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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 16922-05-2006Ordinance No. 16922-05-2006 AN ORDINANCE INCREASING APPROPRIATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT INSPECTIONS FUND IN THE AMOUNT OF $89,388 BASED ON INCREASED RI=VENUE FROM GAS WELL FEES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF FUNDING TWO ADDITIONAL GAS WELL INSPECTOR, AN OFFICE ASSISTANT II AND TWO TRUCKS FOR THE GAS WELL DRILLING PROGRAM; PROVIDING FOR A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; MAKING THIS ORDINANCE CUMULATIVE OF PRIOR ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS: SECTION 1. That in addition to those amounts allocated to the various City departments for Fiscal Year 2005- 2006 in the Budget of the City Manager, there shall also be increased estimated receipts and appropriations in the bevelopment Inspections Fund in the amount of $89,388 based an increased revenue from Gas- Well fees, for the purpose of funding one additional Gas Well Inspector and one truck for the Gas Well Drilling Program, SECTION 2. That should any portion, section or part of a section of this ordinance be declared invalid, inoperative or void for any reason by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision, opinion ar judgment shall in no way impair the remaining portions, sections, or parts of sections of this ordinance, which said remaining provisions shall be and remain in full farce and effect. SI=CTION 3. Tllat this ordinance shall be cumulative of Ordinance No. 16582 and all other ordinances and appropriations amending the same except in those instances where the provisions of this ordinance are in direct conflict with such other ordinances and appropriations, in which instance said conflicting provisions of said prior ordinances and appropriations are hereby expressly repealed. SECTION A~. This ordinance shall take effect upon adoption. A ROVEb A TO FORM AND LEGALITY: ~`` t~ stant City A torney ADOPTED AND EFFECTIVE: May 2, 2006 City ®f Fart U~/c~l~, T°~~'~S ~' 1°1 l~ r1 I ~ ~°~1 X11 ell COUNCIL ACTION: Approved on 5/2/2006 -Ordinance No. 16922-05-2006 (DATE: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 LOG NAME: 06GA5 INSPECTOR REFERENCE NO.: G-15'180 SUE~JECT: Adopt Supplemental Appropriation Ordinance #o Fund Additional Gas Well Inspectors, Clerical Staff and Equipment for fihe Development Department RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached supplemental appropriation ordinance increasing estimated receipts by $89,388 and increasing the FY2006 General Fund appropriations by the same amount in order to hire a two additional inspectors, an Office Assistant Il, and two trucks for the Gas Well ©rilling Program. DISCUSSION: The Gas Drilling Task Force has been meeting since December 8, 2005 in order to evaluate current ordinances relating to gas well drilling in the City of Fort Worth. The purpose of the group is to recommend policies that strike a balance between the rights of surface property owners and mineral right owners, particularly in residential areas. These meetings have become necessary due to the growth from approximately 57 wells prior to 2002 primarily in rural areas to approximately 664 wells in Fort Worth as of this year. At the current pace, the City could be home to 1,164 wells by the end of 2010. The City Council was briefed on the findings of the Gas ©rilling Task Force on April 4, 2006. Public hearings are scheduled and the final ordinance will be presented to the City Council in late May or early June. One of the recommendations of the Task Force is to increase the number of gas well inspectors to enforce existing policies. Currently, the inspectors are primarily responding to new installations and complaints instead of providing annual inspections and routine oversight. Staff recommends the appropriation of funds to begin to address this issue immediately. These funds will support two inspectors, two trucks, an Office Assistant I! and operating casts for the remainder of this fiscal year. A decision package will be included for full-funding in the City Manager's Proposed Budget for FY2007. Each well requires 14.25 hours annually for proper monitoring. This staffing increase is expected to achieve appropriate enforcement of the current and proposed ordinance requirements. Staff will be evaluating the fee structure for gas wells to ensure that it is sufFicient to cover the cost of appropriate inspection levels and overhead. Currently, the City collects cone-time fee of $1,500 per drilling application. On October 5, 2004, (M&C G-14527) the City Council authorized the collection of a $200 annual fee for all actively-producing wells. However, this fee is not currently being assessed due to incomplete data on existing wells, resulting in a potential loss of up to $132,800 annually. Therefore, the costs associated with the additional staff will be offset by additional revenue. Logname: 06GAS INSPECTOR Page 1 of 2 FlSCAt INFORMATIONICERTtFICATION: The Finance Director certifies that upon appravai of the above recommendations and the, adoption of the supplemental appropriation ordinance, funds will be available in the current operating budget, as appropriated, of the General Fund. TO FundlAccountlCenters FROM FundlAecountlCenters GG01 421492 0061000 $89 388.00 GG01 51XXXX 006500D _ 39 388.OE} GG01 522030 D65DDD X6.000.00 GG01 541360 0065000 $44,DDD.DD Suhra~itted for Cif Ma__nacaer's Office bv: Dale Fisseler (6266} Origina_tinc~ [3epartment Head: Bob Riley {8901} Additiona9 Cnforrnation Contact: Susan Alanis (8180} Lognanrxe: 06GAS INS~'ECTOR Page 2 of 2