Laserfiche WebLink
Agreement with Hinderliter, de Llamas & Associates <br />October 18, 2016 <br />Page 2 <br />Service to be Provided <br />Vendor <br />City Council Meeting <br />Medical Marijuana Auditing <br />Macias Gini & O'Connell, LLP <br />September 20, 2016 <br />Sales & Use Tax Auditing <br />MuniServices, LLC <br />October 4, 2016 <br />Utility Users' Tax Auditing <br />MuniServices, LLC <br />October 4, 2016 <br />Property Tax Auditing <br />HdL Coren & Cone HdLCC <br />October 18, 2016 <br />Hotel Visitors' Tax Auditing <br />HdL Software, LLC HdL <br />October 18, 2016 <br />On September 20, 2016, the City Council approved an agreement with Macias Gini & O'Connell, <br />LLP (MGO's) to provide the City Medical Marijuana auditing services. Subsequently, on October <br />4, 2016, the City Council also approved an agreement with MuniServices, LLC's agreement to <br />provide auditing services in connection with the Sales and Use Tax along with the Utility Users' <br />Tax (UUT). Currently, Staff is presenting the third and final service for Council consideration the <br />awarding of auditing services in connection with both the Property Tax (secured and unsecured) <br />and Hotel Visitors' Tax ("HVT"), which is a new service that will enhance the City's ability to <br />forecast and ensure compliance with Property Tax and Hotel Visitors' Tax regulations. <br />DISCUSSION <br />The reports, analysis and information derived from the Property Tax and HVT auditing programs <br />can be used for budget planning, revenue forecasting, trend analysis, economic development <br />analysis, debt refinancing and other projects requiring Property Tax/HVT revenue statistics and to <br />assist in analyzing the City's economic base. <br />The Property Tax (approximately $33.0 million for FY 16-17) and HVT (approximately $9.4 million <br />for FY 16-17) combined represent approximately 20% of the City's total General Fund revenue. <br />Engaging HdL will enable the City to conduct additional audits that can recover additional <br />revenue for the City as well as ensures compliance with tax regulations, provides early <br />indications of trends for the regional economy, and ensures revenues generated within city <br />boundaries are properly allocated, assigned and remitted to the City of Santa Ana on a timely <br />basis. <br />Property Tax <br />Currently, two types of properties are subject to property tax regulations: secured and unsecured. <br />The Secured Property Tax is an ad valorem tax (value -based) imposed on real property, which <br />includes land and permanently attached improvements such as buildings and tangible personal <br />property within the state of California. As reported by the Orange County's Auditor -Controller, for <br />fiscal year 2016-17, secured property values within Santa Ana are estimated to be $22.4 billion <br />with a basic levy rate of I% while the unsecured property values within Santa Ana are estimated <br />to be $1.5 billion and subject to the same rate applied to secured properties. <br />The Unsecured Property Tax is also a value -based tax and is levied on property such as boats, <br />jet skis, airplanes, business fixtures, computer equipment, as well as other property not classified <br />as 'real property". Because the tax is not secured by real property, the tax is called "unsecured". <br />25B-2 <br />