City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 11, 2018
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Amend Section 4-2-21 (CHANGES IN VIRGINIA STATEWIDE FIRE PREVENTION CODE) of Article B (FIRE PREVENTION) of Chapter 2 (FIRE PROTECTION AND PREVENTION) of Title 4 (PUBLIC SAFETY) of the Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, 1981, as amended. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Passage of an Ordinance to revise the Fire Department Fire Prevention Permit Initial Inspection Fee.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council will hold a public hearing on Saturday, June 23 and second reading and final passage on Saturday, June 23. The new fees will be effective July 1, 2018.
BACKGROUND: This memorandum provides information regarding a proposed Fire Department fee increase for FY 2019. The fee increase is projected to bring in an additional $50,000 in revenue for the City in FY 2019. The new fees will be effective July 1, 2018.
DISCUSSION: This proposed fee increase was included as part of the FY 2019 Adopted Budget and was an item submitted during the Add/Delete process to provide funding for the additional part-time Fire Marshal included in the FY 2019 City Manager’s Proposed Budget. The purpose of adding part-time Fire Marshal staffing was to help the Fire Department reduce the backlog of fire prevention permit inspections. To achieve this funding, staff proposes an increase to the Fire Department Fire Prevention Permit (FPP) Initial Inspection Fee by 5% from $200 to $210, this fee was last increased in FY 2014. The fee increases would narrow the gap between the FY 2019 budgeted cost of services provided and recovery of those costs.
FPP inspections may be required both during the development and post-development phases of a project. FPP inspections may be required during development either at the beginning, end, or throughout the project for processes such as cutting and welding, hot work, asphalt kettles, and the storage and use of hazardous materials including, for example, temporary fuel tanks and propane cylinders on construction sites. FPP inspections required for post development work are normally maintenance-related and are required to maintain a specific use of a building (assembly or educational) or to regulate the storage and use of hazardous materials or hazardous processes.
While the attached ordinance document is voluminous, the only proposed change in it compared to the current ordinance is the Fire Prevention (FPP) Initial Inspections fee line on the first line of page 13 of Attachment 2.
FISCAL IMPACT: Increasing the Fire Department FPP Inspection (initial) fee by $10 is projected to generate approximately $50,000 in additional General Fund revenue each year.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 - Ordinance Cover
Attachment 2 - Ordinance
STAFF:
Laura Triggs, Deputy City Manager
Morgan Routt, Director, Office of Management & Budget
Corey Smedley, Deputy Chief, Fire Department