TOWN OF SEWALL S POINT

Transcription

1 TOWN OF SEWALL S POINT PAMELA MAC KIE WALKER Town Manager TO: FROM: Town of Sewall s Point Commission Pamela Mac Kie Walker, Town Manager SUBJECT: Agenda Item 3 Capital Projects and Annual Workplan Town Commission Workshop, December 9, 2014 Background: In order to facilitate a discussion regarding the work to be undertaken by staff in the current fiscal year, and as part of a long-range planning effort, staff has reviewed the financial position of the Town and worked with the Town Engineer to offer the following information for the Commission s consideration: Financial Status: Based on previous Commission direction, the Town s reserve balances have been designated as follows: FY 2013 Reserve Balance $2,520, Reserve Transfer $115,000 Budgeted Transfer $232,348 Available Reserve Balance $2,172,652 Disaster Reserve $1,000,000 Operating Reserve $575,000 Police Radio Reserve $40,000 Capital Reserve $550,000 Balance (Undesignated) $7,652 The $550,000 in Capital Reserve is a carryforward of unexpended capital funds from the Fiscal Year budget. There is no line item in the current FY budget to replenish the Capital Reserve Funds after their expenditure. After numerous meetings with the Town Engineer, the following list of priority projects and their estimated costs was developed in addition to those already budgeted for the current fiscal year. The annual details can be reviewed at the meeting, with the 5-year summary as follows:

2 2 RECOMMENDED PLAN: Right of Way Map Storm Water System Repairs & Maintenance Street Repaving & Repair Street Lights & Signs Bridges & Seawalls $20,000 $279,000 $1,175,000 Park Improvements & Maintenance Landscape Capital & Tree Maintenance Town Hall Maintenance and Equipment Eight Vehicles (6 PD, 1 BO, 1 M) $45,000 $30,000 $175,000 Total Expenditures in 5 years over current budgeted $2,178,000 The total cost of the prioritized projects over five years is approximately $2.2 Million, averaging $440,000 per year. While the Town has funding available for the first year of the plan, nearly half of the recommended plan could not be funded in the second year at the current rate of taxation. RECOMMENDED PLAN Budgeted Proposed Additional Annual Capital Improvement Plan Needs $234,000 $271,500 $447,500 $577,500 $452,500 $195,000 Available Funds (Shortfall) $550,000 $278,500 ($169,000) ($746,500) ($1,199,000) ($1,394,000) In an effort to facilitate the discussion, an alternate plan is provided, reducing (delaying) spending by approximately $1 million by reducing stormwater system maintenance to half the recommended level; reducing the funding for road improvements and segmenting the re-paving of South Sewall s Point Road over a longer period of time; and reducing the bridge and seawall maintenance to half the recommended levels. The annual details of the Reduced Plan can be reviewed at the meeting, with the 5-year summary as follows:

3 3 REDUCED PLAN Right of Way Map Storm Water System Repairs & Maintenance Street Repaving & Repair Street Lights & Signs Bridges & Seawalls Park Improvements & Maintenance Landscape Capital & Tree Maintenance Town Hall Maintenance and Equipment Eight Vehicles (6 PD, 1 BO, 1 M) Annual Expenditures $20,000 $96,500 $485,000 $45,000 $30,000 $175,000 $1,255,500 At current taxing levels, the Reduced Plan could be funded for an additional year (through FY 2016), but would be in the red for 2017 by $150,000. Funding of the Reduced Plan could be attained for an additional year with a millage rate of 2.8, with a millage rate of 3.05 needed to fund the Reduced Plan through 2019 at present property values and with no new revenues. Staff respectfully advises, however, that the Reduced Plan is short-sighted and will not be adequate to maintain the value of the Town in the long-term. REDUCED PLAN Budgeted Proposed Additional Annual Capital Improvement Plan Needs $234,000 $271,500 $150,000 $280,000 $155,000 $165,000 Available Funds (Shortfall) $550,000 $278,500 $128,500 ($151,500) ($306,500) ($471,500) Staff is equipping the dais with limited access to computer monitors for the workshop to facilitate a sleeves rolled-up working session where different scenarios can be evaluated by the Commission as the annual work plan and long-term capital plan are evaluated. For those of you who may wish to run the numbers yourselves, I have attached to the Commission packet the excel spreadsheet from which we will work on Tuesday. Recommendation: Staff respectfully recommends that the Commission review the recommended projects and direct staff regarding the prioritization of expenditures. As always, I would welcome the opportunity for a one-on-one discussion of these issues at your convenience.

4 TOWN OF SEWALL S POINT PAMELA MAC KIE WALKER Town Manager TO: FROM: Town of Sewall s Point Commission Pamela Mac Kie Walker, Town Manager SUBJECT: Agenda Item 4 Introduction of Flood Map Ordinance Town Commission Workshop, December 9, 2014 Background: As you are aware, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been in the process of revising the flood elevation maps for Martin County over the last several years. As these maps near finalization, the federal government also requires the Town to adopt revisions to the building code to reflect the changes. The purpose of this discussion is not to address the maps themselves, which will be presented in January. Staff offers, however, the Town Engineer s general assessment that after the significant efforts expended on behalf of the Town, the resulting maps have an impact that is not hugely significant. While individual properties have been affected, the primary change to the Town s maps is one of nomenclature and education. This will be addressed at the January workshop. The direction staff seeks at the December workshop relates to the concomitant ordinance requirement. The current restrictions of the Town exceed the minimum standards required by FEMA, and staff has presumed that no reduction in those standards is warranted. Additional strictures could, however, be in the public interest and are offered for your consideration. As you are aware, the Town presently receives a 15% discount in flood insurance premium rates as a result of the extensive program implemented to reduce flood impacts. This discount is calculated via a point system that is reviewed annually and audited every five (5) years. We are nearing the completion of our 5-year audit and awaiting confirmation that the 15% discount will be continued, but staff has been disappointed to learn that activities that previously generated significant points toward the discount have a diminished value in the current audit. We find ourselves, therefore, looking for additional activities that will generate points toward the discounted premium rates. More importantly, these points are awarded because they reflect the implementation of good public policy. Recommendation: Staff seeks Commission direction for the following policy issues. Direction to include these issues in the drafted ordinance is not interpreted as support for the change but merely support for further exploration of the concept and inclusion in a proposed, draft ordinance to be workshopped in January and adopted in February. Staff recommends the following additional restrictions be included in the draft ordinance: 1. Require recordation of a deed restriction reflecting the current code requirement that no habitable space be constructed below the base flood elevation; 2. Increase the freeboard minimum from one (1) foot to three (3) feet above the base flood elevation;

5 2 3. Designate the AE zone as a Coastal A Zone, thereby imposing the building restriction of the V Zone to that area; 4. Expand the 50% Rule to cover a five (5) year period instead of one year, limiting the percentage of improvements to properties in the flood zone to 50% of their value every 5 years instead of 50% of their value every year; and 5. Require properties experiencing a third Repetitive Flood Loss in a 20-year period to floodproof their properties by bringing them into compliance with current codes. Staff recognizes that these are significant public policy issues that require careful and thorough examination. The goal of each change is to reduce the impacts of flood damage to the Town at large, which is good public policy. The direct benefit to Town residents affected by the changes is the continuation of the flood premium discount program through allocation of additional points in the FEMA system. At the risk of oversimplifying a complex issue, I offer my personal checklist of pros and cons for your consideration to begin the discussion: Recommendation Pro Con 1. Require recordation of a deed restriction reflecting the current code requirement that no habitable space be constructed below the base flood elevation; 2. Increase the freeboard minimum from one (1) foot to two (2) or three (3) feet above the base flood elevation (depending on the orientation of construction to wave action) 3. Designate the AE zone as a Coastal A Zone, thereby imposing the building restriction of the V Zone to that area; 4. Expand the 50% Rule to cover a five (5) year period instead of one year, limiting the percentage of improvements to properties in the flood zone to 50% of their value every 5 years instead of 50% of their value every year; and 5. Require properties experiencing a third Repetitive Flood Loss in a 20-year period to flood-proof their properties by bringing them into compliance with current codes. Notice to future buyers reduces confusion about permittability and strengthens enforcement Provides offset for significant non-conforming conditions (fill) as enhancement to confidence in wave action prediction calculations measuring potential storm impacts to Town. Nearly 60% of Town's flood losses have occurred in the AE zone, indicating a need for stricter construction requirements there. Reduces the pattern of multiple-year 49% home improvements that cause a property to perpetually remain in non-compliance and avoid flood protection construction standards Eliminate the practice of property owners' receiving FEMA funds for damages but not use those funds to bring their properties into flood law compliance, even after multiple losses. Possible ceiling height limitations in 2-story homes in order to comply with height restrictions Stricter (more expensive) construction requirements matching the V-zone, i.e., no fill Newer homes built in compliance with previous rules would have to be elevated in order to be significantly renovated. Requires properties experiencing three significant flood losses (25%+ of value) to bring them into compliance.