CFD approved by Council

Residents of future developments within the city of Lincoln will now pay $165 a year to help fund police and fire services needed for their neighborhoods.That's because the City Council voted Tuesday to adopt three resolutions relating to a community facilities district that would fund police and fire services for future developments.The first neighborhood affected by the community facilities district would be the Lincoln Highlands Project, which will have about 180 homes at the time of build-out, according to Lincoln assistant director of development services Steve Ambrose.City Council unanimously approved the resolution approving formation of the district, a resolution calling a mailed-in ballot election within the area that will first be affected by the tax and a resolution that "determined the result of the special mailed-ballot election.""This is for the subdivision but there are no homes there," Mayor Tom Cosgrove said. "It was the property owner who had decided to vote yes or no on this, and that property owner did vote yes."The owner of the property is KB Homes, which is currently building model homes at that property, and KB Homes was sent the mailed-ballot election.The council also decided to waive the reading of ordinance 848B, which is stated in the meeting's agenda packet as "Levying special taxes for the fiscal years solely within and relating to Community Facilities District No. 2010-1."Prior to the council's decision, a public hearing was provided so public members could speak on the matter.Shirley Russell was the only member of the public who spoke during the hearing."I just wanted the clarification that it would be the $165 tax for single dwellings but another item for multiple dwellings and that it would be ongoing," Russell said. "This way, it seems that new additions would then pay for themselves and there would be availability for police and fire."Russell asked earlier in the meeting if the community facilities district would be in addition to the utility users' tax if it passes."It would be an ongoing annual assessment for public -safety services," Cosgrove said. "If there were a utility users' tax, it would be an additional ongoing tax to provide funds for public safety."The developer pays $4,650 per unit when a building permit is issued, according to Ambrose."Clearly it's a resolution to bridge the gap between monies already collected for future development and future cost for police and fire," Lincoln police Chief Joel Neves said after the meeting. "It's effective in a way that current residents are not burdened with paying for costs to provide services for new developments. It ensures that they are paying for the costs of services for police and fire in their neighborhoods, not future developments."Also approved during Tuesday night's meeting were resolutions "declaring the results of the assessment ballot tabulation and providing for the levy of the annual assessment therein" and "dissolving zone 4, Lincoln Highlands with benefits assessment district number one and ordering the transfer of funds to zone 5," according to the agenda item."This benefit has to do with the same subdivision, and this benefit assessment district was set up in 2007, and since then there has been work done to further define the needs associated with the benefit assessment district," said Bruce Burnsworth, a city engineer with development services. "This benefit assessment district covers the cost of maintaining storm drains conveyances and has to do with the concept of future development paying their own way."City clerk Pat Avila reported that the property owner is in favor of the assessment, and the council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution to transfer funds from zone four to zone five.According to a summary of the assessment for the area presented is $15,861, according to a report submitted to the engineer's report for 2011-2012 provided by the assessment engineer.