HomeMy WebLinkAbout029634 RES - 09/18/2012RESOLUTION
Declaring intent to establish a street user fee for implementation in
FY 2013-2014; approving the design concepts for street user fee
rates; and establishing policy relative to establishment of a street
user fee.
WHEREAS, City Council has created a Strategic Goal for a Street Improvement Plan
which includes creating a dedicated funding source; and
WHEREAS, on November 16, 2010 City Council passed Resolution No. 028862
creating a Street Maintenance Finance Ad Hoc Advisory Committee (Committee) to
evaluate funding options for street repair and maintenance and to develop a street
maintenance funding plan; and
WHEREAS, the Committee proposed certain funding options and staff developed a
street maintenance funding plan; and
WHEREAS, City Council must approve a schedule of street user fees; and
WHEREAS, various street user fee policies will affect the calculation of street user fee
revenues and use rates; and
WHEREAS, City staff seeks preliminary guidance on policies to develop a budget
framework; design changes to the City's billing software ("HTE") system; and calculate
the estimates of street user fee revenues and rates,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI,
TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Actions will be taken during Fiscal Year 2013 to establish a street user
fee and associated policies, with an effective date of August 1, 2013.
SECTION 2. The street user fee revenues will be directed to the Special Revenue
Streets Fund.
SECTION 3. The street user fee will be a supplemental source of revenue to be
dedicated solely to street maintenance.
SECTION 4. Steps will be implemented to preserve the level of funding of the Street
Department. Excluding a decrease in General Fund revenues, the Street Fund budget's
percentage relative to the General Fund will neither go below that of Fiscal Year 2013,
nor below its equivalent if General Fund revenues increase.
SECTION 5. Prior to street user fee implementation, staff will develop a street
maintenance budget work plan.
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02.9634
INDEXED
SECTION 6. The City will investigate possibilities and benefits of other funding
mechanisms as additional future sources of funding to reduce the revenue
requirements and rate of the street user fee.
SECTION 7. The basis of service measurement will be to use living area square footage
as recorded by the Nueces County Appraisal District tax records and Trip Factors
derived from trip generation rates published by the Institute of Traffic Engineers.
SECTION 8. Land use designations used to determine the appropriate Trip Factor to be
applied will be based on the Texas Land Use Code classification as recorded by the
Nueces County Appraisal District tax records.
SECTION 9. The City Council finds it reasonable and equitable for the City to assume
that each non -irrigation water meter in the service area serves a user of a benefitted
property. Therefore, a street user fee will be charged to active non -irrigation water
meters.
SECTION 10. The rate design for street user fee charges will be based on the
Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) approach.
SECTION 11. Land use designations will be consolidated into Trip Factor classifications
which then will be applied against the ERU. Staff will explore options with regard to the
number of classifications as well as their associated Trip Factors.
SECTION 12. Residential accounts will be tiered based on living area square footage.
SECTION 13. Staff primarily recommends Non -Residential accounts be capped at
5,000 square feet living area per active water meter. Staff will research alternate
approaches, including exploration of a tiered system and/or alternate and escalating
cap amounts and provide Council with additional recommendations.
SECTION 14. For attached commercial, attached housing, and mobile homes, the
street user fee charge will be billed: (i) to the customer where individually metered; and
(ii) to the property owner where master metered.
SECTION 15. The following properties shall be exempt from the street user fee:
A. City, county, state or federal property
B. Independent school district property
C. Non -metered property
SECTION 16. A person may appeal a street user fee charge as it applies to active water
meter status.
SECTION 17. For any change to a street user fee charge related to a correction to living
area square footage or to a Texas Land Use classification, no adjustment may be made
effective until after the Nueces County Tax Appraisal District has updated its records
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and the updated records have been downloaded into the City's billing system. No
adjustments will apply retroactively.
SECTION 18. No credits will apply to street user fees or charges.
SECTION 19. If a person fails to pay a street user fee charge when due, the City will
take all necessary action and employ all remedies available at law to enforce payment
and collect amounts due, which may include discontinuing utility service and/or placing
a lien on the property.
SECTION 20. Staff will recommend a rate model for Council's approval for
implementation no later than the 4th quarter of this Fiscal Year.
SECTION 21. Staff will revise its street cut policy and create a street cut ordinance for
Council's consideration.
SECTION 22. Staff will investigate options for residential street assessments and
prepare an amendment to the existing street assessment ordinance for Council's
consideration.
SECTION 23. The City Engineer, subsequent to stakeholder input, will develop new
street design standards to meet a 30 year street design life.
SECTION 24. Staff will explore and present Council with options for pursuing a more
aggressive capital improvement program.
SECTION 25. This resolution takes effect immediately upon its passage.
ATTEST:
Armando Chapa
City Secretary
THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI
A9,127,1
Joe dame
Mayor
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Corpus Christi, Texas
of
, 2012
The above resolution was passed by the following vote:
Joe Adame
Chris N. Adler
Kelley Allen
Larry Elizondo, Sr.
Priscilla G. Leal .
David Loeb
John E. Marez
Nelda Martinez
Mark Scott
029634