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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 29, 2000 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: North Chatham Volunteer Fire Department -Amendment to Fire Protection <br />Contract for Damascus and Southern Trian le 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 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 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 2000-2001 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 $15,000 increase in their 2000- <br />2001 funding from Orange County, from $80,000 to $95,000. The County and North Chatham <br />signed the original fire protection agreement in 1992. Since that time, the original contract has <br />been amended three times, to increase the amount from $50,000 to $60,000 far FY 1995-96; <br />$70,000 for FY 1997-98; and to $80,000 for FY 1999-2000. <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 $95,000. <br />About 8-9% of North Chatham's total response calls come from these two districts - 15% of the <br />fire calls and about 4% of the first responder calls. <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 maintaining the current tax rate in both <br />districts at 3.0 cents. The approved FY 2000-01 budget provides for the higher contractual <br />payment to North Chatham, while maintaining the tax rate for taxpayers in Damascus and <br />Southern Triangle at FY 1999-00 levels. <br />