§ 56-47. Use of monies.

(a)

The board hereby creates the "fire impact fee trust account," which shall be maintained separate and apart from all other county accounts.

(b)

Fire protection impact fees shall be deposited into the fire impact fee trust account immediately upon receipt.

(c)

Funds on deposit in the fire impact fee trust account, as established in subsection (a) above, shall be used solely for the purpose of providing growth-necessitated capital improvements to the county fire protection system, including, but not limited to:

(1)

Land acquisition, including any cost of acquisition or condemnation;

(2)

Fees for professional services, including but not limited to architecture, engineering, surveying, landscaping, soils and material testing, legal, appraisals, and construction management;

(3)

Design and construction plan preparation;

(4)

Site development and on-site and off-site improvements incidental to the construction thereto;

(5)

Any permitting or application fees necessary for the construction;

(6)

Design and construction of new fire protection facilities;

(7)

Design and construction of new drainage facilities required by the construction of fire protection facilities or improvements thereto;

(8)

Relocating utilities required by the construction of fire protection facilities or improvements or additions thereto;

(9)

Landscaping;

(10)

Construction management and inspection;

(11)

Surveying, soils, and materials testing;

(12)

Acquisition of capital equipment for the county fire protection system;

(13)

Repayment of monies borrowed from any budgetary fund of the county which were used to fund growth-necessitated capital improvements to the county fire protection system as provided herein;

(14)

Payment of principal and interest, necessary reserves and costs of issuance under any bonds or other indebtedness issued by the county to fund growth-necessitated improvements and additions to the county fire protection system subsequent to the effective date of this article; and

(15)

Costs related to the administration, collection, and implementation of the fire protection impact fee.

(d)

The monies deposited into the fire impact fee trust account shall be used solely to provide capital improvements or additions to the county fire protection system as necessitated by growth as projected in the fire protection impact fee study and shall not be used for any expenditure that would be classified as a maintenance or repair expense. A report will be prepared annually by the county reflecting the collection and expenditures of fire protection impact fees by the county during the previous year.

(e)

Any fire protection impact fee funds on deposit which are not immediately necessary for expenditure shall be invested by the county. All income derived from such investments shall be deposited in the fire impact fee trust account and used as provided herein.

(f)

The county may retain up to one percent of all fire protection impact fees received or the actual costs of administration and collection, whichever is less, as an administrative fee to defray the costs of administering the fire protection impact fees.

(g)

The fire protection impact fees collected pursuant to this article shall be returned to the then current owner of the property on behalf of which such fee was paid, if such fees have not been expended or encumbered prior to the end of the fiscal year immediately following the eighth anniversary of the date upon which such fees were paid. Refunds shall be made only in accordance with the following procedure:

(1)

The then present owner shall petition the county for the refund within six months following the end of the calendar quarter immediately following eight years from the date on which the fee was received.

(2)

The petition for refund shall be submitted to the county manager and shall contain:

a.

A notarized sworn statement that the petitioner is the present owner of the property on behalf of which the fire protection impact fee was paid;

b.

A copy of the dated receipt issued for payment of the fire protection impact fee or such other record as would evidence payment; and

c.

A certified copy of the latest recorded deed or a copy of the most recent ad valorem tax bill.

(3)

Within 60 days from the date of receipt of a petition for refund, the county manager will advise the petitioner and the board of the status of the fire protection impact fee requested for refund, and if such fire protection impact fee has not been expended or encumbered within the applicable time period, then it shall be returned to the petitioner. For the purposes of this section, fees collected shall be deemed to be spent or encumbered on the basis of the first fee in shall be the first fee out.

(Ord. No. 2007-40, § 3.07, 10-18-2007)