(a) Funds collected from fire/EMS system impact fees shall be used for the purpose of capital improvements to and expansion of fire department facilities associated with the current Fire/EMS Study and Fire/EMS Impact Fee Study, or as such plans may be amended by the City, plus administrative costs and expenses pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
(b) No funds shall be used for periodic or routine maintenance.
(c) Funds shall be used for capital improvements or equipment within the Fire/EMS System Improvement District, from which the funds were collected. Funds may be used for capital improvements that are located outside the fire/EMS system improvement district from which the funds were collected so long as such capital improvement is deemed to be beneficial to the fire/EMS system improvement district from which the funds were collected and the area of this same capital improvement is contiguous to or touches the land area of the fire/EMS improvement district from which the funds were collected.
(d) In the event that bonds or similar or other debt instruments are issued for advanced provision of capital improvements or equipment for which fire/EMS system impact fees may be expended, impact fees may be used to pay debt service on such bonds or similar debt instruments to the extent that the facilities provided are of the type described in subsection (a) hereof and are located within the appropriate impact fee districts created by Section 1345.09 or as provided in subsection (c) hereof.
(e) At least once each fiscal period the Service-Safety Director shall present to the City Council of Lancaster for consideration a proposed capital improvement and equipment program for fire/EMS as deemed appropriate and which may include any accrued interest, from the Fire/EMS System Improvement Trust Funds existing at that time to specific fire/EMS system improvement projects and related expenses. Monies, including any accrued interest, not assigned in any fiscal period shall be retained in the same Fire/EMS System Improvement Fee Trust until the next fiscal period except as provided by the refund provisions of this chapter.
(f) Funds may be used to provide refunds as described in Section 1345.12.
(g) The City of Lancaster shall be entitled to retain not more than ten percent (10%) of the funds collected as compensation for the expense of collecting the fee and administering this chapter; and such amounts shall be referred to as and “administrative fee.
(Ord. 24-05. Passed 5-23-05.)