HomeMy WebLinkAboutMULBERRY EAST 2ND ANNEXATION & ZONING - 16-04 - CORRESPONDENCE - ANNEXATION DOCUMENTSthe biggest benefit is the substantial increase in the level of police protection
in the form of improved emergency response times, more frequent patrol ser-
vice, and better crime prevention
Please let me know if you have questions on any of these points and general
agreement on how to proceed. I can be reached at (970)221-6750 or via e-
mail at cgioss@fcgov.com I appreciate your willingness to work with us.
Sincerely,
Cameron Gloss, A P
Current Planning Director
5. Parks and Recreation.
The demand for parks and recreation facilities and services will also increase
from annexed areas as they develop or redevelop. The City charges a parkland
development fee to new residential units constructed within the City limits.
According to the UGA Agreement with Larimer County, the County collects a
parkland fee equivalent to the City's fee from new developments within the
UGA. The County fee is to be spent within the area from which it was
collected or be turned over to the City when an area is annexed. Parkland fees
are used to purchase and develop neighborhood parks.
The parkland acquisition fee does not apply to existing mobile home units or
the replacement of mobile homes within existing mobile home parks.
Participation in City Government
Residents of an annexed area will be able to increase their official participation
in City government. Presently, County residents can only voice their opinions
at public hearings. After annexation, these residents can vote in scheduled and
special City elections, thereby having a political voice in important decisions
made by the City which affects them.
Other Services and Facilities Not Affected by Annexation into Fort
Collins
The following services and facilities provided by public, quasi -public, and
private agencies and organizations are not affected by annexation of an area
into the City of Fort Collins. These are: natural gas utility, provided Excel
Energy; fire protection, provided by the Poudre Fire Authority; schools,
provided by the Poudre R-1 School District; postal service, and hospital
services, provided by the Poudre Valley Hospital District.
Impacts
As this summary of taxes and services indicates, impacts to the Cloverleaf
Mobile Home Park are relatively minor. The negative impacts to tenants on
the property primarily relate to the additional sales tax on "larger ticket"
items such as automobiles and appliances. The only immediate, substantial
taxation to the property owner is for stormwater fees. On the positive side,
Standards which are consistent with City design standards. This requirement
is designed to eliminate the necessity of upgrading streets after an area annexes
to the City.
When an existing development, which has streets which do not conform to the
City's street design standards, is annexed, there is no requirement that existing
streets be reconstructed to current design standards. The City will provide the
same level of service as the County provided prior to annexation. This usually
includes minor surface maintenance like cracksealing and the filling of
potholes, but does not include asphalt overlays nor street reconstruction at the
City's expense. In some cases the streets are privately maintained, that is they
are the responsibility of a homeowner's association, by designation on the plat
of the subdivision. In this case the street maintenance will continue to be the
responsibility of the association.
The City will test a street's structural strength to determine if it meets City
standards. If it meets standards, then the City would take over all maintenance
responsibilities as long as it is safe for bicycles and pedestrians and it has
proper drainage. If it does not meet City standards, the property -owners would
need to pay for making the necessary improvements, which could include
drainage, safety, and structural improvements, before the City will accept the
street. Thus. the City will not upgrade a street in an existing development
without participation from affected property owners, usually through the use of
a Special Improvement District.
The City will also review a street for the need for sidewalks and curbs and
gutters. Safety for bicyclists and pedestrians is considered on a case -by -case
basis. If safety is not an issue and proper water drainage is provided, curbs,
gutters, and sidewalks can be delayed until they are needed. When these
improvements are needed, the property -owners are expected to pay for them.
There will be ample opportunity for public input and comments before any
decisions are made to upgrade streets.
4. Mass Transit.
As the City continues to grow the demand for expanded mass transit service
will also increase. As areas annex into the City, new and revised plans will
have to be made to change routes and/or add buses to serve new areas.
Presently, the City's bus system cannot serve outside of the city limits due to
Public Utility Commission regulations.
Existing development would normally retain existing utility services (except
for electric power) upon annexation. Services would not change unless a
property redeveloped or the existing service, such as a septic system, failed
and created a public health hazard. As indicated above, when connection is
made to City water and sewer utilities (but not electricity) the appropriate
connection fees will be charged.
The City manages stormwater drainage as a utility. All properties within the
City are billed on a monthly basis for stormwater drainage operation and
maintenance and stormwater capital improvement costs. The purpose of this
monthly fee is to cover the costs to construct, repair, and maintain stormwater
drainage improvements to protect properties from flooding to the level of the
100-year storm. The residential stormwater drainage fees for the Cloverleaf
Mobile Home Park are $5,519 per month based on present calculations.
2. Police Protection.
The City also expands its police protection service to annexed areas. Usually,
this results in a substantial increase in the level of police protection in the form
of improved emergency response times, more frequent patrol service, better
crime prevention and home security inspection programs, and traffic
enforcement.
This is probably the biggest difference between service providers within the
Fort Collins area. The differences are attributed to both the amount of
resources provided and the area of law enforcement jurisdiction. The number
of law enforcement officers per capita is significantly lower for Larimer
County (0.8 officers per 1,000 people) than within the City (1.25 officers per
1,000 people). Most importantly, the County averages 7 patrol units covering
an area of 2, 640 square miles versus 12 patrol units covering 47 square miles.
3. Street Maintenance.
As annexed areas develop or redevelop, streets are required to be constructed
or upgraded to the City's street design standards for safety and maintenance
purposes. These standards include street paving installation requirements, and
the provision of curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and streetlights. According the
UGA Agreement with Larimer County, any new streets built within the UGA
boundary prior to annexation must conform to Larimer County Urban Road
oversizing fee, stormwater drainage fee, parkland fee (for residential develop-
ments only), development application fees, and building permit fees. .
No development fees are assessed on existing development at the time of
annexation. New mobile homes would be required to pay a $25.00 permit fee
per unit at the time it is placed on the property.
Services and Facilities
The City of Fort Collins commits to providing public services and facilities to
newly annexed areas. The various types of services and facilities are
summarized below:
1. Utilities (water, sewer, electric power, storm drainage).
The City would normally provide public utilities - water, sewer, and electricity
- to newly annexed areas and would collect the appropriate development and
user fees for the provision of those utilities. However, within the Fort Collins
Urban Growth Area (UGA) boundary, the City has negotiated "service area
agreements" with other forms of local governments known as Special
Districts. These Special Districts are quasi -municipal corporations created by
a vote of residents within the district boundaries. Several Special Districts
were created in the 1960's to provide water and sewer service to areas outside
the City of Ft. Collins. The service area agreements between the City and
Districts determine which agency can best provide water and sewer service to
certain areas, both inside and outside of the city limits. The exception is
electrical power, which will be provided by the City to all annexed areas.
Conversion from an existing electric utility, either Public Service Company or
Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association (PVREA), to City electric utility
service is done at no cost to the customer. The City offers two (2) residential
electrical rate options, an "Energy Rate" and a "Demand Rate." The City's
"Energy Rate" costs are lower than Public Service Rates. The City's "Demand
Rate" is cheaper than Public Service rates when usage exceeds 700 kWh.
PVREA rates are lower than City rates due to a Colorado law, the Service
Rights Fee Act, which requires former PVREA customers to pay a 25%
surcharge on monthly City electric utility bills for a period of ten years. New
homes constructed within former PVREA territory are required by this law to
pay a 5% surcharge on monthly bills for ten years. The Service Rights Fee
does not apply to any former customers or areas annexed from Public Service
Company territory.
Taxes and Fees
The annexation of new territory can be a source of additional revenue to the
City of Fort Collins. This revenue basically comes from the following
sources:
1. Property Tax.
After annexation, the County Assessor will apply the City's property tax mill
levy to an annexed area and the corresponding increase in taxes, if any, must
be paid. Specifically, the City of Fort Collins' 9.797 property tax mill levy will
be applied to annexed areas. However, upon annexation to Fort Collins, the
9.301 (1993) property tax mill levy for the Poudre Fire Authority will be
eliminated from a property's assessments. Thus, from a property owner's
perspective, the net property tax will increase after annexation by 0.496 mills.
All other tax assessments against a property, such as County taxes, School
District taxes, and any Special District taxes, will remain after annexation.
In addition to the City's property tax mill levy, Fort Collins applies a
stormwater drainage basin fee to each property after annexation. For further
information refer to the Services and Facilities - Utilities section presented
below.
2. Sales and Use Taxes.
Residents annexed into the City will have to begin paying City sales tax on
consumer goods and services, particularly on "larger ticket" items such as
automobiles and appliances. City sales tax is also charged on electric utility
usage.
Properties that receive City utilities after annexation would be charged the
appropriate utility user fee rate for the utilities. In cases where a property was
already receiving City utilities, the utility user rate would decrease since the
City charges higher fees for "Out -of -City" utility services.
3. Development Fees.
New development and redevelopment activities on properties annexed into the
City will have to pay current City development fees where applicable. These
fees could include water and sewer utility plant investment and tap fees, street
Community Planning and Environmental Services
Current Planning
City of Fort Collins
April 2, 2002
Mr. Alex Boggs
80 S. Lake Avenue Suite 719
Pasadena, CA 91101
Dear Alex:
Thanks for taking the time to converse with me about the Cloverleaf Mobile
Home Park.
I appreciate your willingness to discuss the possibility of an annexation
agreement for the older portion of the park similar to the one you signed this
past October governing the recently expanded park. As you will probably
recall from the agreement, the document provides your consent to annex the
property at that point in the future that it becomes contiguous with the City
limits.
This letter provides information about the advantages and disadvantages of
annexing to the City of Fort Collins, some of which I reviewed briefly in our
telephone conversation. I've formatted the document under two major topic
areas: Taxes and Fees, and Facilities and Services
Following annexation, the City will apply its Zoning Ordinance to the area.
New development and redevelopment of existing uses must conform to City
zoning code requirements. Existing uses on properties, which are annexed,
are legal uses and cannot be terminated due to annexation whether or not they
conform to the City's zoning code requirements applied to the property. This
provision includes the keeping of farm animals on properties. Expansions of
or changes to these "legal non -conforming uses" are also possible through the
City's development review and public hearing processes.
281 North College Avenue • PO. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6750 • FAX (970) 416-2020