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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06111985 - IO.3 D� BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Costa DATE: JUNE 11 , 1985 County SUBJECT:Authorization to Impose a Development Fee for Fire Facilities SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS• 1 . Direct the County Counsel and the Director of Community Development to develop the most appropriate mechanism (either General Plan amendment or specific plan) which will require that new developments - insure that adequate fire protection facilities are established as a basis for granting development entitlements and for finding a project in conformity with the County General Plan. In connection with this recommendation, provide the Board of Supervisors with several alternative sets of language to consider as soon as possible. 2. Direct the County Administrator, the County Counsel, and Director of Community Development to develop and present to the Board of Supervisors any necessary fee ordinances to implement the above General Plan amendment . This ordinance should be developed in such a way that it can be implemented selectively as soon as possible for various geographic areas of the County and at various fee levels, depending on the fire facility needs in the area and the level of development which is occurring. 3. Direct the County Administrator to work with the fire districts and cities to develop a consensus on how and when such a fire facilities ' fee will be implemented in a _given fire district by coordinated imposition of a fee by the County and the cities in those districts where the level of development and the capital needs of the fire district indicate a need for such a fee. 4. Direct the County Administrator to work with the cities and the fire districts on such related funding issues as the need for city redevelopment agencies to pass through funds to fire districts to provide additional financial support to the fire districts for protection of the additional development which is occurring within redevelopment areas, but for which the fire districts receive no additional property tax revenue. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDA N OF BOARD COMMITTEE X APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S) Tom akson T m ewer ACTION OF BOARD ON June 1] .- 1985 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AYES: NOES: AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN ABSENT: ABSTAIN: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. County Administrator CC: County Counsel ATTESTED i Community D@Ve10Dment Director PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR M882/7-83 BY od4va, ' DEPUTY Development Fee for Fire Districts Page 2 5. Direct the County Administrator to consider the need to provide additional staff resources for dealing with fire district issues by funding one position from the Special District Augmentation Fund during the 1985-1986 fiscal year. BACKGROUND: On March 26, 1985, the Board directed staff to develop an amendment to the County General Plan which would require as a condition of future development that adequate fire protection facilities be assured. On June 10, 1985, our Committee met with the County Counsel, Director of Community Development, staff from the County Administrator' s Office, and representatives from the Riverview, Moraga, and Consolidated Fire Districts to require proposed General Plan language. The adoption of either a General Plan amendment, or specific plan, is necessary in order for the County to be able to impose a fee on new developments for fire facilities needed to serve the new development, or to otherwise assure that the affected fire districts' capital needs are met. Because most development is occurring within incorporated cities, it is important that cities be an integral part of any planning for such fire facilities and their financing. County Counsel noted that cities already have authority to impose a "bedroom tax" to pay for such facilities. However, in some cases, cities are understandably reluctant to impose such a tax unless the County and other nearby cities impose a similar tax. Our Committee believes that it is important to carefully plan for the development and financing of the capital needs of the fire districts. The cities within a given fire district need to be aware of the fire districts ' capital needs. A cooperative process involving the County, the fire district, and the cities then needs to determine how those needs will be met. The most pressing current need appears to be in East County. The above recommendations could well use East County as a pilot project to test the feasibilityof such a coordinated approach to the financing of fire districts ' capital needs. Of course, in areas of the County where little new development is occurring, other financing mechanisms may have to be relied on. However, such action to amend the General Plan, or adopt a specific plan, is necessary in order for the County to impose such a fee. Our Committee believes that the Board should move ahead immediately to put the most appropriate mechanism in place to achieve this capability. Additional discussions with cities are also needed in order to address the situation of redevelopment agencies which are creating new development, but are not sharing any of the increased property tax increment with their fire district. We believe this coordination may require more staff in the County Administrator' s Office dedicated solely to dealing with fire district issues and to coordinating the County' s interests with the fire districts and the cities.