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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 05/19/2015 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 060, 2015, APPROPRIAgenda Item 5 Item # 5 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY May 19, 2015 City Council STAFF Mark Sears, Natural Areas Program Manager John Stokes, Natural Resources Director SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 060, 2015, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves and Unanticipated Revenues in the Natural Areas Fund for the Purpose of Providing Natural Areas Programming Not Included in the 2015 Adopted City Budget. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to approve an Ordinance appropriating $8,300,000 in prior year reserves and unanticipated revenues in the Natural Areas Fund. Of the total, $6,110,000 will be used for land conservation. With over $7M of land and water acquisitions under negotiation, there is a reasonable likelihood that most of these funds will be spent in 2015. Prior to 2004, the Natural Areas Department (NAD) projects were funded through 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 in prior annual budgets need to be appropriated into the following year’s budget before they can be spent. The purpose of the previously appropriated funds under this Ordinance remains the same: land conservation, construction of public improvements, restoration of wildlife habitat and other NAD programs to benefit the citizens of Fort Collins. In addition to prior year reserves and unspent 2014 appropriations, the Natural Areas Department received unanticipated revenues in 2014; these funds are being appropriated for the purpose of providing Natural Areas programming not included in the 2015 adopted City Budget. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION 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 are more specifically described as follows: $5,781,753 Unspent 2014 Budgeted Funds - re-appropriated for same purpose $2,518,247 Unanticipated Revenues & Unspent Funds $8,300,000 Prior Year 2014 Reserves Agenda Item 5 Item # 5 Page 2 The anticipated use of these funds is as follows: • Land Conservation - $6,110,120 ($5,165,973 unspent 2014 appropriations and $944,147 in prior year reserves) will fund land conservation efforts per the Land Conservation and Stewardship Master Plan. • Rangers - $9,300 (in prior year reserves) will fund the purchase of AED’s to be placed in all 7 Ranger vehicles. • Education - $10,800 (in prior year reserves) will fund maintenance of the NatureTracker web-based registration and volunteer coordination software. • Resource Management - $1,658,180 ($401,180 in unspent 2014 funds and $1,257,000 in prior year reserves) will fund: the completion of the restoration of the Shields Pit, POE Pit and Rigden Reservoir along the Poudre River; fund the creation of new wetlands; and, fund a portion of the Kingfisher Natural Areas restoration along the Poudre River. • Public Improvements - $338,100 ($184,600 in unspent 2014 funds and $153,500 in prior year reserves) will fund: the completion of public improvement projects that are underway including $154,600 in matching funds for the Great Outdoor Colorado grant to construct a trail around the new reservoir at Arapaho Bend and $30,000 for ADA access improvements to the north parking lot at Riverbend Ponds; and, $153,500 in new construction or repairs to complete trail, bridge, kiosk and trail head improvements at Riverbend Ponds, Arapaho Bend, McMurry, Gateway and several natural areas along the Poudre River. • Facility Operations - $98,500 (prior year reserves) will fund: additional solar panels on the equipment shop at Nix Farm to decrease energy use; improvements to the ranger house at Bobcat to decrease energy use; improvements to the little farm house at Nix Farm to provide critical indoor storage; improvements to the field office at Soapstone; and, to add a photo voltaic solar system to the shop at Soapstone to provide electricity for power tool use. • Land Management - $55,000 ($30,000 in unspent 2014 funds and $25,000 in prior year reserves) will fund: fencing projects; the application for historic designation of historic structures at Soapstone Prairie; and, stock water improvements at Soapstone Prairie. • Department Management - $20,000 (in prior year reserves) will provide the matching funds needed to purchase an all-electric vehicle “a Leaf” and the charging station; which will help reduce the Natural Areas carbon footprint. Natural Areas received a $10,000 City Innovation Fund Grant towards this purchase. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The Appropriation Ordinances increases 2015 appropriations in the City’s Natural Areas Fund by $8,300,000. The requested appropriation of $8,300,000 in the Natural Areas Fund represents 2014 appropriations that were unspent and unencumbered at year-end 2014 and unanticipated revenues. These funds are restricted to the purposes of the Natural Areas Department. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION The Land Conservation and Stewardship Board will review the Appropriation Ordinance at its regular meeting on May 13. Its recommendation to Council will be provided in Council's read before packet on May 19. PUBLIC OUTREACH Natural Areas Funds will be spent in alignment with its Natural Areas Master Plan, which was extensively reviewed by the Public prior to its adoption in 2014. - 1 - ORDINANCE NO. 060, 2015 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 2015 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 $8,300,000, comprised of $5,781,753 in unspent and unencumbered appropriations from 2014 and $2,518,247 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 that there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from prior year reserves in the Natural Areas Fund the sum of EIGHT MILLION THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($8,300,000) 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. - 2 - Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 19th day of May, A.D. 2015, and to be presented for final passage on the 2nd day of June, A.D. 2015. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 2nd day of June, A.D. 2015. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk