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Accept the FY2024/25 annual fire districts impact fee report and the five-year findings report for the Cordelia Fire Protection District (CFPD), Dixon Fire Protection District (DFPD), Suisun Fire Protection District (SFPD) and Vacaville Fire Protection District (VFPD) as required by Government Code section 66000
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The County Administrator’s Office recommends the Board of Supervisors accept the FY2024/25 annual fire districts impact fee report and the five-year findings report for the Cordelia Fire Protection District (CFPD), Dixon Fire Protection District (DFPD), Suisun Fire Protection District (SFPD) and Vacaville Fire Protection District (VFPD) as required by Government Code section 66000.
SUMMARY:
Solano County collects fire impact fees for CFPD, DFPD, SFPD, and VFPD. These districts are required to prepare an annual fire impact fee report that reviews amounts received and expended during the most recently completed fiscal year. This report is provided to the Board of Supervisors as a required disclosure under California Government Code section 66006(b), which is part of the Mitigation Fee Act. The reports may be found under Attachments A - D.
Additionally, under Government Code section 66001(d)(1), a five-year findings report is required. The Cordelia, Dixon, Suisun, and Vacaville Fire Protection Districts contracted with SCI Consulting Group to complete these reports (Attachments E - H).
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no impact to the County General Fund to receive these reports. Fire impact fees collected by the County on behalf of the fire protection districts are deposited into the respective district accounts. The County retains two percent of the fees collected to offset the labor costs of administration.
The costs associated with preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by the Department’s FY2025/26 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
Fire protection districts do not have legal authority under Government Code section 66000 et. seq., the enabling legislation for the County’s public facilities fee, to levy a development impact fee without the County’s assistance. On April 26, 2005, the Board adopted an ordinance adding Article XVI of Chapter 11 of the Solano County Code relating to fire protection district impact fees. The Board recognized that new development projects located in the unincorporated area of the county impacted the fire protection resources of local fire protection districts. The County’s ordinance provides the mechanism by which the County can levy a fire protection district impact fee on a fire district’s behalf. At the same time, agreements were entered into with the Cordelia and Vacaville Fire Protection Districts to collect the fire impact fee on behalf of the districts. On January 22, 2008, and December 9, 2014, similar agreements were entered into with the Suisun and Dixon Fire Protection Districts, respectively. The County has been collecting fire district impact fees for the Cordelia and Vacaville Fire Protection Districts since July 2005, the Suisun Fire Protection District since April 2008, and the Dixon Fire Protection District since February 2015.
Since the inception of the fire district impact fee, funding has been provided for vehicles and equipment used in fire suppression and expanded facilities to serve the growth occurring in each of the respective districts. This report provides an overview of the projects for which the districts have utilized fire impact fee revenue. Each fire district has provided a report as approved by their respective District Boards.
In order to comply with the Mitigation Fee Act, Government Code section 66006(b) requires a review and disclosure of impact fee funds annually. Each District has provided this information annually at publicly noticed district board meetings where the information was also available to the public.
Additionally, Government Code section 66000 requires a five-year findings report. The five-year findings report requires some of the same information as the annual report and must also include information regarding incomplete public improvements where sufficient funding has been collected to complete the improvement. If an approximate date by which construction will start is not provided or is unavailable, the fees collected must be returned unless the administrative cost to do so would excess the balance of fees available.
The four fire protection districts for which the County collects fire impact fees, Cordelia, Dixon, Suisun, and Vacaville Fire Protection Districts, contracted with SCI Consulting Group earlier this year to complete these reports. The consultant had no negative findings for any of the four districts reviewed.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to accept the fire protection districts’ reports; however, this action is not recommended as the reports are required by the Mitigation Fee Act to provide information to the public concerning collections, expenditures, and use of fire impact fees. As long as the County collects these fees on behalf of the fire protection districts, these reports will be required.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The disclosures of the Cordelia Fire Protection District as administered by the City of Fairfield and the Dixon Fire Protection District as administered by the City of Dixon were approved by their respective Boards at the meetings indicated. The disclosures of the Suisun and Vacaville Fire Protection Districts are anticipated to be approved by the Board of Supervisors sitting as the Suisun, and Vacaville Fire Protection District Board on December 9, 2025.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION