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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 07/18/2017 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 086, 2017, APPROPRAgenda Item 2 Item # 2 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 18, 2017 City Council STAFF Mike Calhoon, Parks Supervisor SUBJECT Second Reading of Ordinance No. 086, 2017, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the General Fund for Transfer to Various City Funds for Tree and Branch Cleanup Expenses. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Ordinance, unanimously adopted on First Reading on July 5, 2017, appropriates $143,563 in General Fund reserves to cover the unanticipated costs associated with the tree and branch cleanup from the May 18 and 19 spring snowstorm to various City funds. This appropriation request will be used for the incremental costs (direct costs) associated with the cleanup effort but not covered in the operating budget. This includes personnel overtime and planned "work for other departments" costs that cannot be recouped, as well as other incremental costs associated with contractors, equipment rental, fuel, etc. that are uniquely and directly related to the snowstorm cleanup. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on Second Reading. ATTACHMENTS 1. First Reading Agenda Item Summary, July 5, 2017 (w/o attachments) (PDF) 2. Ordinance No. 086, 2017 (PDF) Agenda Item 11 Item # 11 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 5, 2017 City Council STAFF Mike Calhoon, Parks Supervisor SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 086, 2017, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the General Fund for Transfer to Various City Funds for Tree and Branch Cleanup Expenses. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to appropriate $143,563 in General Fund reserves to cover the unanticipated costs associated with the tree and branch cleanup from the May 18th and 19th spring snowstorm to various City funds. This appropriation request will be used for the incremental costs (direct costs) associated with the cleanup effort but not covered in the operating budget. This includes personnel overtime and planned "work for other departments" costs that cannot be recouped, as well as other incremental costs associated with contractors, equipment rental, fuel, etc. that are uniquely and directly related to the snowstorm cleanup. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The snowstorm began Thursday, May 18, 2017 and lasted through Friday, May 19, 2017. During that time 6 inches to 9 inches of heavy wet snow fell across the city. Warm pavement conditions made snow removal easier but heavy snow damaged trees throughout the city. The most damage occurred on the Colorado State University campus but extended north and south of the campus throughout the community. There was substantial damage to trees throughout Fort Collins that impacted rights-of-way, residential areas, City trees, City parks, cemeteries, golf courses and downtown Fort Collins. The organization quickly transitioned from snow removal to debris cleanup mode to clear roads of debris and address critical safety hazards. The City offered two locations for citizens to drop off branches. The City's Streets Facility was open during daylight hours and Hoffman Mill was open 7am to 5pm Monday thru Friday. The drop-off sites were open for two weeks to allow residents to clean and haul their branches in for recycling. Grinding operations will begin the last week of June with free mulch becoming available by mid-July. Corrective pruning operations utilizing Forestry crews will continue through July. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The table below displays the preliminary cost estimates for the tree branch cleanup. The total appropriation requested from General Fund reserves is a maximum of $143,563. The incremental costs include contractual pruning, equipment rental, overtime, fuel and equipment costs. Redeployed costs will be absorbed by the individual Department/Division. ATTACHMENT 1 Agenda Item 11 Item # 11 Page 2 Department/Division Redeployed Incremental Total Cost Cost Cost Streets $ 26,381 $ 21,543 $ 47,924 Utilities $ 1,243 $ 2,556 $ 3,799 Parks $ 11,925 $ 1,071 $ 12,996 Forestry $ 68,603 $118,393 $186,996 Total Storm Cost $108,152 $143,563 $251,715 General Fund reserves should be transferred as follows: Utilities Fund (Stormwater) $ 2,556 Transportation Fund (Streets) $ 21,543 General Fund (Parks and Forestry) $119,464 Approval of this appropriation will reduce prior year General Fund reserves by a maximum of $143,563. -1- ORDINANCE NO. 086, 2017 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE GENERAL FUND FOR TRANSFER TO VARIOUS CITY FUNDS FOR TREE AND BRANCH CLEANUP EXPENSES WHEREAS, heavy wet snow fell across Fort Collins on May 18 and 19, 2017 damaging trees and breaking branches throughout the City; and WHEREAS, the extensive tree damage throughout the City impacted rights-of-way, residential areas, City trees, City parks, cemeteries, golf courses and downtown Fort Collins; and WHEREAS, City staff and crews of various departments quickly responded to the tree damage by clearing the roads of debris and addressed critical safety hazards; and WHEREAS, the City offered two locations for citizens to drop off branches for a period of two weeks after the storm; and WHEREAS, all tree and branch debris collected by the City or dropped off at one of the drop off locations, will be mulched and will be available in a “Free Mulch Giveaway” by mid- July; and WHEREAS, the above tree and branch cleanup efforts are expected to result in unanticipated costs in the amount of $251,715, of which $143,563 cannot be covered within the existing 2017 budget; and WHEREAS, this Ordinance appropriates $143,563 from General Fund prior year reserves for transfer to the following funds for tree and branch cleanup costs: Storm Drainage Fund $ 2,556 Transportation Services Fund 21,543 General Fund 119,464 Total $ 143,563 ; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that expending funds from the Storm Drainage Fund relates to and benefits the utility rate payers by assisting in efforts to clear tree branches and debris from City streets; 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 -2- WHEREAS, Article V, Section 10, of the City Charter authorizes the City 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; the purpose for which the funds were initially appropriated no longer exists; or the proposed transfer is from a fund or capital project in which the amount appropriated exceeds the amount needed to accomplish the purpose specified in the appropriation ordinance; and WHEREAS, City staff has determined that the appropriations as described herein are available and previously unappropriated in the General Fund and the City Manager recommends transferring the appropriated amount to cover the costs of the tree and branch cleanup. 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. Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from prior year reserves in the General Fund the sum of ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR DOLLARS ($119,464) for tree and branch cleanup costs in the Parks and Forestry departments. Section 3. That there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from prior year reserves in the General Fund the sum of TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND NINETY-NINE DOLLARS ($24,099) for transfer to the following funds: Storm Drainage Fund $ 2,556 Transportation Services Fund 21,543 Total $ 24,099 and appropriated therein for tree and branch cleanup costs in each fund. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 5th day of July, A.D. 2017, and to be presented for final passage on the 18th day of July, A.D. 2017. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk -3- Passed and adopted on final reading on the 18th day of July, A.D. 2017. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk