TITLE: Title
Use of South Orange Fire District Fund Balance
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to seek Board of Alderman approval for the Town Manager to request use of the South Orange Fire District Fund Balance to purchase a Command Staff Vehicle.
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DEPARTMENT: Fire-Rescue Department
CONTACT INFORMATION: Susanna Schmitt Williams, Fire Chief
919.918.7349
swilliams@townofcarrboro.org
INFORMATION: Orange County contracts with Carrboro Fire-Rescue to provide fire, rescue, and EMS services to the South Orange Fire District (SOFD). In addition to the fire tax revenue paid from the SOFD to the Town of Carrboro, each year fund balance accumulates when a district exceeds anticipated County revenues.
The district may use accumulated fund balance for several reasons - purchase of vehicles, equipment, or to avoid increasing the district’s property tax rate.
Fund balance is calculated each year on June 30. As of June 30, 2017, the available fund balance for the SOFD was $171,888.
Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department has identified that the current Brush Truck does not meet the needs of the department and has not been utilized for its intended purpose. Over the last seven years the truck has only been utilized on average 83 times per year and most use has not been as a brush truck. In the last seven years it has been utilized as a brush truck 35 times or an average of five times a year. Most uses are as a service vehicle to supplement response calls and its 4x4 capabilities during inclement weather for the ToC and SOFD.
As a result of non-use of the diesel engine, Brush 1 has experienced extensive and expensive maintenance issues placing it out of service for extended periods of time. Gasoline engines are more conducive to periods of standby. The Brush Truck is not serving the Town or SOFD in the proper manner. The department would like to utilize the SOFD fund balance purchase a replacement 4x4 SUV better suited to meet the needs of the Town and SOFD. The intended use will be as a command staff vehicle. The current command staff vehicle will be repurposed as a service truck (needed per ISO requirements). All command staff vehicles are 4x4 SUVs and are utilized extensively during inclement weather to protect the larger apparatus.
The amount requested to utilize for the vehicle purchase is $48,000.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: Fiscal impacts - potential reduction in vehicle maintenance costs and fuel costs. Gasoline engines are better suited to periods of standby and therefore the new vehicle will not experience the past issues the Brush Truck diesel engine has. Gasoline engines are also more fuel efficient than diesel.
Staff impacts - efficiencies in service delivery in having a vehicle better suited to the needs of the Town and SOFD. When at full staffing the vehicle can be utilized to respond to medical emergencies thus extending the life of the larger apparatus. The new vehicle can transport additional personnel to mutual aid where only personnel are needed instead of taking larger apparatus. Personnel can utilize a command staff vehicle to carpool attend trainings outside of ToC thus reducing carbon footprint from multiple vehicles.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends the Board of Alderman approve the request authorizing the Town Manager to make the request to Orange County for the use of the fund balance to purchase a 4x4 SUV to be used by command staff at a cost of no more than $48,000.