based on the federal fiscal year of October 1 through September 30; and WHEREAS, since the inception of the MPO in 1987, the City has served as the host organization for the NFRT&AQPC, which function has included advancing operational funds to the MPO and its member entities; and WHEREAS, it has been the goal of the MPO to secure adequate funding to sustain its operations, independent of the City, thereby becoming a regional government operating as a joint venture supported by its members; and WHEREAS, as of September 29, 2003, the NFRT&AQPC had received a total of $300,000 from Larimer County ($150,000) and Weld County ($150,000) enabling the MPO to attain its independence from the City; and WHEREAS, the City estimates the MPO will need a total of $2.1 million dollars for operating expenses during 2003; and WHEREAS, reimbursement to the City by the MPO is expected to come in the form of payments to the MPO from other member entity loans, advances, and/or MPO grant reimbursements; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins (the "Charter") permits the City Council to supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year, provided that the total amount of such supplemental appropriations, in combination with all previous appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the then current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the Charter also permits the City Council to appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be available from reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves were not previously appropriated; and WHEREAS, City staff has determined that the appropriation of $1,650,000 from unanticipated revenue for operating expenses of the MPO will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Transportation Services Fund budget to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during any fiscal year; and WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Council to appropriate the foregoing $1,650,000, together with the additional sum of $450,000 from prior year reserves in the Transportation Services Fund, to defray operating expenses of the MPO in 2003. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from prior year reserves in the Transportation Services Fund, the sum of FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($450,000), to be used to fund advances to the MPO during 2003 for operating expenses. Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from unanticipated revenue in the Transportation Services Fund, the additional sum of ONE MILLION SIX HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($1,650,000), upon receipt from the Metropolitan Planning Organization, to further fund operating expenses of the MPO during 2003. Introduced and considered favorably on first reading and ordered published this 7th day of October, A.D. 2003, and to be considered for final passage on the 21st day of October, A.D. 2003. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading this 21st day of October, A.D. 2003. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk