Agenda - 03-24-2003 - 8l - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 24, 2003 Action Ageea Item No.~i _ SUBJECT: Request to Appropriate Eno Fire Department's Fund Balance for Land Acquisition DEPARTMENT: Budget PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT (S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Attachment 1. Eno Fire Department Letter Donna Dean 245-2151 of Request Attachment 2. Map of Property Recently TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Acquired by Eno Fire Hillsborough 732-8181 Department Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To approve a request from the Eno Fire Department Board of Directors to appropriate the District's County-held fund balance to offset costs of property acquisition. BACKGROUND: The Eno Fire Department Board of Directors recently submitted a request to appropriate the district's County-held fund balance to offset property acquisition costs. The property was purchased with the intent of constructing a second fire station in the district. Members of the Board of Directors consulted with staff from the County's Planning Department before finalizing the purchase to ensure that the land was suitable for location of a station. Since 1998-99, the Board of Directors has indicated in its annual budget submissions that one of the department's goals is to construct a second station to better serve residents of the northern end of the district. Several years ago, in anticipation of the need for a future station, the Department established a capital reserve account and each year has set aside a portion of its property tax revenues in the reserve account. This is quite similar to the County's pay-as-you- go approach for some capital projects. In late 2002, the fire department's Board of Directors agreed to purchase 5.49 acres of land near the intersection of Pleasant Green Road and St. Mary's Road (see Attachment 2) for approximately $103,000 including surveys, attorney and recording fees. The transaction occurred in late December 2002. Funds identified for the purchase included the department's capital reserve account- along with the District's fund balance held by the County. Over the-past few years, the District has accumulated approximately $32,621 in its County held fund balance with intentions of using those funds to offset costs of the property. The district paid the remaining costs, $70,379, from its capital reserve account. It is important to note that the current station, located near the intersection of Highway 70 and Pleasant Green Road between Hillsborough and Durham, is located more than five road miles