Agenda - 04-23-2013 - 5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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15 1 District, the North Chatham Fire Service District and the Greater Chapel Hill Fire Service 2 District; 3 2. To authorize staff to move forward with a five-year contract for the Town of Chapel Hill to 4 provide fire protection for the proposed new Greater Chapel Hill Fire Service District at a 15 5 cent tax levy per one-hundred dollar valuation of real and personal property. (Note: 6 The standard five-year contract does contain the option to terminate with a one-year notice 7 to the parties.); and 8 3. If the Town of Chapel Hill is unwilling to a support a five-year contract and a 15 cent tax 9 levy per one-hundred dollar valuation of real and personal property, for a proposed 10 Greater Chapel Hill Fire Service District, instruct staff to requests that the Town of 11 Carrboro consider a five-year contract to serve the proposed new Fire Service District at a 12 10 cent tax levy per one-hundred dollar valuation of real and personal property. 13 14 Michael Talbert reviewed the background for this item and addressed questions about 15 the three different types of fire districts being dealt with. He said that the first is fire protection 16 districts, which were established by the General Assembly. He noted that there are 12 districts 17 and 10 individual rural fire departments. The second option is a fire service district, which is 18 being considered at this meeting and is also permitted by the General Assembly. He said that 19 the fire protection districts established in the 50's and 60's are virtually impossible to change. 20 He said that the needs of the fire districts and the citizens are changing, and fire service 21 districts are easier to set up and alter, once in place. He noted that the fire protection districts 22 would not go away, but there would no longer be a protection district tax. Instead, the fire 23 service districts would be overlaid and new taxes levied for those service districts. He said that 24 the County is under no obligation to provide fire service at all and could do nothing at all, fund it 25 with the general fund, or keep the districts as established in the past. He said the last option is 26 to establish fire insurance districts, which can be part or all existing fire protection districts and 27 are sent to the NC Department of Insurance State Fire Marshall's Office. He noted that once 28 these are official, the ISO ratings would change. 29 Michael Talbert then referenced the maps and reviewed information from 7-a abstract 30 pages 2-5, which are included below: 31 32 On September 13, 2011 the Board was presented options for changing fire districts to 33 improve insurance ratings for the 1,156 properties located outside of six (6) road miles from the 34 closest fire station located in their fire insurance district. A County Attorney's memorandum 35 dated September 1, 2011 provided a legal opinion for fire protection tax districts, with the 36 available options listed below: 37 1. Realign Fire Insurance District boundaries, without changing Fire Tax Districts. 38 2. Change existing Fire Protection Districts, which would also change the Fire Tax District. 39 3. Establish one or more Fire Service Districts to replace or overlay existing Fire Protection 40 Districts which could also change Fire Tax Districts. 41 42 On March 13, 2012 the Board approved the request from the Orange Grove Fire 43 Department to construct a new fire station #2 that is strategically located in the southeastern 44 part of the Cane Creek Fire District. This newly constructed fire station is providing insurance 45 district coverage for an estimated 400 property owners that were more than six (6) road miles 46 from the Orange Grove Station. The Orange Grove Fire Department is in the planning stages 47 for a new fire station #3 to be strategically located in the western part of the Cane Creek fire 48 district. That new fire station #3 will provide insurance district coverage for an estimated 250 49 property owners currently more than six (6) road miles from the Orange Grove Station.