Title
Consider adopting Ordinance No. 3522 amending the Farmers Branch Code of Ordinances, Appendix A - Fee Schedule relative to fees for Meeting Rooms and City Facilities; Animal Control, Emergency Services, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Prevention and Protection, Parks and Recreation user, rental and related fees; Sanitary Sewer System, Application and Service Rates and Billing Procedure, “Water Service Rates and Sewer Rates; amending Section 38-38 by amending the International Fire Code to add Inspection fees; amending Section 86-161(b)(1) relation to wastewater discharge permit requirements; and take appropriate action.
Body
BACKGROUND:
Ordinance No. 3522 has been prepared to consolidate all of the proposed changes to Appendix A for FY 18/19: new and adjusted fees. The only fee adjustment not included is the change to the municipal drainage utility charges since the state requires a public hearing process before they can be adjusted; this fee will be brought before Council on October 1st. All proposed fees are generally comparable to those charged for similar services in neighboring cities and are necessary to defray the rising costs associated with providing these services. Please note that the costs associated with water purchased from Dallas Water Utilities are 75% fixed and sewer treatment costs from the Trinity River Authority are 100% fixed - whether or not Farmers Branch uses a single drop of water.
DISCUSSION:
Water & Sewer
City Administration has reviewed the City’s current water and sewer rate structure and has determined that it is not sufficient to address annual operating, capital and reserve requirements. The proposed budget contains a water and sewer rate increase of 6%. These adjustments are included in revenue projections and are necessary to help offset increases by the Trinity River Authority for wastewater disposal, to maintain the financial stability of the Water & Sewer Fund, and to improve the City’s sanitary sewer system. The monthly utility bill of an average residential customer with 6,000 gallons of water consumption, considering both the water and sewer rate change, will increase from $73.20 to $77.59 for a change of $4.39 per month.
Room Rentals
The room rental fees were updated to align all facilities with publicly available rooms for rent under one, enterprise-level policy. New fees were created for the Library, Senior Center, City Hall, and Fire Administration while fees were updated for the Recreation Center and Aquatics Center. The fee structures are reflective of rates charges by other cities in our region with similar facilities. The first rental for The HUB in City Hall is scheduled for October.
In total, the City now has the capacity to rent 17 unique spaces across multiple City facilities.
• Aquatics Center: 1 room, 500 sq. ft., 40 capacity
• City Hall: 3 rooms, 1,500 sq. ft., 150 capacity
• Fire Administration: 1 room, 1,000 sq. ft., 50 capacity
• Library: 2 rooms, 2,067 sq. ft., 124 capacity
• Recreation Center: 5 rooms, 6,725 sq. ft., 440 capacity
• Senior Center: 5 rooms, 8,328 sq. ft., 425 capacity
Animal Services
Animal Services includes new fees and updated fees to better align fees to the services we provide while maintaining parity with market conditions. Major changes include a tiered system for animals that are impounded once and charging for Unsterilized Animal, Rabies Vaccination, and Surgical Sterilization.
Ambulance
Increasing ambulance transport rates will bring additional reimbursement to the City of Farmers Branch, but will not increase fees beyond our costs or raise the rates for residents beyond those charged by neighboring jurisdictions. The intent is to ensure that the rates cover a portion of rising costs and the related activities in the collection of those fees.
The City currently charges the following emergency ambulance service fees:
|
Service |
Resident |
Non-Resident |
|
Basic Life Support |
$650 |
$725 |
|
Advanced Life Support, Level 1 |
$650 |
$725 |
|
Advanced Life Support, Level 2 |
$800 |
$875 |
|
Mileage charge for transport from nearest City limit to any hospital outside of the City. One (1) mile charge for transport to any hospital within the City. |
$15 |
$15 |
|
Basic Life Support Supplies |
$150 |
$150 |
|
Advanced Life Support Supplies, Level 1 & 2 |
$200 |
$200 |
|
Oxygen, Any Level |
$100 |
$100 |
City Administration proposes an increase in rates to:
|
Service Resident/Non-Resident |
|
|
|
Basic Life Support |
$725 |
$950 |
|
Advanced Life Support, Level 1 |
$750 |
$1,050 |
|
Advanced Life Support, Level 2 |
$825 |
$1,125 |
|
Mileage charge for transport from nearest City limit to any hospital outside of the City. One (1) mile charge for transport to any hospital within the City. |
$15 |
$15 |
|
Basic Life Support Supplies |
$200 |
$200 |
|
Advanced Life Support Supplies, Level 1 & 2 |
$300 |
$300 |
|
Oxygen, Any Level |
$150 |
$150 |
These increased rates are projected to increase ambulance fee revenues by approximately $30,000-$35,000 and are consistent with fees currently charged by area cities.
Fire Prevention
A new Fire Inspection fee program is being implemented. Cities including Lewisville and
Plano have this type of program to help offset their costs. It is hoped to use this new revenue stream to be able to annually inspect 100% of our City’s commercial buildings.
Parks & Recreation
The City charges fees for a variety of different services. The Parks & Recreation Department proposes the following changes to fees resulting in a $153,752 increase in revenue. Major changes include:
|
Fees Charged |
2017-18 |
2018-19 |
|
Athletic game field rentals |
$150/day |
$250/day |
|
Local tournament fee |
$0 |
$250 field/day |
|
Senior center membership fee |
$0 |
Resident $25/yr; Nonresident $50/yr |
|
Christmas Tea |
$25 |
Friends of the Historical Park $30; all others $40 |
|
Summer Funshine Program |
Resident $60/wk; Nonresident $140/wk |
$95/wk; $150/wk |
Utilities
The change if the fee for a “5-year Permit application fee for discharge of industrial waste into public sewer” is moving from $600 to $2,000. This is a pass-through cost from the TRA.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended motion by City Administration that the City Council adopt Ordinance No. 3522 amending the Farmers Branch Code of Ordinances, Appendix A - Fee Schedule relative to water and sewer service rates and drainage utility fees.
POSSIBLE COUNCIL ACTION:
1. I move to approve Ordinance No. 3522, as presented.
2. I move to approve Ordinance No. 3522, with modifications.
3. I move to table the issue for further study or take no action.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Ordinance No. 3522
2. Appendix A - 18-19