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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 03/19/2002 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 043, 2002, APPROPRI AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY ITEM NUMBER: 22 DATE: March 19, 2002 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Matt Baker SUBJECT: First Reading of Ordinance No. 043, 2002, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Sales and Use Tax Fund for Transfer to the Capital'Projects Fund-Harmony Road, Seneca Street to the BNSF Railroad Crossing Project to be Used for Preliminary Design, Right-of-Way Acquisition and Initial Project Construction. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. FINANCIAL IMPACT: This Ordinance appropriates $750,000 from the Use Tax Carryover Reserve in the City's Sales and Use Tax Fund for transfer to the Capital Projects Fund - Harmony Road, Seneca Street to the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad Crossing project for design, ROW acquisition and initial construction of arterial roadway improvements to Harmony Road, from Seneca Street east to the BNSF Railroad crossing. Additional funds needed for construction of roadway improvements for the Project in 2003, are earmarked and will be presented to Council, for appropriation at a later date. The projected balance in the Use Tax Carryover Reserve, after the appropriation of $750,000, is $2,986,220. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Arterial street improvements are planned for approximately one and one-half (1�/z) miles of Harmony Road, from approximately 600 feet east of Seneca Street to the BNSF Railroad crossing near Mason Street. Harmony Road will then be completely improved to a four-lane arterial from College Avenue to Taft Hill Road, greatly improving capacity along this important east-west arterial link. The project will include construction of intersection improvements at Harmony and Shields. BACKGROUND: The City's Engineering Department is at 50% completion of the design of the Harmony Roadway Improvement project, from Seneca Street to the Burlington-Northern Sante Fe RR tracks. This 1.6-mile project will complete the widening of Harmony to four-lanes in that area, and will also include improvements to the Harmony-Shields intersection. Much work remains to be done before beginning the actual construction. Pre-construction tasks will include: (1) completion of engineering design, including an alternative intersection analysis; (2) acquisition, of all necessary right-of-way and easements; (3) utility coordination and relocations; and (4) public information and consent-building. DATE: arc ITEM NUMBER: 22 This Ordinance appropriates $750,000 to fund design, right-of-way acquisition, and other "pre- construction" project costs. Additional City funds needed have been earmarked and will be presented to Council for appropriation at a later date. Some funds collected through development impact fees will be available for this project. The total cost of the roadway project is estimated to be $7.5 million. Approximately $3.2 million of City capital funding is needed to complete portions of the project adjacent to the Front Range Community College Campus and several County out-parcels, of which $750,000 is being requested in 2002. It is most likely that the construction of this project and the Harmony-Shields intersection will be scheduled for 2003. Recognizing that the pavement on Harmony west of Shields was in very bad shape, some temporary repairs and an overlay were accomplished in 2001 in order to keep the street from deteriorating into an unsafe condition before the re-construction begins in 2003. The improvements to Harmony Road include widening to a four-lane arterial with landscaped medians and parkways, curb-and-gutter, bike lanes, detached sidewalks, accessibility ramps and decorative crosswalks. Intersection improvements will be constructed in concrete for reduced long-term maintenance costs. Storm sewers and drainage improvements, as well as waterline installations and other utility upgrades, will also be included in the project. This Ordinance will appropriate the City's share of the "pre-construction" costs associated with the Project. The construction phase of the Project is scheduled for 2003. . ORDINANCE NO. 043, 2002 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE SALES AND USE TAX FUND FOR TRANSFER TO THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND HARMONY ROAD, SENECA TO THE BNSF RAILROAD CROSSING PROJECT TO BE USED FOR PRELIMINARY DESIGN, RIGHT-OF-WAY ACQUISITION AND INITIAL PROJECT CONSTRUCTION WHEREAS, improvements are needed on Harmony Road from Seneca Street east to the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) crossing in order to mitigate traffic impacts, thereby improving capacity along this important east-west arterial street; and WHEREAS,improvements to Harmony Road from Seneca Street east to the BNSF railroad crossing constitute one of the projects identified as a priority in compiling the City's 10-year Capital Improvement Plan and Inventory, presented to Council in 2000; and WHEREAS, City staff has been working on the design plans for improvements to the approximately 1.6 mile portion of Harmony Road from Seneca Street east to the BNSF railroad crossing, including widening of Harmony Road to four-lanes, curb, gutter, and sidewalk improvements, and intersection improvements at Harmony Road and Shields (the "Project"); and . WHEREAS,the estimated cost of the Project is$7,500,000,and funds,totaling$3,200,000, are available in the City's use tax carryover reserve in the Sales and Use Tax Fund to be used for the City's share of improvements for the Project,with the remaining funds needed,totaling$4,300,000, to be funded from revenues and prior year reserves in the City's Street Oversizing Fund; and WHEREAS,while construction of the Project improvements is scheduled for 2003,there are several "pre-construction" costs that need to be undertaken in 2002 prior to the scheduled construction in 2003, including: (1)completion of the project design; (2) right-of-way acquisition; (3)utility coordination and relocations;(4)public information and consent-building;and(5)up-front costs associated with constructing a box culvert and ordering necessary traffic signal components; and WHEREAS, the estimated cost of the aforementioned"pre-construction" is $750,000; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins (the "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, Article V, Section 10, of the Charter authorizes the Council to transfer by ordinance any unexpended and unencumbered appropriated amount or portion thereof from one fund or capital project to another fund or capital project, provided that the purpose for which the transferred funds are to be expended remains unchanged or the purpose for which the funds were initially appropriated no longer exists or the proposed transfer is from a fund or capital project account in which the amount appropriated exceeds the amount needed to accomplish the purpose specified in the appropriation ordinance; and WHEREAS, the purpose for which the funds appropriated in the Sales and Use Tax Fund for transfer to the Capital Projects Fund-Harmony Road,Seneca Street to BNSF Railroad Crossing project remains the same, and the City Manager has recommended that said unspent and unencumbered funds be transferred from the Sales and Use Tax Fund to the Capital Projects Fund- Harmony Road, Seneca Street to BNSF Railroad Crossing project; and WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Council to appropriate$750,000 from prior year reserves in the Sales and Use Tax Fund, for transfer to the Capital Projects Fund - Harmony Road, Seneca Street to BNSF Railroad Crossing project, and appropriated therein to be used for design, row acquisition and other pre-construction Project costs; and WHEREAS, remaining Project funding of $2,450,000 from the City's use tax carryover reserve in the Sales and Use Tax Fund, and $4,300,000 from the Street Oversizing Fund, for the construction of improvements along Harmony Road from Seneca Street to the BNSF Railroad Crossing is earmarked for the Project and will be presented to City Council,for appropriation, at a later date. NOW, THEREFORE,BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the amount of SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($750,000) is hereby appropriated from prior year reserves in the Sales and Use Tax Fund,authorized for transfer to the Capital Projects Fund-Harmony Road,Seneca Street to BNSF Railroad Crossing project,and appropriated therein to be used for design,row acquisition and other pre-construction Project costs. Introduced and considered favorable on first reading and ordered published this 19th day of March, A.D. 2002, and to be presented for final passage on the 2nd day of April, A.D. 2002. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading this 2nd day of April, A.D. 2002. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk • PC m^ � i N I E N 0 J I W _ W N ' a I , N Ld Ld i W J J U W. HAR ONY RD. • N J /TIP i 7 I 1 i i I SITE MAP FOR 2002 WEST HARMONY pRp Y ROAD IMPROVEMENTS p R VEpGNTS NOR