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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 21, 1999 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 8:�Yyl <br />SUBJECT: North Chatham Volunteer Fire Department — Amendment to Fire Protection <br />Contract for Damascus and Southern Triangle Fire Districts <br />DEPARTMENT: Emergency Management PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Amendment to Contract <br />1992 Contract <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Nick Waters or Mike Tapp, ext 3030 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough <br />732 -8181 <br />Chapel Hill <br />968 -4501 <br />Durham <br />688 -7331 <br />Mebane <br />336- 227 -2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider amending the contract between the County of Orange and the North <br />Chatham Volunteer Fire Department for an increase in the 1999 -2000 budget for fire protection <br />services in the Damascus and Southern Triangle Fire Districts. <br />BACKGROUND: North Chatham VFD provides emergency response to the Damascus and <br />Southern Triangle Fire Districts located in southern Orange County. Due to the growth in the <br />two districts, especially in the Southern Triangle District, the demands for fire and EMS <br />coverage have increased. The department has requested a $10,000 increase in their 1999- <br />2000 funding from Orange County, from $70,000 to $80,000. The County and North Chatham <br />signed the original fire protection agreement in 1992. Since that time, the original contract has <br />been amended twice, to increase the amount from $50,000 to $60,000 for FY 1995 -96; and to <br />$70,000 for FY 1997 -98. <br />The North Chatham VFD budget has increased substantially in recent years, as the department <br />has experienced the need to add staff to provide 24 hour paid coverage to supplement the <br />volunteers. The share of the North Chatham budget paid by tax revenue from the Damascus <br />and Southern Triangle districts has dropped from about 12 -15% when the contract was <br />undertaken in 1992, to about 10 - 11% with the proposed new contract amount of $80,000. <br />About 8 -10% of North Chatham's response calls come from these two districts. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: As a result primarily of strong tax base growth in these tax districts, the <br />increased contractual payment can be made while reducing the current tax rate in both districts <br />from 3.3 cents to 3.0 cents. The Manager's recommended budget for 1999 -2000 includes both <br />the higher contractual payment to North Chatham and the lower tax rate for taxpayers in <br />Damascus and Southern Triangle. <br />