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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-01-2008-4hORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 1, 2008 Action Agenda Item No. 4 - h SUBJECT: Approval of County and School Capital Project Ordinances DEPARTMENT: Financial Services -Budget PUBLIC HEARING: {YIN) Na ATTACHMENT{S): 1 } Summary of 2008-18 Capital Investment Plan (CIP} Items far Further Discussion 2} Summary -Funded Capital Needs a) County Projects b) Orange County Schools Projects c) Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Projects 3) Fiscal Year 2008-09 County Technology Projects 4} Capital Project Ordinances for Fiscal Year 2008-09 a) County Projects b} Orange County Schools Projects c) Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Projects 5} Summary -Unfunded Capital Needs a) County Projects b) Orange County Schools Projects c) Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Projects 6) April 16, 2008 Memorandum from Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Regarding Elementary #11 INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Coffey, (919} 245-2151 PURPOSE: To consider approval of County and School capital project ordinances for fiscal year 2008-09 and reallocation of $100,000 in 2007-08 approved capital funds to allow for emergency purchase of Animal Control trucks. 2 BACKGROUND: + 2008-18 CIP Activity to Date The Board of County Commissioners received the proposed 2448-18 County and School Capital Investment Plan {CIP) in fall 2447. Since that time, Board members and staff have engaged in a number of CIP related discussions, and the Board has conducted two public hearings related directly to the proposed long-range capital plan. During each work session, Commissioners highlighted specific capital projects and items of interest that they felt needed additional consideration and discussion. Attachment 1, Summary of 2008-~8 Capital Investment Plan (CIP) hems for Further Discussion, summarizes Commissioners' questions, ideas and suggestions for different funding allocations for particular projects. Attachment 1 also provides the Board with target dates for further discussion of the flagged items. Staff plans to use Attachment 1 as a planning tool in preparing the 2449-19 Capital Investment Plan this fall. + Fiscal Year 2008-09 Funded Projects One of the major purposes for pursuing Board approval of the 2448-49 capital budget this spring was in answer to both school districts' request to have their capital budgets in place in early spring. Each year, both school districts have particular capital projects where work needs to occur during the summer months when students are not in class. For the work to begin immediately as school adjourns for summer break, school districts must have Commissioner approved capital project ordinances in place to award the bids for the planned projects. Attachment 2, Summary -Funded Capital Needs, outlines how the County and both school districts plan to allocate their respective 2448-18 pay-as-you-go capital revenues. The CIP is considered a "living plan", meaning that each year, staff and the Board can reassess needs identified in the previous year's plan to determine if future needs remain the same as those outlined in previously approved plans. If needs and priorities change from year-to-year, the Board can make appropriate revisions to previously adaptedlapproved plans to accommodate new priorities and projects. Tonight, staff requests the Board approve each entity's proposed allocation of pay-as-you-go funding for fiscal year 2448-09 by approving the attached capital project ordinances for the County, Chapel Hill Carrboro City and Orange County Schools as presented in Attachment 4 of this agenda abstract and postponing approval of the 2448-18 Capital Investment Plan until fall 2448. This timing would allow schools and County staff to begin soliciting bids far 2448-49 funded projects now and allow mare time for all parties to discuss mare thoroughly the unfunded capital needs and develop funding plans for them. + Items for Consideration in Fall 2008 Including Unfunded Future Projects There are a number of capital items for future consideration by the Board. Staff has identified many of those items on Attachment 1 of this agenda abstract. In addition, there are many unanswered questions about the unfunded County and School capital needs. Examples include exact timing of identified projects, amount of project funding required to complete the projects, results of the upcoming student generation rate report, and the outcome of the May 6 Land Transfer Tax referendum. 3 One of the most pressing unfunded needs identified in the 2008-18 CIP is construction of an eleventh elementary school for the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools. At the April 22, 2008 Joint Commissioners and Boards of Education meeting, Chapel Hill Carrboro School Board of Education and staff shared their views and analysis of timing for Elementary #11 and its impact on the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance {SAPF(~}. A copy of the memorandum is included in this agenda package as Attachment 6. • County Technology Of particular interest to the Board during the mast recent CIP discussion with staff on April 17, was the County's long-range Technology plans. Attachment 3 provides a summary of planned initiatives for the upcoming 2008-09 fiscal year. Staff plans to bring an updated County Technology Strategic Plan to the Board later this summer. Future initiatives outlined in the upcoming Strategic Plan will serve as a guide for future County technology initiatives to be included for funding in the 2009-19 CIP next fall. • Tentative Projects Planned for Debt Issuance in Summer 2008 Attachment 2, Summary of Funded Cap~fal Needs, provides summary information related to projects planned for debt funding during the upcoming summer months. In summary, the projects are: Tentative Projects Planned for Debt Issuance, Summer 2008 Project Tentative Proposed Debt Funding Animal Services Facili $8,000,000 Remainin 2001 Voter roved Pro'ects Greenwa s Develo ment $575,000 Lands Legacy $1,750,000 Homestead Aquatics Center $3,500,000 Affordable Housing (not a capital project) $1,400,000 Total Tentative Projects Planned for Debt Issuance, Summer 2008 $15,225,000 As a practice, staff requests Board approval of debt funded capital project ordinances in conjunction with the Board's actions associated with approval of debt issuance; therefore, staff will prepare capital project ordinances for the projects outlined in the chart far a later agenda based on the debt issuance timeline. As a point of reference, staff plans to update the Board regarding the Animal Services Facility, including projected construction costs, before the end of the 2007-08 fiscal year. It is also important to note that, based on current timelines prepared by the County Engineer, debt funding for completion of Efland Sewer Phase II will not likely be needed until winter/spring 2009. In addition, all previously approved debt issuances related to school projects were completed prior to the current fiscal year. 4 • Reallocation of Fiscal Year 2007-08 Capital Funds to Allow Emergency Purchase of Animal Control Trucks fiver the last week, Animal Services staff has made the Manager aware of a potentially dangerous situation regarding the County's animal containment transportation boxes. Pursuant to the Transportation Standards of the NC Animal Welfare Act, "ambient temperature of the animal boxes shall be maintained between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit." In order to comply with the regulation, "animal containment units must be equipped with operable air-conditioning, forced-air cooling and heating or other appropriate temperature control mechanisms." Orange County currently has six Animal Control trucks equipped with forced air containment boxes. The forced air is not conditioned. Animal Services staff have performed numerous temperature tests on high heat days and found the present forced air boxes inadequate to meet State standards. Staff proposes atwo-year Animal Control truck replacement plan, beginning with a reallocation of capital funding approved in the current fiscal year. Purchasing staff have researched and found 2008 state contract vehicles are still available for purchase. The Manager will consider replacement of the remaining three trucks in the 2009-19 CI P. Staff feels it imperative to pursue replacement of three vehicles immediately before the summer months arrive. This will allow Animal Control to stage compliant vehicles at strategic points throughout the County and ensure that three compliant vehicles are available at all times for animal transportation. The County can purchase 2008 model year pickups through the North Carolina State Contract until May 19, 2008. The trucks have an estimated delivery time of ten to twelve weeks, and the cost is $15,284 each for a total of $45,852 for three. The containment transportation boxes will be purchased from and installed by a separate vendor at a cost to be determined -staff anticipates the costs of the boxes will range between $14,000 and $19,000 each. Staff anticipates the cost of the boxes to be derived through one of the following means: • Informal bids • GSA contract • "Piggyback" a bid done by another local government The anticipated cost of the transportation boxes exceeds the Purchasing Director's purchase order signature limit of $20,000. In order to expedite the acquisition of the boxes and get the new units on the street, staff would like the board to authorize the Purchasing Director to determine whichever method above is the most advantageous to the County and execute the necessary paperwork. If "piggybacking" is the best alternative for the county, staff will prepare the necessary decision agenda item for a regular Board meeting prior to the end of the current fiscal year. Based on the cost information above, staff anticipates replacement of three trucks and installation of associated carriers to be in the neighborhood of $100,000. The Manager recommends borrowing monies from two existing County capital projects -Building Entry Access ($75,000} and Capital Repairs/Replacement Reserve ($25,000) - to fund the replacement trucks. When originally allocated, funding for the Building Entry Access project was to include a pilot project far an access system at Whitted Human Services Center. Given the proposed near future move of Department of Social Services staff and potential move of the Health Department i staff in a few years, staff will explore alternatives for this project. Staff will update the Board on their findings this fall. Should the Board approve the funding reallocation plan, staff will prepare the necessary capital project ordinance amendment for the May 20, 2008 regular meeting to allow for the purchase and equipping of the three Animal Control replacement trucks. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Available County and Schools' pay-as-you-go capital funding for fiscal year 2008-09 totals $8,905,534. Attachment 1 of this agenda item provides a summary of how capital partners plan to allocate their respective share of next fiscal year's pay-as-you-go capital dollars. For the ten-year capital-planning period, funded projects for all partners total $205.8 million while unfunded projects total $305.1 million. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board of County Commissioners: 1. Approve of County and School capital project ordinances for fiscal year 2008-09; 2. Approve the reallocation of approved 2007-08 capital funds to allow for the emergency purchase of three Animal Control trucks; 3. Authorize the Purchasing Director to determine the most advantageous purchasing mechanism to purchase the transportation containment boxes and execute the necessary paperwork; 4. Direct the Budget Director to prepare capital project ordinance amendments to allow for the reallocation of funds from Building Entry Access and Capital RepairslReplacement Reserve Capital Projects to allow for the purchase of the Animal Control trucks; 5. Direct staff to prepare the 2009-19 Capital Investment Plan (CIP} incorporating items outlined on Attachment 1 of this agenda abstract; the outcome of the May 6 Land Transfer Tax referendum; and other updated capital related revenues in fall 2008.