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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 05/17/2016 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 061, 2016 APPROPRIAAgenda Item 7 Item # 7 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY May 17, 2016 City Council STAFF Mark Sears, Natural Areas Program Manager John Stokes, Natural Resources Director SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 061, 2016 Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Natural Areas Fund for the Purpose of Land Conservation, Public Improvements and Related Natural Areas Programming not Included in the 2016 Adopted City Budget. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to appropriate $9,598,100 in prior year reserves and unanticipated revenues in the Natural Areas Fund for the purpose of land conservation, construction of public improvements, restoration of wildlife habitat and other NAD programs to benefit the citizens of Fort Collins. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Funding for the Natural Areas Department (NAD) for purposes other than capital projects, lapses each year if not spent. Unspent funds need to be appropriated into the following year’s budget before they can be used. Of the total appropriation, $7,180,000 will be used for land conservation. Over $5M land and water acquisitions are under negotiation; there is a reasonable likelihood that most of these funds will be spent in 2016. In addition to prior year reserves and unspent 2015 appropriations, the Natural Areas Department received $1,769,719 in unanticipated revenues; these funds are being appropriated for the purpose of providing Natural Areas programming not included in the 2016 adopted City Budget. The funds for the Natural Areas Department come from the following designated sources of revenue, including: the City - Open Space Yes! ¼ Cent sales tax; the Larimer County - Help Preserve Open Space ¼ cent sales tax; and, miscellaneous anticipated and unanticipated revenues. All of these funds are restricted to the purposes of the Natural Areas Department, including unanticipated revenues which consist generally of income from sales tax revenues, easements, leases or grants. The prior year reserve funds being appropriated in this Ordinance are more specifically described: $7,828,381 Unspent 2015 Budgeted Funds - reappropriated for same purpose $1,769,719 Unanticipated Revenues & Unspent Funds $9,598,100 Prior Year 2015 Reserves The anticipated use of these funds is as follows: Agenda Item 7 Item # 7 Page 2 Land Conservation $7,180,000 will fund land conservation efforts per the Natural Areas Master Plan. Education $43,000 will fund unanticipated department needs:  maintain the newly developed NatureTracker web-based registration and volunteer coordination software  new interpretive signs at Soapstone Natural Area (NA)  new interpretive signs at Bobcat Ridge NA. Resource Management $1,153,100 in unspent 2015 funds will fund:  the completion of the restoration of the Shields Pit, POE Pit and Rigden Reservoir along the Poudre River  the new restoration and restoration maintenance  the purchase of a used grasslands fire truck to improve staff’s ability to conduct prescribed burns. Public Improvements $1,079,000 will fund:  $350,000 in paved trails constructed by Parks  ADA parking and trail improvements at Arapaho Bend-Strauss NA trailhead  ADA parking and trail improvements at Riverbend Ponds NA-Cherly Street trailhead  ADA trail improvements, ADA fishing access improvements and vault toilet at North Shields Ponds NA (partially funded by a Fishing is Fun grant)  fencing at new natural area along Spring Creek  crusher fines trail rehabilitation at Bobcat Ridge NA (fully funded by a Pulliam Charitable Trust Grant)  drainage improvements around historic structures at Bobcat Ridge  Powerline Trail repairs at Bobcat Ridge  new trail and bridges at the new natural area at the Evergreen West Pond NA  canoe/kayak slide and trail improvement at Pineridge NA  road and parking lot maintenance at Soapstone NA  trail counters for foothills natural areas  construction of an access road to the newly purchased Legacy and Williams parcels  McMurry bridge repairs and new railing  a used tandem dump truck. Land Management $143,000 will fund:  administrative costs  grazing fencing projects at Soapstone NA and urban sites  water augmentation for Topminnow NA  bird survey at Soapstone and Bobcat to monitor grazing results  two summer interns for wildlife monitoring projects at Soapstone  a utility off trail vehicle for Soapstone. Agenda Item 7 Item # 7 Page 3 CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The Ordinance increases 2016 appropriations in the City’s Natural Areas Fund by $9,598,100. The requested appropriation of $9,598,100 in the Natural Areas Fund represents 2015 appropriations that were unspent and unencumbered at year-end 2015 and unanticipated revenues. These funds are restricted to the purposes of the Natural Areas Department. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION The Land Conservation and Stewardship Board voted unanimously, at its regular meeting on April 20, 2016, recommending that City Council approve the appropriation. PUBLIC OUTREACH Natural Areas Funds will be spent in alignment with the Natural Areas Master Plan, which was extensively reviewed by the public prior to its adoption in October 2014. ATTACHMENTS 1. Land Conservation and Stewardship Board minutes, April 20, 2016 (PDF) Excerpt: Land Conservation & Stewardship Board – April 20, 2016 Meeting Minutes Re: 2016 Natural Areas Appropriation Ordinance Mark Sears, Natural Areas Manager made a brief presentation regarding the appropriation of unspent 2015 funds and unanticipated 2015 revenues. The board asked a few clarifying questions and had a brief discussion prior to approving the motion. Kelly Ohlson made a motion that City Council approve an Ordinance appropriating $9,598,100 in prior year reserves and unanticipated revenues in the Natural Areas Fund for the purpose of providing Natural Areas programming not included in the 2016 adopted City Budget. David Tweedale seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved ATTACHMENT 1 -1- ORDINANCE NO. 061, 2016 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE NATURAL AREAS FUND FOR THE PURPOSE OF LAND CONSERVATION, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS AND RELATED NATURAL AREAS PROGRAMMING NOT INCLUDED IN THE 2016 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 Department is funded primarily through the collection of City Open Space - Yes sales and use tax revenue, as well as revenues from the Larimer County Help Preserve Open Space sales and use tax, investment earnings, and other miscellaneous revenues deposited in the Natural Areas Fund; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 11 of the City Charter requires all appropriations unexpended or unencumbered at the end of the fiscal year lapse to the applicable general or special revenue fund, except appropriations for capital projects and federal or state grants do not lapse until completion of the capital project or expiration of the respective 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 $9,598,100, comprised of $7,828,381 in unspent and unencumbered appropriations from 2015 and $1,769,719 in unanticipated revenue and prior year reserves, 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 as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. -2- Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from prior year reserves in the Natural Areas Fund the sum of NINE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED NINETY EIGHT THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($9,598,100) 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 17th day of May, A.D. 2016, and to be presented for final passage on the 7th day of June, A.D. 2016. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 7th day of June, A.D. 2016. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk