Agenda - 04-17-2013 - Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 The Emergency Services Workgroup discussed all available options for the 1,156 properties located outside of six (6) road miles from the closest fire station located in their fire insurance district. With the new fire stations in the Cane Creek Fire District, over 600 property owners will be provided insurance district coverage and will be located less than six (6) road miles from the nearest Orange Grove Station. The Emergency Services Workgroup recommended the creation of three (3) New Fire Service Districts to overlay and replace three (3) existing Fire Protection Districts. With input from the State Fire Marshal's office, the proposal is to modify existing fire insurance districts and create new Fire Service Districts that are exactly the same as the revised fire insurance districts. The three (3) Fire Services Districts are proposed to be the South Orange Fire Service District, the Southern Triangle Fire Service District and the Greater Chapel Hill Fire Service District. South Orange Fire Service District Attachment 1 shows a detail map of the area and Chapel Hill Fire Station #5 that is less than one (1) mile from the area outlined in gray. Due to the Town of Chapel Hill annexations, the South Orange Fire Insurance District has been split. The Town of Carrboro provides fire protection for the South Orange Fire Insurance District and now has to travel through the Town of Chapel Hill to respond to a fire call off Mt. Carmel Church Road. The Town of Chapel Hill is better positioned and may be willing to provide fire protection for this area in gray. Attachment 2 is a map of the proposed new South Orange Fire Insurance District. The area in gray on Attachment 1 represents 100 parcels and $36,003,769 of real property value. When vehicles and personal property values are added to the real property total, an estimated $37,673,414 of taxable value would be removed from the existing South Orange Fire Insurance District. The existing property valuation for the South Orange Fire Insurance District is $556,977,528, and a reduction of $37,673,414 of taxable value is proposed with a remaining property valuation of $519,304,114. The estimated tax valuation reduction from the existing South Orange Fire Insurance District equals 6.8% of the total. On December 4, 2012 the Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted to approve a resolution to modify the existing South Orange Fire Insurance District. The revised South Orange Insurance District will not include the donut hole in gray on Attachment 1 and the Town will continue to contract to provide fire protection to the proposed new South Orange Fire Insurance District (see Attachment 2), with a new fire tax rate of 10 cents per $100 of real and personal property value. Southern Triangle Fire Service District Orange County has received a letter from North Chatham Volunteer Fire Department indicating that the Department will charge a tax rate of 8.8 cents beginning July 1, 2013. This is the same rate currently charged in Chatham County and a 76% increase over the existing five (5) cents. Included on Attachment 1, in yellow, are 112 homeowners located more than six (6) road miles from the nearest North Chatham Station, but less than three (3) road miles from Chapel Hill Fire Station #5. These homeowners have an insurance rating of 10. Several homeowners in this area have indicated that they cannot get fire insurance or that the rate has more than doubled. The Town of Chapel Hill is better positioned and may be willing to provide fire protection for this area in yellow. The Town of Chapel Hill is a municipal fire department which relies on hydrants as its water source to fight fires. Attachment 3 is a map of the proposed new Greater Chapel Hill Fire Insurance District that includes not only the area proposed to be deleted from South Orange, but also 112 homeowners from Attachment 1 and additional property included in the Southern Triangle Fire District that are served by hydrants. On February 27, 2013 the Chapel Hill Town Council voted unanimously to enter into a service agreement to extend the Town's