HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-07-18 Finance Com. Minutes - Op. BudgetDUBLIN CITY COUNCIL
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 — 9:00 a.m.
Council Chambers
Minutes of Meeting
Mr. Keenan, Chairperson, called the meeting to order.
Other committee members present: Ms. Alutto and Ms. De Rosa.
Staff members present: Mr. McDaniel, Ms. Mumma, Ms. Crandall, Mr. Stiffler, Ms. Kennedy, Mr. O'Brien,
Mr. Robison, Mr. Earman, Chief von Eckartsberg, Mr. Rogers, Ms. Richison and Mr. Plouck.
Ms. Mumma reviewed the proposed budget in the order listed on the agenda. She noted the
organizational chart for Finance, including Fiscal Administration headed by Mr. Stiffler, Deputy Finance
Director. This includes Payroll, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and Budget. There is an
Internal Audit and overall audit function headed by Jerry O'Brien, Chief Accountant. The Tax Division is
headed by Kevin Robison, and he will present the Tax Division budget for 2019.
o Office of the Director of Finance
o Transfers & Advances
o Miscellaneous Accounts
General Fund
3-29-3-31
General Fund
3-32-3-33
General Fund
3-34-3-36
The Department of Finance, excluding Tax, has 12 full-time employees and no part-time employees.
There are no changes proposed in staffing for 2019. Key services are Accounts Payable, Receivable,
Payroll, preparation of operating and capital budgets, administering debt, economic development
agreements, TIF agreements, and management of investments using two investment advisers. There
is an internal audit function, so in addition to compiling financial statements, they ensure that all done
as a City is in compliance with both accounting standards and state law. They also maintain all the
financial records of the City.
In 2019, their funding request represents a 1.7 percent increase over 2018 — primarily related to
contractual services. This accounts for additional investment adviser services and fees associated with
that. For many years, one investment adviser was utilized; about 18 months ago, a liquidity analysis
was conducted and she brought in another firm for comparison purposes. They continue to utilize
Dennis Yacobozzi and UACC for 80 percent of the City investments; the remaining 20 percent is
managed by Manning & Napier. More of the City's cash has been invested, which has generated
hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional revenue to the City. The fees paid are offset by the
substantial revenues brought in as a result of those services.
The Finance Department funds the memberships and subscriptions for not only those within Finance,
but also citywide organizations such as Ohio Department of Administrative Services fees for cooperative
purchasing programs. This line item reflects a $600 increase over last year. For professional
organizations for Finance staff, training opportunities are available. Office supply costs were reduced
by $2,000.
For Professional Services and Miscellaneous Contract services, this area shows a 14.4 percent increase
over 2018 budget, which relates to the additional costs of the investment adviser. This is again offset
by the revenue brought in from interest earnings. The fees for that are estimated at $100,000.
Finance Committee
November 7, 2018
Page 2
Finance pays fees for the gov.deals disposal of surplus items citywide.
Finance contracts out for assistance in preparation of the City's financial statements, specifically with
new pronouncements from GASB. Most recently, assistance was sought for the change in pension
liability.
The City incurs banking fees and purchasing card fees. The revenue study is updated every year, and
funding is provided for filing fees related to continuing disclosure for outstanding bonds, fees to file
with GFOA for budget and CAFR awards.
A $3,000 contingency is included due to the difficultly in estimating investment fees and gov.deal fees,
depending upon the investment portfolio and the properties disposed of.
On page 3-33, transfers and advances out of the General Fund are listed. Transfers can be
characterized in two categories: transfers to Special Revenue funds as needed, depending upon
revenues coming into these areas of Safety, Streets and Street Maintenance, Recreation, Pool and
Cemetery. There are transfers to the Capital Improvements Tax Fund. Pursuant to the General Fund
Balance policy, the transfer is made based on the prior year ending fund balance and for the 2018 land
acquisitions authorized by Council. The third line is advances, where the City advances monies from
the General Fund to other funds — generally to initiate projects that will ultimately be funded through
the issuance of bonds. The large part of these advances is repaid once bonds are issued — either the
same or the following year.
For General Miscellaneous accounts, Page 3-35, these are citywide expenditures for items such as
county auditor fees, real estate taxes, accounting and auditing services and the Board of Health
contract. In total, this account reflects an 89 percent increase over 2018, due to the increase in
property taxes anticipated for land purchased by the City. The City will have to pay the recoupment on
CAUV, and so that has been programmed for 2019. Staff is expecting a state audit for fiscal year 2018
and there is not a contract yet, so this is just an estimate. This account also covers mosquito spraying
and any refunds required to be paid by the county auditor. When the City receives its distribution of
real estate taxes and service payments, the county withholds a portion of that and we are required to
reflect those expenditures, although the City does not actually write a check to the county for those.
Ms. Alutto asked if the full recoupment is expected to be paid in FY2019.
Ms. Mumma responded affirmatively.
Ms. De Rosa asked what the investment fees are for 2018.
Mr. Keenan responded that UACC has a fixed fee; the new investment adviser fee is based on actual
fund balance and the increase as a percentage.
Ms. Mumma stated she can calculate what has been paid to date. The budget is based on what the
fees are expected to be for 2019.
Ms. De Rosa stated that last year, the City simply estimated the fees lower than they actually came in.
Ms. Mumma responded that is correct. She added that UACC is a flat fee; she provided a memo to
Council recently that indicated the rate for the other investment adviser.
Ms. De Rosa asked about the Special Revenue funds. The year-to-date budget is $18M and we will
add slightly over $1M to that fund to balance it.
Ms. Mumma responded that the expenses of those five funds subsidized by the General Fund,
collectively, exceeds the revenue that those five funds are projected to bring in by $1M more than
expected. Public Safety is the largest one, and the payroll increase in that area alone constitutes a
couple hundred thousand dollars. The Police Department's main revenue stream within the Safety
Fund is the small amount of millage received from property taxes. For all intents and purposes, the
Finance Committee
November 7, 2018
Page 3
General Fund completely subsidizes the Safety Fund. Anytime those fund expenses increase while the
revenues remain stable, there is need to subsidize the safety services more from the General Fund.
However, if there is a mild winter, for example, not necessitating a lot of overtime or salt expenses,
that Street Fund subsidy needed from the General Fund may be less than for a year with a harsh
winter. These are hard to predict, as much is weather dependent.
Mr. Keenan asked what revenue is received from the Safety Fund each year — he estimates it is $300-
400,000 per year. Only the Police services can be funded through the Safety Fund.
Ms. Mumma clarified that the voter -approved property tax millage portion referenced goes directly into
the Safety Fund. There is no option of placing those monies elsewhere. This is simply recognizing that
the General Fund will transfer a projected $12.6 million in 2019 from the General Fund to the Safety
Fund. That $12.6 million in combination with the property tax revenue from the voted millage makes
up the total revenue for the Safety Fund.
Ms. De Rosa asked about the advances for capital projects and how they are estimated.
Ms. Mumma responded that it is a function of estimated timing of the projects. The City began
budgeting for advances within the past two years — traditionally, that had not been done. Because
these are based on capital projects, the timing of which is uncertain, the advances were not
traditionally included in the operating budget.
Ms. De Rosa asked why staff began to budget for these advances.
Ms. Mumma responded that this was done primarily in response to the auditor's recommendation to do
SO.
Ms. De Rosa stated that in looking at the budget for 2018, the assumption for advances was $2.8
million, yet it actually came in at $20 million. This is quite a difference.
Mr. Keenan asked what major projects impacted the 2018 year to date budget versus the 2018
estimated budget.
Ms. Mumma responded this relates to the advance currently outstanding for the Columbus
Metropolitan Library parking garage and road improvements of about $22 million.
Ms. De Rosa stated that the City should therefore budget higher than $330,000 for 2019. There is no
reason not to include the park expenditures.
Ms. Mumma responded that she can certainly include the park, if Council desires.
Mr. Keenan added that the park may actually begin in late 2019 or early 2020. This advance can be
shown in 2019 if desired.
Ms. De Rosa stated that she sees no reason not to budget for what may occur in late 2019.
Mr. Keenan noted that it can certainly be added as a placeholder.
Ms. De Rosa responded that it would eliminate the huge swings reflected in the proposed budget
document versus the actual/revised budget.
Ms. Mumma responded that it can be done, but she was given clear direction not to issue debt in 2019.
If that is the case, the General Fund balance will decrease by another $10 million. Depending on the
timing of the bond issue, that will be the case. Language can be included about why the fund balance
is decreasing by that amount.
Ms. De Rosa added that the budget should reflect what we know will occur in 2019. The other
alternative is not to have this line item and not budget for advances.
Ms. Alutto asked staff for their estimate on the cost of the park construction.
Mr. McDaniel added that staff spent the last two days briefing rating agencies. He wants to make sure
that a change in the timing of the advances shown in the budget does not impact the rating agencies'
outcomes.
Mr. Keenan asked if bonds will be issued in 2020, will this occur in the first, second or third quarter.
Finance Committee
November 7, 2018
Page 4
Ms. Mumma responded it depends on the timing of the other projects that will be funded by the bond
issuance.
Mr. McDaniel noted that the intent had been to award the park construction contract by the end of
2019 in order to have construction begin in 2020. This is dependent upon design and other matters.
Ms. Alutto stated that her preference would be not to include this in projected advances, but note that
it could occur in 2019.
Ms. De Rosa pointed out that the recently approved CIP anticipates this project to occur in 2019.
Mr. Keenan noted that there was also discussion of when the actual construction would take place and
when the bond issuance would occur.
Ms. Mumma stated that if the construction contract for the park is awarded at any point in 2019, the
City will need to advance funding from the General Fund.
Ms. Alutto asked staff about their level of confidence in this contract being awarded in 2019.
Mr. McDaniel responded it is likely 50/50.
Ms. Mumma added that much of the park construction is contingent upon the timing of the completion
of the pedestrian bridge, and there is a lot of variation in that schedule.
Mr. McDaniel stated that, currently, it is estimated that the bridge will be completed in October of
2019, and that is the basis for the construction sequencing. There is not a lot of flexibility in that
schedule. However, if the bridge construction is completed earlier, that could impact timing of the
award of the park construction contract.
Mr. Keenan suggested that the discussion about advances and how these are shown in the proposed
budget should be discussed by the entire Council so that all members can weigh in. He asked staff to
prepare information to brief the rest of Council on this matter for the November 14 session.
Ms. De Rosa reiterated that the reason she is asking for this to be included is that advances should be
budgeted for what is expected to occur.
Mr. Keenan asked about Page 3-35 and the 2018 Revised Budget that indicates $45,500. Is the 2019
budget of $453,430 due to the new City -owned building that is not occupied by the City and because
there is a tenant in place?
Ms. Mumma responded that the bulk of this is related to the CAUV recoupment for land purchased
recently by the City.
Mr. Keenan stated that he is aware that the City cannot abate the taxes on the portion of the building
leased to the tenant. They would be prorated.
Mr. McDaniel clarified that if it is not used for a purely public purpose, the real estate taxes must be
paid.
Mr. Keenan asked what percentage of this building is tenant occupied?
Mr. McDaniel responded it is approximately 30 percent.
Mr. Stiff ler stated that the real estate tax bill is about $80,000. The City received a credit when the
property was purchased earlier in 2018, but now the taxes the year 2018 must be paid.
Mr. Keenan asked that staff ensure the taxes are prorated, going forward.
Mr. Stiffler responded that will be investigated with the county auditor when the tax form is filed.
Mr. Keenan noted he has questions about Page 3-38.
Ms. Mumma indicated that Mr. Robison will brief the Committee on the Tax Division budget.
Division of Taxation General Fund 3-37-3-39
Mr. Robison, Director of Taxation reviewed the proposed 2019 budget for the division. He oversees the
overall operation of the Tax Division. He is new to this position, and Tammy Lehnert is the new Tax
Finance Committee
November 7, 2018
Page 5
Manager. She oversees the day-to-day operation of the Division of Tax. She provides the expertise in
municipal taxation matters for the rest of the Tax staff. There are three corporate tax auditors, one of
whom is new — Mary Peterson. The corporate tax auditors are capable of auditing any type of return
submitted to the Tax Division — C Corporation returns, S Corporation returns, partnerships, LLCs,
Trusts, Employee Withholding accounts, and Individual accounts. Ms. Kelley, Auditor, primarily audits
individual returns and updates the data base for Tax; Ms. Bateman, Accounting Specialist, opens the
mail and processes and manually or electronically deposits each day and updates the data base
accordingly. Ms. Martinez, Accounting Assistant, is responsible for posting all returns in the tax system
and scanning of documents. Ms. Bateman and Ms. Martinez are part-time employees.
For 2019, there are no changes in staffing. There are six full-time staff members and two part-time.
Key services provided are: collection of all income tax revenues for the City. The Tax Division
processes daily receipts from taxpayers; Payroll services; and through Ohio Business Gateway for
employer withholding tax. They do audits of taxpayer returns and send out invoices for deficient taxes
or any adjustments accordingly. They process refunds timely, and under ORC Section 718.12 are
required to do so within 90 days; they do compliance projects as needed; they initiate any delinquent
tax collections through the collection agency — Weltman, Weinberg and Reis Co., LPA. They have
excellent customer service for taxpayers, responding to calls promptly and also educate taxpayers
about why they have received bills. They also handle walk-in taxpayers at their window. They provide
electronic filing for tax returns for residents, which helps reduce the large amount of paper received by
the office. They also receive a large number of returns from tax practitioners who file on behalf of
their clients. In addition, other revenue comes to Tax via Employer Withholding Tax through the Ohio
Business Gateway.
Their funding request for the 2019 operating budget represents an increase of .4 percent, most of
which is in personal services. They had one change — a transfer of $2,000 from contractual services to
the capital fund in order to purchase another scanner for tax returns.
Key changes in the budget relate to increases in Salaries/Wages.
For contract services, there are four primary parts: $33,000 for collection of outstanding tax through
Weltman, Weinberg and Reis; $19,250 for a -file tax forms and their maintenance; $7,200 for Lexus -
Nexis, which enables Tax to find confidential tax records such as an individual's social security number,
business EIN number or most recent address; and the Thomson -Reuters Checkpoint, which is the
search engine to assist in tax research.
Ms. De Rosa asked what number of corporate returns have opted for centralized collection with the
State. Is there an update on the trend?
Mr. Robison responded that, currently, there are 294 taxpayers out of 5,505 who have opted to file
through the State as opposed to filing through the City of Dublin. The Tax Division is promoting their
services to businesses, and has drafted a letter to be sent to all the businesses who have not opted in
to the state filing. This is expected to go out in the near future.
Ms. Alutto asked if this item was addressed in the economic development agreements.
Mr. McDaniel responded that the City is now requiring local filing for new EDAs.
Ms. De Rosa asked about the activity level in terms of those switching to the state.
Mr. Robison responded that the volume of those switching occurred upfront. Currently, a couple are
trickling in due to their fiscal year timing.
Ms. De Rosa stated that when this was previously discussed, she understood the accountants were
advocating for this from a simplicity perspective. Is that why people are choosing to file with the
state?
Finance Committee
November 7, 2018
Page 6
Mr. Robison responded that is the primary reason, particularly for those who operate in hundreds of
jurisdictions. For that reason, they may decide to opt in to state filing. Most of the actual taxpayers
that have a single location and jurisdiction are not opting in.
Mr. Keenan added that the Ohio Society of CPAs pushed this very hard statewide.
Mr. McDaniel noted that even for those businesses with many jurisdictions, they have experienced
issues with their filings at the state. He is not certain if the state has yet addressed those issues.
Mr. Robison stated that there have been numerous issues with the Ohio Business Gateway with
municipal net profit and other taxes. An upgrade for that system was installed in July and there were
significant issues for preparers remitting taxes and taxes timely. There was also an issue of a breach in
confidentiality. The state indicates this has now been addressed.
Mr. Robison provided an update on the net profits change and its impact. He noted there are multiple
factors in the reduction of net profits. There are three primary issues resulting from federal law
changes. The reason this is important is because the City is bound by the federal taxable income as
the starting tax base. For 2018, there have been substantial increases in what is allowed as business
deductions. They have increased the business deduction for Section 179 property from $510,000 to $1
million. There are situations now where they can have 100 percent bonus depreciation — where an
asset can be fully depreciated in the first tax year. There are other assets for real property
improvements for which they have reduced the amortization period from 20 years to 15 years. Those
overall are substantially reducing the amount of net income showing on net profit returns, affecting the
net tax due.
There are state law changes coming into effect for 2018. It is the first year that the City is mandated
to allow loss carry forwards.
There was elimination of a throwback provision, which relates to the sales factor on the actual return.
It has been eliminated, thereby reducing the amount of tax due.
In terms of centralized collection by the state tax department, what the City has found for the 294
accounts coded that are being monitored is almost a $400,000 reduction in payments in 2018
compared with 2017.
There are also delays in estimated payments received by the City. These range from a month to
multiple months. The payment due June 15 was received in August and the September payment was
received in October. The biggest concern now is the fourth quarter payment, due December 15 as it
will not be received until January 2019.
Mr. Keenan noted that Mr. Robison mentioned the mandatory net operating loss carry forward for tax
year 2018. Ll -Cs and S corporations don't have a net operating loss carry — those are only C
corporations, correct?
Mr. Robison stated that is true for federal purposes. For local purposes, all businesses — whether C
corporation, S corporation, partnership, LLC trust — have to be taxed as though they are a C
corporation. So a conversion must be made to the C corporation rules and you would then allow a net
operating loss.
Mr. Keenan stated that he is aware for an S corporation that they are required to total that out at the
end of each year, distribute and pay taxes on it.
Mr. Robison responded that is correct, but for local purposes, you would come up with a taxable
income for municipal net profit. That figure, if it is a gain results in no issues as far as a loss carry
forward. If it is a loss overall, the amount of that loss could be carried forward to future years.
Ms. Alutto asked, given all of the changes, if the City will be tracking the impact over the coming years
to understand the dollar amounts being collected and, from a cash flow perspective, what the delay is
costing the City in terms of receiving payments.
Finance Committee
November 7, 2018
Page 7
Mr. Robison responded that these can be tracked, as accounts are coded and reports can be run.
Ms. Alutto noted that it would be worthwhile to look at this over a period of a few years. These
changes are certainly affecting smaller cities to a greater degree, as they would not have the healthy
fund balances Dublin has.
Mr. Keenan stated that he has reported there are two part-time employees in his staff. How is that
shown in the budget document on page 3-37?
Mr. McDaniel stated these are shown as permanent part-time/seasonal staff on the personnel data
listing.
Mr. Keenan asked why the employee benefits for the Taxation division have increased by $25-30,000.
Ms. Mumma responded it could be related to the staff members and whether they elect single or family
coverage. There has been some staff changeover, and the cost depends on the coverage election.
Ms. De Rosa noted that under the state law changes, bullet #3, there is a significant reduction in
estimated payments — this relates to a timing difference, correct?
Mr. Robison responded that year-to-date, compared with last year, there is a $400,000 difference over
the same period of time for the same taxpayers who filed with the City in 2017.
Ms. De Rosa asked for the reasons — was that due to the Section 179 change?
Mr. Robison responded they do not know — there are multiple factors. Perhaps it could be part of the
federal filing and they are anticipating larger expense items. It is a significant difference year to year.
Ms. De Rosa stated that because the deduction for 179 will continue into 2019, did the City project
those corporate taxes to be flat or decreased?
Ms. Mumma responded that from 2018 into 2019, staff has projected a one percent reduction.
Ms. De Rosa stated that we are seeing more of a reduction, given what is occurring.
Ms. Mumma responded that 80 percent of the Citys income tax revenue is from withholding.
Ms. De Rosa stated she is aware of that, but wants to ensure the corporate line is accurate. If we are
seeing these levels of changes, is that the appropriate estimate for 2019?
Ms. Mumma responded that staff could segment out and extrapolate just net profits. However, the
bulk of the revenue is from withholding and therefore she recommends maintaining a one percent
reduction for the estimate.
Ms. De Rosa stated she believes we should project for 2019 based on what we know. It would be a
useful endeavor.
Mr. Robison noted that the estimated payments from net profits is very unpredictable. It could catch
up or drop very fast. Some businesses make large estimated payments at the end of a year to have a
business deduction and return early in the following year and request a refund. Therefore, the
estimated payments from them are unpredictable.
Ms. De Rosa commented that right now, we are using the same rate as we are using for others.
Given the changes, the question is if that is the right formula.
Ms. Mumma responded that, traditionally, the City has not segmented out withholding, net profit and
individuals. Staff has taken a holistic view from an income tax perspective. Based on the
unpredictability, the manner in which this is projected for 2019 is appropriate. She believes that the
estimating in previous years has been good, using this basis.
Ms. Alutto stated that if Council wants a discussion about segmenting out how the income tax revenue
is budgeted, that is appropriate for the entire Council. It is definitely a departure from how it has been
done in the past.
Finance Committee
November 7, 2018
Page 8
Ms. De Rosa stated she is not opposed to having the full Council discuss this. She believes it is
important to look at the analysis, as declines have been seen over the past couple of years. The
information is useful, even if the decision is made not to change how this is done.
Ms. Alutto asked staff if they can be prepared for this discussion at the workshop of the entire Council.
Mr. Keenan commented that this seems to be micromanaging. He has full confidence in staff that they
have considered many factors. There are a large number of variables that go into these projections.
However, if other committee members want to bring this to the larger group, that is fine of course.
Ms. De Rosa noted this is not driven by a lack of confidence in staff. But we have seen changes in the
law that are affecting things at the local level. This is just a conversation that should occur.
o Hotel/Motel Tax Fund 4-35
o Hotel/Motel Tax Fund 4-47-4-48
Ms. Mumma noted that the Finance Department has some funding through the Hotel/Motel Tax
Fund related to the Irish Festival — covering the cost of the armored car for cash pick-up. That
budget item is $3,200 and can vary from year to year.
Also with Hotel/Motel Tax Fund, Finance budgets for transfers and advances as well as other
charges and expenditures.
The transfers relate to the debt service on the Dublin Arts Council building — transfers from the
Hotel/Motel Fund to the General Bond Retirement Fund.
Other charges and expenditures are the amounts paid to the Dublin Arts Council — 25 percent of
the hotel/motel tax revenue; the bed tax grant program; and the additional amount paid to the
Bridge Park New Community Authority through the grant they received.
o Accrued Leave Reserve Fund 4-57-4-60
This reserve fund accounts for the costs of payout for accrued leave for an employee who
leaves employment with the City. This is funded through a quarterly transfer based on one
percent of the payroll.
o Debt Service Funds 5-1-5-6
There are five debt service funds, but only three are active. The General Bond Retirement Fund
accounts for the majority of debt service. There are different sources of revenue to pay debt
service, but ultimately the monies are transferred into the General Bond Retirement Fund and
that is the source of the payment of principal and interest. This reflects the actual expenditures
of what will be paid out in 2019.
The Economic Development Bond Retirement Fund was set up in 2015. The City is required to
segment out bonds associated with non -tax revenue, which means they are not backed by the
full faith and credit of the City. These bonds are for the two parking garages. The revenues
from either the TIF service payments or the minimum service payment received from Crawford
Hoying goes into this Economic Development Bond Retirement Fund and the debt service on
those two parking garages comes out of this Fund.
The next two are residual — and are from Special Assessments levied years ago. Those bonds
have been paid off, but there may be some residual amounts coming in that are ultimately
transferred out. There has not been activity in 2018 and none is expected in 2019.
There is one Special Assessment piece of debt outstanding. It is related to the Ballantrae lights.
Revenues paid by those property owners are collected by the county; distributed to the City;
and the funds are used for the debt service on those lights. The 2019 budget amount
represents the actual principal and interest payment on that debt service in 2019.
Finance Committee
November 7, 2018
Page 9
o Capital Project Funds 6-1-6-62
Ms. Mumma stated that all of Section 6 represents the capital funds. The capital improvement
tax fund, parkland acquisition fund, and all TIF funds are included. The amounts for 2019
represent all that was included in the 2019 CIP. The additional amounts would be related to
county auditor deductions. Anytime the county collects TIF revenues or general property taxes,
they assess charges and those are reflected in the appropriate funds as well.
o Water Fund 7-3
This is the debt service for water projects. For 2019, it is about $294,000.
o Sewer Fund
7-9
This is the debt service for sewer projects. For 2019, it is about $603,000.
o Merchandise Fund 7-17-7-19
There is no activity for this fund, and staff will likely close out this fund in 2019. In the past, an
internal service fund was created for the purchase of City merchandise for employees to buy.
The City is no longer in this business, as the merchandise is stocked at Giant Eagle.
o Fiduciary Funds
9-1-9-6
This includes all of the funds that, by definition, are held by the City in a fiduciary capacity and are not
the City's dollars. There is not a requirement to budget for them, but we do so in order to keep the
appropriations clean throughout the year. Staff does bring supplemental appropriations forward on
occasion for this purpose. These include dollars to be paid to the DCVB from hotel/motel tax revenues.
This is distinguished from the Arts Council funding, which is accounted for in the Hotel/Motel Tax Fund.
That is because the City is required by statute to send a percentage of the Hotel/Motel Tax fund to the
DCVB. There are also refunds in this account, any unclaimed monies after a certain period of time that
must be held and deposits for facility rentals. In addition, monies are held for COIRS, the radio
system, because the City acts in essence as its Treasurer. In addition, the City holds funds for P.A.C.E.
financing. The City is a pass-through entity where the county remits dollars that are then paid out to
the bond trustee.
She offered to respond to questions about the Finance Department operating budget for 2019.
Ms. De Rosa asked about Section 6, pages 6-7 and 6-8. From the Capital Improvements Tax Fund
total, the budget for 2018 was $31M and revised budget was $51M. All through this particular section
are significant differences in budgets and actuals. She asked for clarification
Ms. Mumma responded that the 2018 budget is what was budgeted for the year. The revised 2018
budget includes any supplemental appropriations and any carryover purchase orders or contracts.
Especially in this area, where capital projects sometimes roll out and cover multiple years, significant
dollars are carried over. This is the reason for the differences.
Ms. Alutto stated it is essentially a timing issue.
Ms. De Rosa asked where the $31,406,000 would have been listed in the 2018 operating budget.
Ms. Mumma responded it would have been the final column in the 2018 budget, but really would have
tied to the 2018-2022 CIP and all the funding approved in 2018.
Ms. De Rosa stated that if she reviewed the 2018 CIP final, she would then see $31,406,000.
Ms. Mumma responded it would be more than that, as the CIP budget has all the TIF funds. If you
took every section of Section 6 and reviewed the 2018 budget, and added all of those plus the water
Ms. Alutto thanked Ms. Mumma for all of her work on the many CIP and operating budget meetings, i
addition to all of the other activity, such as the bond rating agency meetings. I
Mr. Keenan adjourned the meeting at 10:05 a.rri
ZO
Clerk of Council