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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 03/16/2010 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 028, 2010, APPROPRI DATE: March 16, 2010 STAFF: John Stokes Mark Sears First Reading of Ordinance No. 028, 2010, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Natural Areas Fund for the Purpose of Providing Natural Areas Programming Not Included in the 2010 Adopted City Budget. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of the previously appropriated funds remains the same: land conservation, construction of public improvements, restoration of wildlife habitat and other natural areas program needs to benefit the citizens of Fort Collins. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Prior to 2004, the Natural Areas Program was housed within the Capital Projects Fund and therefore funds did not lapse from year to year. During 2004, in order to comply with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, Natural Areas appropriations and funding sources were all moved into the Natural Areas Fund, a lapsing fund. Therefore, unspent funds need to be re-appropriated in to the following year's budget. The funds for the Natural Areas Program come from the following designated sources of revenue, including;the City- Open Space Yes! sales tax; the Larimer County-Help Preserve Open'Space sales tax; and restricted miscellaneous unanticipated revenues. All of these funds are restricted to the purposes of the Natural Areas Program, including unanticipated revenues which consist generally of income from leases or grants. The anticipated use of these unspent 2009 funds being re-appropriated is as follows: • Land Conservation-$1,525,000. This balance of unspent Open Space Yes!and County Help Preserve Open Space appropriations is to be used for land conservation. • Education - $51,240. Funds in this category include a grant made by the Pulliam family trust to support education activities at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area. The other major component of these funds is the development of an online registration and volunteer coordination database to greatly improve our customer service and volunteer coordination. • Program Management-$20,000. These funds will sponsor a contractual employee to help write the Poudre River Management Plan. • Resource Management - $129,166. This amount represents unspent funds and grant funds received for resource management projects that will be invested in resource management projects in 2010 including: contractors for exotic tree removal and restoration; demolition of buildings and cleanup on several natural areas; and several major restoration projects. • Public Improvements-$769,647. This amount is being appropriated for paved trail construction. Each year Natural Areas contributes $350,000 to Parks to help fund the regional paved trail system. Parks has been building up funds to construct a trail to connect the Fossil Creek Trail (Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Area) to the Spring Creek Trail (Pineridge Natural Area and Spring Canyon Community). The trail and the underpass at County Road 38E are expected to cost about $1,200,000 and will be constructed in 2010, if Parks received a $500,000 GOCO Grant. • Public Improvements - $144,786. These funds will be spent on a variety of projects that were budgeted for in 2009, but will be completed in 2010. The projects include: development of a public improvements—GIS Database; Picnic Rock parking lot improvements(assuming a cooperative agreement with the Colorado Division of Wildlife); Red Fox Meadows parking lot; and, a vault toilet at Nix Natural Area. March 16, 2010 -2- ITEM 15 • Facility Operations - $599,000. Represents amounts budgeted in 2009 for facility operations that will be completed in 2010 and several new time sensitive maintenance projects. Improvements include: energy improvements to the Ranger house at Gateway; chlorination of the public water supply at Bobcat and Gateway; and the design and remodeling of an historic farm house at Nix for additional office space. • Land Management-$20,000. These funds were budgeted in 2009 to develop a Water Augmentation Plan for the Resource Recovery Farm Gravel Mine on Running Deer Natural Area; the Plan was started in 2009 and will be completed in 2010. FINANCIAL IMPACT This Ordinance increases 2010 appropriations in the City's Natural Areas Fund by $3,258,839. The requested appropriation from prior year reserves in the Natural Areas Fund includes$3,258,839 representing 2009 appropriations that were unspent and unencumbered at year-end 2009. These funds are restricted to the purposes of the Natural Areas Program. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. ORDINANCE NO. 028, 2010 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE NATURAL AREAS FUND FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING NATURAL AREAS PROGRAMMING NOT INCLUDED IN THE 2010 ADOPTED CITY BUDGET WHEREAS, the City is committed to preserving natural areas and providing educational, interpretive and appropriate recreational opportunities to the public; and WHEREAS, Natural Areas programming implements open land conservation priorities identified in the City's Comprehensive Plan by purchasing conservation easement interests in key natural areas,community separators,or other open lands;providing stewardship for lands purchased; and developing trails and interpretive features for public use; and WHEREAS, the Natural Areas program is funded primarily through the collection of Open Space-Yes sales and use tax revenue,revenues from the Larimer County Help Preserve Open Space sales and use tax, proceeds from the issuance of Certificates of Participation in 2004, investment earnings, and other miscellaneous revenues; and WHEREAS,Natural Areas Fund has unspent and unencumbered appropriations from 2009 in the amount of$3,258,839; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 11 of the City Charter requires that all appropriations unexpended or unencumbered at the end of the fiscal year lapse to the applicable general or special revenue fund, except that appropriations for capital projects and federal or state grants do not lapse until the completion of the capital project or until the expiration of the federal or state grant; and WHEREAS,Article V,Section 9 of the City Charter 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 recommends appropriating from prior year reserves in the Natural Areas Fund the unexpended and unencumbered appropriations totaling $3,258,839 to be used for acquisition,construction, enhancement and maintenance of trail systems,wildlife habitat and other natural areas to benefit the citizens of the City. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from prior year reserves in the Natural Areas Fund the sum of THREE MILLION TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-EIGHT THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTY-NINE DOLLARS ($3,258,839) to be used for acquisition, construction, enhancement and maintenance of trail systems,wildlife habitat and other natural areas to benefit the citizens of the City. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 16th day of March, A.D. 2010, and to be presented for final passage on the 6th day of April, A.D. 2010. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 6th day of April, A.D. 2010. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk