HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/08/1998, 4 - FINANCIAL PLAN ORGANIZATION AND POLICIES Council , .`°=ia.F_ yp
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CITY O F SAN LUIS O B I S P O
FROM: Bill Statler,Director of Finance 4j—
SUBJECT: FINANCIAL PLAN ORGANIZATION AND POLICIES
CAO RECONBMNDATION
■ Review and discuss Financial Plan policies and organization.
■ Approve new Financial Plan policies relating to financial reporting, land-based financings
and debt capacity.
DISCUSSION
Overview
The following four features describe the City's Financial Plan process: goal-oriented, policy-
driven, multi-year and technically rigorous. For 1999-01, we plan to continue using a two-year
budget which emphasizes long-range planning and effective program management. We believe
the benefits identified when the City's first two-year plan budget was prepared for 1983-85
continue to be realized:
■ Reinforcing the importance of long-range planning in managing the City's fiscal affairs.
■ Concentrating on developing and budgeting for the accomplishment of significant
objectives.
■ Establishing realistic timeframes for achieving objectives.
■ Creating a pro-active budget that provides for stable operations and assures the City's
long-term fiscal health.
■ Promoting more orderly spending patterns.
■ Reducing the amount of time and resources allocated to preparing annual budgets.
Appropriations continue to be made annually; however, the Financial Plan is the foundation for
preparing the budget for the second year. Additionally, unexpended operating appropriations
from the first year may be carried over for specific purposes into the second year with the
approval of the City Administrative Officer.
Financial Plan Policies
Fiscal heath is a lot like your personal health—it's not what you live for, but it's hard to enjoy
life without it.
Like personal health, fiscal health is rarely luck—clear, articulated fiscal policies are an
important foundation for fiscal health. In looking at cities across the nation that have reputations
for being well-managed financially—and have maintained their fiscal health through good times
and bad—the one thing they have in common are clearly articulated fiscal policies, and they use
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them in financial decision-making. Effective fiscal policies are not just for the "good times"—
they are equally important(perhaps even more)in"bad times,"too.
While the underlying economic health of a community is important, it is not the most critical
factor in determining fiscal health. All we have to do is look at the Orange County bankruptcy to
know that financial management counts. Their bankruptcy was not due to faltering performance
of the local economy—Orange County is one of the wealthiest areas in the world—but due to a
lack of clear, appropriate investment policies, and then following them.
Formal statements of key budget and fiscal policies provide the foundation for assuring long-
term fiscal health by establishing a clear framework for effective and prudent financial
decision-making.
The City's current budget and fiscal policies are set forth in the Policies and Objectives section
of the 1997-99 Financial Plan, and are provided in Exhibit A. They cover a broad range of fiscal
issues, including: Financial Plan organization, revenue management, user fee cost recovery
goals, enterprise fund rates and fees, revenue distribution, investments, appropriations limit,
minimum fund balance and working capital levels, capital improvement management, capital
financing and debt management, human resource management, productivity and contracting for
services.
Recommended new policies. We recommend adding three new policies at this time relating to
financial reporting, land-based financings and debt capacity. In general, these changes do not
directly affect the budget preparation process; however, they provide clarity in re-affirming long-
standing practices or approaches.
Financial Reporting
This proposed addition simply recognizes our current financial reporting practices as follows:
Annual reporting. The City will prepare annual financial statements as follows:
■ In accordance with Charter requirements, the City will contract for an annual audit by a
qualified independent certified public accountant. The City will strive for an unqualified
auditors' opinion.
■ The City will use generally accepted accounting principles in preparing its annual
financial statements, and will strive to meet the requirements of the GFOA's Award for
Excellence in Financial Reporting program.
■ The City will issue audited financial statements within 180 days after year-end.
Interim reporting. The City will prepare and issue timely interim reports on the City's fiscal
status to the Council and staff. This includes: on-line access to the City's financial management
system by City staff; monthly reports to program managers; more formal quarterly reports to the
Council and Department Heads; mid-year budget reviews; and interim annual reports.
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Land-Based Financings
Background. The use of "land-based" assessments to fund infrastructure improvements that
specially benefit particular property owners dates back to Ancient Rome. Under this concept,
benefiting property owners are uniquely assessed for their fair share of special improvement
costs. This allows for making public improvements that do not benefit the community as a
whole—but are desired by a group of property owners without burdening the public at-large
with these costs.
In California, the "groundrules" for forming assessment districts date back to the early 1900's,
with the adoption of a series of assessment district and related bond acts. Until the 1980's,
assessment districts in California were largely used to make conventional improvements like
sidewalks, water lines, sewers and streets in already developed areas that either did not have
these improvements at all, or required significant rehabilitation or repair. This was true in San
Luis Obispo's case, where several districts were formed in the past for this purpose. Assessment
collections for the last of these (Leff Bond/Ramona and McMillan) were completed just a few
years ago.
New role for assessment districts in the 1980's. However,beginning in the 1980's, assessment
districts became a major public infrastructure financing tool for new development. In a post-
Proposition 13 environment, improvements that local government may have funded directly now
became new development's responsibility. On the other hand, for many developers, this became
a way of shifting costs to new home buyers that they would previously have absorbed in the cost
and sales price of the home.
Because many of the assessment districts formed during this period were developer-driven, and
because the bonds issued to fund these improvements were very limited obligations of the
issuing city (secured by the only the land in the district), many cities took a very passive role in
managing these financings. When times were good, this did not pose a significant problem for
many of these cities—or the bond holders. However, with the recession in the early and mid-
1990's, a number of these districts went into default. While the issuing city's direct liability may
have been limited, these bonds were nonetheless issued by them, had their names on them, and
for many, posed at least a passing question about their responsibility in allowing them to be
issued in the first place. Additionally, a number of cities were sued—and in some cases
criminally charged—for not exercising appropriate due diligence and oversight.
Proposed policy. As discussed above, the City has had a limited experience with assessment
districts in already developed areas;we have not formed any assessment districts to-date to assist
in building infrastructure primarily to serve new development.
We believe it is important to establish clear criteria under which the City will consider forming
assessment districts(or special Mello-Roos tax districts whether for developed or undeveloped
property; or initiated by the City, property owners or a developer. As with conduit financings,
even though our liability may be limited, we need to be sure that there is a clear public purpose in
forming the assessment district; and that we appropriately meet our stewardship responsibilities
in using our discretionary ability to issue this type of debt.
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Based on industry "best practices" and the recommendations of our financial advisor, Fieldman,
Rolapp&Associates,we recommend the following guidelines for land-based financings:
■ Public purpose There will be a clearly articulated public purpose in forming an
assessment or special tax district in financing public infrastructure improvements. This
should include a finding by the Council as to why this form of financing is preferred over
other funding options such as impact fees, reimbursement agreements or direct developer
responsibility for the improvements.
■ Active role Even though land-based financings may be a limited obligation of the City,
we will play an active role in managing the district. This means that the City will select
and retain the financing team, including the financial advisor, bond counsel, trustee,
appraiser, disclosure counsel, assessment engineer and underwriter. Any costs incurred
by the City in retaining these services will generally be the responsibility of the property
owners or developer, and will be advanced via a deposit when an application is filed; or
will be paid on a contingency fee basis from the proceeds from the bonds.
■ Credit quality. When a district is requested by a developer, the City will carefully
evaluate the applicant's financial plan and ability to carry the project, including the
payment of assessments and special taxes during build-out. This may include detailed
background, credit and lender checks, and the preparation of independent appraisal
reports and market absorption studies. For districts where one property owner accounts
for more than 25%of the annual debt service obligation, a letter of credit further securing
the financing may be required.
■ Reserve fund A reserve fund should be established in the lesser amount of: the
maximum annual debt service; 125% of the annual average debt service; or 10% of the
bond proceeds.
■ Value-to-debt ratios. The minimum value-to-date ratio should generally be 4:1. This
means the value of the property in the district,with the public improvements, should be at
least four times the amount of the assessment or special tax debt. In special
circumstances, after conferring and receiving the concurrence of the City's financial
advisor and bond counsel that a lower value-to-debt ratio is financially prudent under the
circumstances, the City may consider allowing a value-to-debt ratio of 3:1. Special
findings should be made by the Council in this case.
■ Capitalized interest during construction. Decisions to capitalize interest will be made
on case-by-case basis, with the intent that if allowed, it should improve the credit quality
of the bonds and reduce borrowing costs, benefiting both current and future property
owners.
■ Maximum burden. Annual assessments (or special taxes in the case of Mello-Roos or
similar districts) should generally not exceed 1% of the sales price of the property; and
total property taxes, special assessments and special taxes payments collected on the tax
roll should generally not exceed 2%.
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■ Beneft apportionment Assessments and special taxes will be apportioned according to
a formula that is clear, understandable, equitable and reasonably related to the benefit
received by—or burden attributed to—teach parcel with respect to its financed
improvement. Any annual escalation factor should generally not exceed 2%.
■ Special tax district administration. In the case of Mello-Roos or similar special tax
districts, the total maximum annual tax should not exceed 110% of annual debt service.
The rate and method of apportionment should include a back-up tax in the event of
significant changes from the initial development plan, and should include procedures for
prepayments.
■ Foreclosure covenants. In managing administrative costs, the City will establish
minimum delinquency amounts per owner, and for the district as a whole, on a case-by-
case basis before initiating foreclosure proceedings.
■ Disclosure to bondholders. In general, each property owner who accounts for more than
10% of the annual debt service or bonded indebtedness must provide ongoing disclosure
information annually as described under SEC Rule 15(c)-12.
■ Disclosure to prospective purchasers. Full disclosure about outstanding balances and
annual payments should be made by the seller to prospective buyers at the time that the
buyer bids on the property. It should not be deferred to after the buyer has made the
decision to purchase. When appropriate, applicants or property owners may be required
to provide the City with a disclosure plan.
Debt Capacity
Backgroand. Traditionally in California, a city's general purpose debt capacity was expressed
in terms of the ratio of outstanding debt to its assessed value. When property taxes were the
primary source of a city's revenue, this measure of debt capacity made sense, as it was directly
related to the debt repayment source.
Under this standard, the City legal debt margin for general obligation debt is 3.75% of our
assessed valuer about $97 million. Our current outstanding general purpose debt is about
$14.3 million, with annual debt service payments of about $1.3 million. Under the "assessed
value" measure of debt capacity, this means we could theoretically take on about $83 million in
new debt,with additional net annual debt service payments of about $5.8 million.
In recognition of the lesser role that property tax revenues play today, our current Financial Plan
policies limit this even further,by setting this ratio at 20/6—or about $52 million. This means we
could theoretically take on about$38 million in new debt, with additional net annual debt service
payments of about$2.7 million.
However, in today's post-Proposition 13, post-State take-away environment, measuring debt
capacity in this way is less meaningful than in the past, since general obligation debt supported
by property tax rates is rarely used. Instead, some form of lease-revenue financing, with a
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limited pledge of General Fund revenues, is the most common form of debt financing in
California for general purpose improvements.
In this context, it makes more sense to evaluate debt capacity in terms in terms of ability to make
annual debt service payments from current General Fund revenues. This is best expressed as a
ratio of annual debt service to General Fund revenues. With projected General Fund revenues
for 1998-99 of about $25.5 million, and annual debt service payments of about $1.1 million, our
current ratio is 4%. By industry standards, this is a very modest debt level. Given unique local
government financial circumstances due to Propositions 13, 78, 62 and 218, and recent
State/local fiscal relationships, this ratio for California cities can go to 10% comfortably. In no
case,however, should it exceed 15%.
Under this standard, at 15% of$25.5 million, the maximum general purpose debt that the City
should take on is about $50 million—a much lower level than the $97 million indicated when
this is measured by our legal debt margin(3.75%assessed value); and about the same level under
our current Financial Plan policy(2%of assessed value).
Enterprise operations. Since these are self-supporting from user fees, measuring debt capacity
as a ratio of total revenues is less relevant in our enterprise operations (water, sewer, parking,
transit and golf). Additionally, enterprise operations are often capital-intensive, and higher debt
levels to fund facility improvements as part of the total operation may be appropriate.
Accordingly, simply ensuring enterprise fund revenue adequacy to meet operations,maintenance,
administration, capital improvement and debt service costs is sufficient in evaluating debt
capacity. In this sense, our debt capacity for enterprise operations is limited only by our ability
and willingness to raise rates.
Proposed policy. Based on industry "best practices" and the recommendations of our financial
advisor, we recommend the following debt capacity guidelines:
■ General purpose debt capacity. The City will carefully monitor its levels of general
purpose debt. Because our general purpose debt capacity is limited, it is important that
we only use general purpose debt financing for high-priority projects where we can not
reasonably use other financing methods: funds borrowed for a project today are not
available to fund other projects tomorrow; and funds committed for debt repayment today
are not available to fund operations in the future. In evaluating debt capacity, general
purpose annual debt service payments should generally not exceed 10% of General Fund
revenues; and in no case should they exceed 15%.
■ Enterprise fund debt capacity. The City will set enterprise fund rates at levels needed to
fully cover debt service requirements as well as operations, maintenance, administration
and capital improvement costs. The ability to afford new debt for enterprise operations
will be evaluated as an integral part of the City's rate review and setting process.
Mmancial Plan Organization
The purpose of the City's Financial Plan is to link what we want to accomplish for the
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community over the next two years with the resources necessary to do so. In doing this, the
Financial Plan document plays four roles:
■ Policy document Sets forth goals and objectives to be accomplished, and the
fundamental fiscal principles upon which the budget is prepared.
■ Fiscal plan. Identifies and appropriates the resources necessary to accomplish objectives
and deliver services; shows where our resources come from and how they are used; and
ensures that our budget our fiscal health is maintained by demonstrating our ability to pay
for the services that it funds—not just this year,but into the foreseeable future.
■ Operations guide. Shows how we are organized to deliver services; describes programs
and activities; provides measures on how effectively and efficiently we are doing this;
discusses what we do and why,not just how much does it cost.
■ Communications tool. Provides the public, policy makers and staff with a blueprint of
how public resources are being used and how these allocations were made; communicates
key economic and fiscal issues.
In meeting these roles, the Financial Plan is organized into nine main sections:
Section A—Introduction. Includes the Budget Message from the City Administrative Officer,
highlighting key issues in the Financial Plan.
Section B—Policies and objectives. Summarizes the fiscal policies that guide preparation and
management of the budget and presents major City goals.
Section C—Budget graphics and summaries. Provides simple pie charts and tables which
highlight key financial relationships and summarize the overall budget.
Section D—Operating programs. Presents the City's 70 operating programs which form the
City's basic organizational units, allow for providing essential services to citizens, and enable the
City to accomplish the following tasks:
■ Establish policies and goals which define the nature and level of services to be provided.
■ Identify activities performed in delivering program services.
■ Propose objectives for improving the delivery of service.
■ Identify and appropriate the resources required to perform activities and accomplish
objectives.
The City's operating programs are organized into six major functional areas which in many
instances cross departmental boundaries and funding sources: public safety; public utilities;
transportation; leisure, cultural & social services; community development; and general
government. This is the largest section in the Financial Plan.
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Section E----Capital improvement plan. Presents the City's capital improvement plan (CIP)
which includes all of the City's construction projects and equipment purchases which cost
$15,000 or more.
Section F—Debt service requirements. Summarizes the City's debt obligations at the
beginning of the Financial Plan period.
Section G--Changes in financial position. Provides combined and individual statements of
revenues, expenditures, and changes in fund balance/working capital for each of the City's
operating funds.
Section H—Financial and statistical tables. Includes supplemental financial and statistical
information such as revenue estimates and assumptions, interfund transactions, authorized
staffing levels, appropriations limit history, and general demographic information about the City.
Section I—Budget reference materials. Describes the major policy documents and preparation
guidelines used in developing and executing the Financial Plan; and provides a Budget Glossary
of terms that may be unique to local government finance or the City's Financial Plan.
Functional Presentation
As noted above, the Financial Plan presents operating programs, CIP projects and debt service
costs on a functional basis. This helps focus the budget on what we do and why,rather than who
is responsible for managing the service or the funding source (although this information is
provided in the Financial Plan as well).
The highest level of summarization in the Financial Plan is the function level, which represents a
grouping of related operations and programs which may cross organizational (departmental)
boundaries aimed at achieving a broad goal or service. The six functions in the Financial Plan
are:
■ Public Safety
■ Public Utilities
■ Transportation
■ Leisure, Cultural& Social Services
■ Community Development
■ General Goverment
In general, our City organization is aligned very closely to these basic functional categories. For
example:
■ All Police and Fire Department programs fall under Public Safety.
■ The Utilities Department manages all Public Utilities programs.
■ The Public Works Department manages all Transportation programs.
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On the other hand, a department like Public Works is responsible for a wide range of services
besides Transportation, such as:
■ Park and tree maintenance—Leisure, Cultural& Social Services
■ Engineering—Community Development
■ Building and vehicle maintenance—General Government
Provided in Exhibit B are excerpts from the 1997-99 Financial Plan further describing the
organization of the City's operating programs.
Financial Plan Appendices
In addition to the Financial Plan, the Council will receive two Appendices providing
supplemental detail information:
■ Appendix A provides detailed information on all proposed significant operating program
changes. This includes: any regular staffing changes, major service expansions (or
curtailments), major changes in the method of delivering services, significant one-time
costs, changes in operations that affect other departments or customer service, and
changes that affect current policies. Each significant operating program change request
will identify: key objectives, factors driving the need for the change, alternatives, cost,
and implementation issues.
■ Appendix B provides detailed information on each proposed capital improvement plan
(CIP) project. Each request will describe the project and identify: project objectives; the
existing situation; goal and policy links; environmental review considerations; project
work completed; project phasing, costs and funding sources; effect on the operating
budget; implementation schedule; public art requirements; alternatives; and location via a
site map or schematic design if applicable.
EDITS
A. Current Financial Plan Policies
B. Operating Programs—Excerpts from 1997-99 Financial Plan
1. Purpose and Organization
2. Summary of Major Functions and Operations
3. Operating Program Narratives
G:1999-01 Financial Plan/council Goal-Setting/Agenda RepormTinancial Plan Policies Agenda Report
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POLICIES AND OBJECTIVES Exhibit A
BUDGET AND FISCAL POLICIES
FINANCIAL PLAN PURPOSE AND ORGANIZATION
A. Through its financial plan,the City will:
1. Identify community needs for essential services.
2. Organize the programs required to provide these essential services.
3. Establish program policies and goals which define the nature and level of program services
required.
4. Identify activities performed in delivering program services.
5. Propose objectives for improving the delivery of program services.
6._ Identify and appropriate the resources required to perform program activities and accomplish
program objectives.
7. Set standards to measure and evaluate the:
a. output of program activities
b. accomplishment of program objectives
C. expenditure of program appropriations
B. Following the City's favorable experience over the past twelve years,the City will continue using a two-
year financial plan, emphasizing long-range planning and effective program management. The benefits
identified when the City's first two-year plan was prepared for 1983-85 continue to be realized:
1. Reinforcing the importance of long-range planning in merging the City's fiscal affairs.
2. Concentrating on developing and budgeting for the accomplishment of significant objectives.
3. Establishing realistic timeframes for achieving objectives.
4. Creating a pro-active budget that provides for stable operations and assures the City's long-term
fiscal health.
5. Promoting more orderly spending patterns.
6. Reducing the amount of time and resources allocated to preparing amoral budgets.
C. The two-year financial plan will establish measurable program objectives and allow reasonable time to
accomplish those objectives.
D. Before the beginning of the second year of the two-year cycle, the Council will review progress during
the fast year and approve appropriations for the second fiscal year.
E. Operating program appropriations not spent during the first fiscal year may be carried over for specific
purposes into the second fiscal year with the approval of the City Administrative Officer..
F. The status of major program objectives will be formally reported to the Council on an ongoing,periodic
basis.
G. The Council will review and amend appropriations, if necessary, six months after the beginning of each
fiscal year.
H. The City will maintain a balanced budget over the two year period of the Financial Plan. This means
that:
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1. Operating revenues must fully cover operating expenditures,including debt service.
2. Ending fimd balance (or working capital in the enterprise funds) must meet minimum policy
levels. For the general and enterprise fiords, this level has been established at 20% of operating
expenditures.
Under this policy, it is allowable for total expenditures to exceed revenues in a given year; however, in
this situation, beginning fimd balance can only be used to fund capital improvement plan projects, or
other"one-time",non-recurring expenditures.
GENERAL REVENUE MANAGEMENT
A The City will seek to maintain a diversified and stable revenue base to protect it from short-term
fluctuations in any one revenue source.
B. To emphasize and facilitate long-range financial planning, the City will maintain current projections of
revenues for the succeeding five years.
C. The City will make all current expenditures with current revenues, avoiding procedures that balance
current budgets by postponing needed expenditures, accruing future revenues, or rolling over short-term
debt
D. In order to achieve important public policy goals, the City has established various special revenue,
capital project, debt service and enterprise fiords to account for revenues whose use should be restricted
to certain activities. Accordingly, each fund exists as a separate financing entity from other fiords, with
its own revenue sources,expenditures and find equity.
Any transfers between fiords for operating purposes are clearly set forth in the Financial Plan, and can
only be made by the Director of Finance in accordance with the adopted budget. These operating
transfers, under which financial resources are transferred from one fiord to another, are distinctly
different from interfund borrowings, which are usually made for temporary cash flow reasons, and are
not intended to result in a transfer of financial resources by the end of the fiscal year. In summary,
interhmd transfers result in a change in fiord equity; interfimd borrowings do not,as the intent is to repay
in the loan in the near term.
From time-to-time,interfimd borrowings may be appropriate;however,these are subject to the following
criteria in ensuring that the fiduciary purpose of the fiord is met:
1. The Director of Finance is authorized to approve temporary interfund borrowings for cash flow
purposes whenever the cash shortfall is expected to be resolved within 45 days. The most
common use of interfimd borrowing under this circumstance is for grant programs like the
Community Development Block Grant, where costs are incurred before drawdowns are initiated
and received. However,receipt of funds are typically received shortly after the request for fiords
has been made.
2. Any other interfimd borrowings for cash flow or other purposes require case-by-case approval by
the Council.
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BUDGET AND FISCAL POLICIES
3. Any transfers between funds where reimbursement is not expected by within one fiscal year shall
not be recorded as interfimd borrowings; they shall be recorded as interfimd operating transfers
that affect equity by moving financial resources from one fiord to another.
USER FEE COST RECOVERY GOALS
A Ongoing Review
Fees will be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis to ensure that they keep pace with changes in the
cost-of-living as well as changes in methods or levels of service delivery.
B. User Fee Cost Recovery Levels
In setting user fees and cost recovery levels,the following factors will be considered:
1. Community-Wide vs Special Benefit
The level of user fee cost recovery should consider the community-wide versus special service
nature of the program or activity. The use of general purpose (tax) revenues is appropriate for
community-wide services, while user fees are appropriate for services which are of special
benefit to easily identified individuals or groups.
2. Service Recipient vs Service Driver
After considering community-wide versus special benefit of the service, the concept of service
recipient versus service driver should also be considered. For example, it could be argued that
the applicant is not the beneficiary of the City's development review efforts: the community is
the primary beneficiary. However, the applicant is the driver of development review costs, and
as such,cost recovery from the applicant is appropriate.
3. Effect of Pricing on the Demand for Services
The level of cost recovery and related pricing of services can significantly affect the demand and
subsequent level of services provided. At full cost recovery, this has the specific advantage of
ensuring that the City is providing services for which there is genuinely a market that is not
overly-stimulated by artificially low prices. Conversely, high levels of cost recovery will
negatively impact on the delivery of services to lower income groups. This negative feature is
especially pronounced, and works against public policy, if the services are specifically targeted
to low income groups.
4. Feasibility of Collection and Recovery
Although it may be determined that a high level of cost recovery may be appropriate for specific
services,it may be impractical or too costly to establish a system to identify and charge the user.
• Accordingly, the feasibility of assessing and collecting charges should also be considered in
developing user fees, especially if significant program costs are intended to be financed from
that source.
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C. Factors Which Favor Low Cost Recovery Levels
Very low cost recovery levels are appropriate under the following circumstances:
1. There is no intended relationship between the amount paid and the benefit received. Almost all
"social service" programs fall into this category as it is expected that one group will subsidize
another.
2. Collecting fees is not cost-effective or will significantly impact the efficient delivery of the
service.
3. There is no intent to limit the use of(or entitlement to)the service. Again,most "social service"
programs fit into this category as well as many public safety (police and Erre) emergency
response services. Historically,access to neighborhood and community parks would also fit into
this category.
4. The service is non-recurring,generally delivered on a"peak demand" or emergency basis, cannot
reasonably be planned for on an individual basis, and is not readily available from a private
sector source. Many public safety services also fall into this category.
5. Collecting fees would discourage compliance with regulatory requirements and adherence is
primarily self-identified, and as such, failure to comply would not be readily detected by the
City. Many small-scale licenses and permits might fall into this category.
D. Factors Which Favor High Cost Recovery Levels
The use of service charges as a major source of finding service levels is especially appropriate under the
following circumstances:
1. The service is similar to services provided through the private sector.
2. Other private or public sector alternatives could or do exist for the delivery of the service.
3. For equity or demand.management purposes, it is intended that there be a direct relationship
between the amount paid and the level and cost of the service received.
4. The use of the service is specifically discouraged. Police responses to disturbances or false
alarms might fall into this category.
5. The service is regulatory in nature and voluntary compliance is not expected to be the primary
method of detecting failure to meet regulatory requirements. Building permit, plan checks, and
subdivision review fees for large projects would fall into this category.
E. General Concepts Regarding the Use of Service Charges
The following general concepts will be used in developing and implementing service charges:
1. Revenues should not exceed the reasonable cost of providing the service.
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2. Cost recovery goals should be based on the total cost of delivering the service, including direct
costs, departmental administration costs, and organization-wide support costs such as
accounting,personnel,data processing,vehicle maintenance,and insurance.
3. The method of assessing and collecting fees should be as simple as possible in order to reduce
the administrative cost of collection.
4. Rate structures should be sensitive to the "market" for similar services as well as to smaller,
infrequent users of the service.
5. A unified approach should be used in determining cost recovery levels for various programs
based on the factors discussed above.
F. Low Cost-Recovery Services
Based on the criteria discussed above,the following types of services should have very low cost recovery
goals. In selected circumstances, there may be specific activities within the broad scope of services
provided that should have user charges associated with them. However, the primary source of funding
for the operation as a whole should be general purpose revenues,not user fees.
1. Delivering public safety emergency response services such as police patrol services and fire
suppression.
2. Maintaining and developing public facilities that are provided on a uniform, community-wide
basis such as streets,parks,and general purpose buildings.
3. Providing social service programs and economic development activities.
G. Recreation Programs
The following cost recovery policies apply to the City's recreation programs:
1. Cost recovery for activities directed to adults should be relatively high.
2. Cost recovery for activities directed to youth and seniors should be relatively low. In those
circumstances where services are similar to those provided in the private sector, cost recovery
levels should be higher.
Although ability to pay may not be a concern for all youth and senior participants, these are
desired program activities, and the cost of determining need may be greater than the cost of
providing a uniform service fee structure to all participants. Further, there is a community-wide
benefit in encouraging high-levels of participation in youth and senior recreation activities
regardless of financial status.
3. Cost recovery goals for specific recreation activities are set as follows:
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High Range Cost Recovery Activities(67%to 80%)
a. Classes(Adult&Youth) 80%
b. Day care services 75%u
C. Adult athletics(volleyball,basketball, softball,lap swim) 67%
d. Facility rentals(Jack House,other in-door facilities_except
the City/County Library) 67%
Mid-Range Cost Recovery Activities(30%to 50%)
e. City/County Library room rentals 50%
f. Special events(triathlon,other City-sponsored special events) 50%
g. Youth track 40%
h. Minor league baseball 30%
i. Youth basketball 30%
j. Swim lessons 30%
k. Outdoor facility and equipment rentals 30%
Low-Range Cost Recovery Activities(0 to 25%)
1. Public swim 25%u
in. Special swim classes 15%
n. Community garden 10%
o. Youth STAR 0%
p. Teen services 0%
q. Senior services 4%u
4. For cost recovery activities of less than 100%, there should be a differential in rates between
residents and non-residents.
5. Charges will be assessed for use of rooms,pools, gymnasiums,ball fields, special-use areas, and
recreation equipment for activities not sponsored or co-sponsored by the City. Such charges will
generally conform to the fee guidelines described above.
6. A vendor charge of at least 10 percent of gross income will be assessed from individuals or
organizations using City facilities for money-making activities.
7. The Parks & Recreation Department will consider waiving fees only when the City
Administrative Officer determines in writing that an undue hardship exists.
H. Development Review Programs
1. Services provided under this category include:
a. Planning (planned development permits, tentative tract and parcel maps, rezonings,
general plan amendments,variances,use permits).
b. Building and safety(building permits,structural plan checks,inspections).
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C. Engineering (public improvement plan checks, inspections, subdivision requirements,
encroachments).
d. Fire plan check.
2. Cost recovery for these services should generally be very high. In most instances,the City's cost
recovery goal should be 100%. Exceptions to this standard include planning services, as this
review process is clearly intended to serve the broader community as well as the applicant. In
this case, the general level of cost recovery is set at 25%, except for appeals, where no fee is
charged.
3. However,in charging high cost recovery levels,the City needs to clearly establish and articulate
standards for its performance in reviewing developer applications to ensure that there is "value
for cost".
I. Comparability With Other Communities
1. Surveying the comparability of the City's fees to other communities provides useful background
information in setting fees for several reasons:
a. They reflect the "market" for these fees and can assist in assessing the reasonableness of
San Luis Obispo's fees.
b. If prudently analyzed, they can serve as a benchmark for how cost-effectively San Luis
Obispo provides its services.
2. However, fee surveys should never be the sole or primary criteria in setting City fees as there are
many factors that affect how and why other communities have set their fees at their levels. For
example:
a. What level of cost recovery is their fee intended to achieve compared with our cost
recovery objectives?
b. What costs have been considered in computing the fees?
C. When was the last time that their fees were comprehensively evaluated?
d. What level of service do they provide compared with our service or performance
standards?
e. Is their rate structure significantly different than ours and what is it intended to achieve?
These can be very difficult questions to address in fairly evaluating fees among different
communities. As such,the comparability of our fees to other communities should be one factor
among many that is considered in setting City fees.
ENTERPRISE FUND FEES AND RATES
A. The City will set fees and rates at levels which fully cover the total direct and indirect costs—including
operations, capital outlay, and debt service— of the following enterprise programs: water, sewer and
parking.
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B. Golf program fees and rates should fully cover direct operating costs. Because of the nine-hole nature of
the golf course with its focus on youth and seniors, subsidies from the General Fund to cover indirect
costs and capital improvements may be considered by the Council as part of the Financial Plan process.
C. As set forth in the Short-Range.Transit Plan,the City will strive to cover at least thirty percent of transit
operating costs with fare revenues.
D. The City will review and adjust enterprise fees and rate structures as required to ensure that they remain
appropriate and equitable.
E. In accordance with long-standing practices,City will treat the water fiord in the same manner as if it was
privately owned and operated. In addition to setting rates at levels necessary to fully cover the cost of
providing water service,this means assessing reasonable franchise and property tax in-lieu fees.
1. Franchise fees are based on the state-wide standard for public utilities like electricity and gas:
2% of gross revenues from operations. The appropriateness of charging the water fiord a
reasonable franchise fee for the use of City streets is further supported by the results of recent
studies in Arizona, California, Ohio and Vermont which concluded that the leading cause for
street resurfacing and reconstruction is street cuts and trenching for utilities.
2. Property tax in-lieu fees are established under the same methodology used in assessing property
tax in-lieu fees to the Housing Authority under our 1976 agreement with them. Under this
approach, water fiord property tax m-lieu charges are about $29,000 annually, and grow by 2%
per year as allowed under Proposition 13.
REVENUE DISTRIBUTION
The Council recognizes that generally accepted accounting principles for state and local governments discourage
the "earmarking" of General Fund revenues, and accordingly, the practice of designating General Fund revenues
for specific programs should be minimized in the City's management of its fiscal affairs. Approval of the
following revenue distribution policies does not prevent the Council from directing General Fund resources to
other fimetions and programs as necessary.
A. Property Taxes
With the passage of Proposition 13 on June 6, 1978, California cities no longer can set their own
property tax rates. In addition to limiting annual increases in market value, placing a ceiling on voter-
approved indebtedness, and redefining assessed valuations, Proposition 13 established a maximum
county-wide levy for general revenue purposes of 1% of market value. Under subsequent state
legislation which adopted formulas for the distribution of this county-wide levy,the City now receives a
percentage of total property tax revenues collected county-wide as determined by the County Auditor-
Controller.
Until November of 1996, the City had provisions in its charter that were in conflict with Proposition 13
relating to the setting of property tax revenues between various funds. For several years following the
passage of Proposition 13, the City made property tax allocations between finds on a policy basis that
were generally in proportion to those in place before Proposition 13. Because these were general
purpose revenues, this practice was discontinued in 1992-93. With the adoption of a series of technical
revisions to the City's charter in November of 1996,this conflict no longer exists.
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B. Gasoline Tax Subventions
All gasoline tax revenues (which are restricted by the State for street-related purposes) will be used for
maintenance activities. Since the City's total expenditures for gas tax eligible programs and projects are
much greater than this revenue source, operating transfers will be made from the gas tax fiord to the
General Fund for this purpose. This approach significantly reduces the accounting efforts required in
meeting State reporting requirements.
C. Transportation Development Act(TDA)Revenues
All TDA revenues will be allocated to alternative transportation programs, including regional and
municipal transit systems, bikeway improvements, and other programs or projects designed to reduce
automobile usage. Because TDA revenues will not be allocated for street purposes, it is expected that
alternative transportation programs - in conjunction with other state or federal grants for this purpose -
will be self-supporting from TDA revenues.
D. Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT)
Twenty percent (20%) of TOT revenues should be allocated for cultural activities, community
promotion, and economic development activities;remaining TOT revenues(80%) should be unrestricted
within the General Fund and used in funding programs or projects that benefit our residents as well as
visitors.
E. Parking Fines
All parking fine revenues will be allocated to the parking fimd.
F. Mission Plaza Improvements
A minimum of $50,000 annually shall be designated in the capital outlay fiord for Mission Plaza
improvements and expansions.
INVESTMENTS
A. Investments and cash management will be the responsibility of the City Treasurer or designee.
B. The City's primary investment objective is to achieve a reasonable rate of return while minimizing the
potential for capital losses arising from market changes or issuer default. Accordingly, the following
factors will be considered in priority order in determining individual investment placements:
1. Safety
2. Liquidity
3. Yield
C. There is an appropriate role for tax and revenue anticipation rates(TRANS) in meeting legitimate short-
term cash needs within the fiscal year. However, many agencies issue TRANS as a routine business
practice, not solely for cash flow purposes, but to capitalize on the favorable difference between the
interest cost of issuing TRANS as a tax-preferred security and the interest yields on them if re-invested at
full market rates.
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As part of its cash flow management and investment strategy, the City will only issue TRANS or other
forms of short-term debt if necessary to meet demonstrated cash flow needs; TRANS or any other form
of short-term debt financing will not be issued for investment purposes. As long as the City maintains its
current policy of maintaining fimd/working capital balances that are 201/o of operating expenditures, it is
unlikely that the City would need to issue TRANS for cash flow purposes except in very unusual
circumstances.
D. The City will strive to keep all idle cash balances fully invested through daily projections of cash flow
requirements. To avoid forced.liquidations and losses of investment earnings, cash flow and future
requirements will be the primary consideration when selecting maturities.
E. As the market and the City's investment portfolio change, care will be taken to maintain a healthy
balance of investment types and maturities.
F. The City will invest only in those instruments authorized by the California Government Code Section
53601. The City will not invest in stock,will not speculate, and will not deal in futures or options. The
investment market is highly volatile and continually offers new and creative opportunities for enhancing
interest earnings. Accordingly,the City will thoroughly investigate any new investment vehicles prior to
committing City fiords to them.
G. Current financial statements will be maintained for each institution in which cash is invested.
Investments will be limited to 20 percent of the total net worth of any institution and may be reduced
further or refused altogether if an institution's financial situation becomes unhealthy.
H. In order to maximize yields from its overall portfolio, the City will consolidate cash balances from all
fimds for investment purposes, and will allocate investment earnings to each fiord in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles.
I. Ownership of the City's investment securities will be protected through third-party custodial safekeeping.
J. The City Treasurer will develop and maintain a comprehensive, well documented investment reporting
system which will comply with Government Code Section 53607. This system will provide the Council
and Department Heads with appropriate investment performance information.
K. The City Treasurer will develop and maintain an Investment Management Plan which addresses the
City's administration of its portfolio,including investment strategies,practices,and procedures.
APPROPRIATIONS LEM1TATION
A. The Council will annually adopt a resolution establishing the City's appropriations limit calculated in
accordance with Article)MM of the Constitution of the State of California, Section 7900 of the State of
California Government Code, and any other voter approved amendments or state legislation that affect
the City's appropriations limit.
B. The supporting documentation used in calculating the City's appropriations limit and projected
appropriations subject to the limit will be available for public and Council review at least 10 days before
Council consideration of a resolution to adopt an appropriations limit. The Council will generally
consider this resolution in cormection with final approval of the budget.
C. The City will strive to develop revenue sources, both new and existing, which are considered non-tax
proceeds in calculating its appropriations subject to limitation.
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D. The City will annually review user fees and charges and report to the Council the amount of program
subsidy,if any,that is being provided by the General or Enterprise Funds.
E. The City will actively support legislation or initiatives sponsored or approved by League of California
Cities which would modify Article YM of the Constitution in a manner which would allow the City to
retain projected tax revenues resulting from growth in the local economy for use as determined by the
Council.
F. The City shall seek a vote of the public to amend its appropriation limit at such time that tax proceeds are
in excess of allowable limits.
FUND BALANCE DESIGNATIONS AND RESERVES
A. The City will maintain fimd or working capital balances of at least 20%of operating expenditures in the
General Fund and water, sewer and parking enterprise fiords. This is considered the minimum level
necessary to maintain the City's credit worthiness and to adequately provide for.
1. Economic uncertainties,local disasters,and other financial hardships or downturns in the local or
national economy.
2. Contingencies for unseen operating or capital needs.
3. Cash flow requirements.
3. For General Fund assets, the City will establish and maintain an Equipment Replacement Fund to
provide for the timely replacement of vehicles and capital equipment with an individual replacement cost
of$15,000 or more. The City will maintain a minimum fiord balance in the Equipment Replacement
Fund of at least 20% of the original purchase cost of the items accounted for in this fiord. The annual
contribution to this fiord will generally be based on the annual use allowance which is determined based
on the estimated life of the vehicle or equipment and its original purchase cost. Interest earnings and
sales of surplus equipment as well as any related damage and insurance recoveries will be credited to the
Equipment Replacement Fund.
C. The Council may designate specific fiord balance levels for future development of capital projects which
it has determined to be in the best long-term interests of the City.
D. In addition to the designations noted above, fiord balance levels will be sufficient to meet funding
requirements for projects approved in prior years which are carried forward into the new year; debt
service reserve requirements;reserves for encumbrances; and other reserves or designations required by
contractual obligations, state law,or generally accepted accounting principles.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT MANAGEMENT
A. Construction projects and equipment purchases which cost $15,000 or more will be included in the
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP); minor capital outlays of less than $15,000 will be included with the
operating program budgets.
B. The purpose of the CIP is to systematically plan, schedule, and finance capital projects to ensure cost-
effectiveness as well as conformance with established policies. The CIP is a four year plan organized
into the same functional groupings used for the operating programs. The CIP will reflect a balance
between capital replacement projects which repair, replace, or enhance existing facilities, equipment or
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infrastructure; and capital facility projects which significantly expand or add to the City's existing fixed
assets.
C. Every CIP project will have a project manager who will prepare the project proposal,ensure that required
phases are completed on schedule, authorize all project expenditures, ensure that all regulations and laws
are observed,and periodically report project status.
D. A CIP Review Committee, headed by the City Administrative Officer or designee, will review project
proposals, determine project phasing, recommend project managers, review and evaluate the draft CIP
budget document,and report CIP project progress on an ongoing basis.
E. The CIP will emphasize project planning,with projects progressing through at least two and up to ten of
the following phases:
1. Designate. Appropriates fiords based on projects designated for fimding by the Council through
adoption of the Financial Plan.
2. Study. Concept design, site selection, feasibility analysis, schematic design, environmental
determination, property appraisals, scheduling, grant application, grant approval, specification
preparation for equipment purchases.
3. Environmental review. EIR preparation,other environmental studies.
4. Real property acquisitions. Property acquisition for projects,if necessary.
5. Site preparation. Demolition,hazardous materials abatements,other pre-construction work.
6. Design. Final design,plan and specification preparation,and construction cost estimation.
7. Contraction. Construction contracts.
8. Construction management Contract project management&inspection, soils &material tests,
other support services during construction.
9. Equipment acquisitions. Vehicles, heavy machinery, computers, office furnishings, other
equipment items acquired and installed independently from construction contracts.
10. Debt service. Installment payments of principal and interest for completed projects funded
through debt financings. Expenditures for this project phase are included in the Debt Service
section of the Financial Plan.
Generally,it will become more difficult for a project to move from one phase to the next. As such,more
projects will be studied than will be designed, and more projects will be designed than will be
constructed or purchased during the term of the CIP.
F. The City's annual CIP appropriation for study, design, acquisition, and/or construction is based on the
projects designated by the Council through adoption of the Financial Plan. Adoption of the Financial
Plan CIP appropriation does not automatically authorize fimding for specific project phases. This
authorization generally occurs only after the preceding project phase has been completed and approved
by the Council and costs for the succeeding phases have been fully developed. Accordingly, project
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appropriations are generally made when contracts are awarded. If project costs at the time of bid award
are less than the budgeted amount, the balance will be unappropriated and returned to fiord balance or
allocated to another project If project costs at the time of bid award are greater than budget amounts,
five basic options are available to the Council:
1. Eliminate the project.
2. Defer the project for consideration to the next Financial Plan period.
3. Rescope or change the phasing of the project to meet the existing budget.
4. Transfer funding from another specified,lower priority project
5. Appropriate additional resources as necessary from fund balance.
G. CIP appropriations lapse three years after budget adoption. Projects which lapse from lack of project
account appropriations may be resubmitted for inclusion in a subsequent CIP. Project accounts which
have been appropriated will not lapse until completion of the project phase.
H. Project phases will be listed as objectives in the program narratives of the programs which manage the
projects.
I. CIP projects will be evaluated during the budget process and prior to each phase for conformance with
the City's public art policy,which generally requires that 1% of eligible project construction costs be set
aside for public art. Excluded from this requirement are underground projects, utility infrastructure
projects, finding from outside agencies, and costs other than construction such as study, environmental
review,design, site preparation,land acquisition and equipment purchases. It is generally preferred that
public art be incorporated directly into the project,but this is not practical or desirable for all projects; in
this case, an in-lieu contribution to public art will be made. To ensure that fimds are adequately
budgeted for this purpose regardless of whether public art will directly incorporated into the project,
fiords for public art will be identified separately in the CIP.
CAPITAL FINANCING AND DEBT MANAGEMENT
Capital Financing
A. The City will consider the use of debt financing only for one-time capital improvement projects and only
under the following circumstances:
1. When the project's useful life will exceed the term of the financing.
2. When project revenues or specific resources will be sufficient to service the long-term debt.
B. Debt financing will not be considered appropriate for any recurring purpose such as current operating
and maintenance expenditures. The issuance of short-term instruments such as revenue, tax, or bond
anticipation notes is excluded from this limitation. (See Investment Policy)
C. Capital improvements will be financed primarily through user fees, service charges, assessments, special
taxes, or developer agreements when benefits can be specifically attributed to users of the facility.
Accordingly, development impact fees should be created and implemented at levels sufficient to ensure
that new development pays its fair share of the cost of constructing necessary community facilities.
D. Transportation impact fees are a major funding source in financing transportation system improvements.
However, revenues from these fees are subject to significant fluctuation based on the rate of new
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development Accordingly,the following guidelines will be followed in designing and building projects
funded with transportation impact fees:
1. The availability of transportation impact fees in finding a specific project will be analyzed on a
case-by-case basis as plans and specification or contract awards are submitted for CAO or
Council approval.
2. If adequate fiords are not available at that time,the Council will make one of two determinations:
a. Defer the project until funds are available.
b. Based on the high-priority of the project, advance fiords from the General Fund, which
will be reimbursed as soon as finds become available. Repayment of General Fund
advances will be the first use of transportation impact fee funds when they become
available.
E. The City will use the following criteria to evaluate pay-as-you-go versus long-term financing in finding
capital improvements:
Factors which favor pay-as you-go financing
1. Current revenues and adequate fiord balances are available or project phasing can be
accomplished.
2. Existing debt levels adversely affect the City's credit rating.
3. Market conditions are unstable or present difficulties in marketing.
Factors which favor long-terrn financing
4. Revenues available for debt service are deemed to be sufficient and reliable so that long-tens
financings can be marketed with investment grade credit ratings.
5. The project securing the financing is of the type which will support an investment grade credit
rating.
6. Market conditions present favorable interest rates and demand for City financings.
7. A project is mandated by state or federal requirements, and resources are insufficient or
unavailable.
8. The project is immediately required to meet or relieve capacity needs and current resources are
insufficient or unavailable.
9. The life of the project or asset to be financed is 10 years or longer.
Debt Management
F. The City will not obligate the General Fund to secure long-term financings except when marketability
can be significantly enhanced.
G. No more than 60% of capital improvement outlays will be funded from long term financings; and direct
debt will not exceed 2%of assessed valuation.
H. An internal feasibility analysis will be prepared for each long-term financing which analyzes the impact
on current and future budgets for debt service and operations. This analysis will also address the
reliability of revenues to support debt service.
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I. The City will generally conduct financings on a competitive basis. However,negotiated financings may
be used due to market volatility or the use of an unusual or complex financing or security structure.
J. The City will seek an investment grade rating (Baa/BBB or greater) on any direct debt and will seek
credit enhancements such as letters of credit or insurance when necessary for marketing purposes,
availability,and cost-effectiveness.
K. The City will monitor all fors of debt annually coincident with the City's Financial Plan preparation
and review process and report concerns and remedies,if needed,to the Council.
L. The City will diligently monitor its compliance with bond covenants and ensure its adherence to federal
arbitrage regulations.
M. The City will maintain good communications with bond rating agencies about its financial condition.
The City will follow a policy of full disclosure on every financial report and bond prospectus (Official
Statement).
CONDUIT FINANCINGS
A. The City will consider requests for conduit financing on a case-by-case basis using the following criteria:
1. The City's bond counsel will review the terms of the financing, and render an opinion that there
will be no liability to the City in issuing the bonds on behalf of the applicant
2. There is a clearly articulated public purpose in providing the conduit financing.
3. The applicant is capable of achieving this public purpose.
B. This means that the review of requests for conduit financing will generally be a two-step process: first
asking the Council if they are interested in considering the request, and establishing the groundrules for
evaluating it; and then returning with the results of this evaluation, and recommending approval of
appropriate financing documents if warranted. This two-step approach ensures that the issues are clear
for both the City and applicant,and that key policy questions are answered.
The workscope necessary to address these issues will vary from request to request, and will have to be
determined on a case-by-case basis. Additionally,the City should generally be fully reimbursed for our
costs in evaluating the request;however,this should also be determined on a case-by-case basis.
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
A. The budget will fully appropriate the resources needed for authorized regular staffing and will limit
programs to.the regular staffing authorized.
B. Staffing and contract service cost ceilings will limit total expenditures for regular employees, temporary
employees,and independent contractors hired to provide operating and maintenance services.
C. Regular employees will be the core work force and the preferred means of staffing ongoing, year-round
program activities that should be performed by full-time City employees rather than independent
contractors. The City will strive to provide competitive compensation and benefit schedules for its
authorized regular work force. Each regular employee will:
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1. Fill an authorized regular position.
2. Be assigned to an appropriate bargaining unit.
3. Receive salary and benefits consistent with labor agreements or other compensation plans.
D. To manage the growth of the regular work force and overall staffing costs, the City will follow these
procedures:
1. The Council will authorize all regular positions.
2. The Personnel Department will coordinate and approve the hiring of all regular and temporary
employees.
3. All requests for additional regular positions will include evaluations of:
a. The necessity,term,and expected results of the proposed activity.
b. Staffing and materials costs including salary, benefits, equipment, uniforms, clerical
support,and facilities.
C. The ability of private industry to provide the proposed service.
d. Additional revenues or cost savings which may be realized.
4. Periodically,and prior to any request for additional regular positions,programs will be evaluated
to determine if they can be accomplished with fewer regular employees. (See Productivity
Review Policy)
E. The hiring of temporary employees will not be used as an incremental method for expanding the City's
regular work force.
1. Temporary employees include all employees other than regular employees, elected officials, and
volunteers. Temporary employees will generally augment regular City staffing as extra-help
employees, seasonal employees, contract employees, interns, and work-study assistants. The
City Administrative Officer(CAO) and Department Heads will encourage the use of temporary
rather than regular employees to meet peak workload requirements, fill interim vacancies, and
accomplish tasks where less than full-time,year-round staffing is required. Under this guideline,
temporary employee hours will generally not exceed 50% of a regular, full-time position (1,000
hours annually). There may be limited circumstances where the use of temporary employees on
an ongoing basis in excess of this target may be appropriate due to unique programming or
staffing requirements. However, any such exceptions must be approved by the CAO based on
the review and recommendation of the Personnel Director.
2. Contract employees are defined as temporary employees with written contracts approved by the
CAO who may receive approved benefits depending on hourly requirements and the length of
their contract Contract employees will generally be used for medium-term (generally between
six months and two years) projects, programs or activities requiring specialized or augmented
levels of staffing for a specific period of time. The services of contract employees will be
discontinued upon completion of the assigned project, program or activity. Accordingly,
contract employees will not be used for services that are anticipated to be delivered on an
ongoing basis.
H. Independent contractors will not be considered City employees. Independent contractors may be used in
two situations:
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1. Short-term, peak work load assignments to be accomplished through the use of personnel
contracted through an outside temporary employment agency (OEA). In this situation, it is
anticipated that the work of OEA employees will be closely monitored by City staff and minimal
training will be required. However, they will always be considered the employees of the OEA
and not the City. All placements through an OEA will be coordinated through the Personnel
Department and subject to the approval of the Personnel Director.
2. Construction of public works projects and delivery of operating, maintenance or specialized
professional services not routinely performed by City employees. Such services will be provided
without close supervision by City staff, and the required methods, skills and equipment will
generally be determined and provided by the contractor. Contract awards will be guided by the
City's purchasing policies and procedures. (See Contracting for Services Policy)
PRODUCTIVTI'Y
Ensuring the "delivery of service with value for cost" is one of the key concepts embodied in the City's Mission
Statement (San Luis Obispo Style - Quality With Vision). To this end, the City will constantly monitor and
review our methods of operation to ensure that services continue to be delivered in the most cost-effective
manner possible. This review process encompasses a wide range of productivity issues, including:
A. Analyzing systems and procedures to identify and remove unnecessary review requirements.
B. Evaluating the ability of new technologies and related capital investments to improve productivity.
C. Investing in the organization's most valuable asset - our human capital - by developing the skills and
abilities of all City employees,with special emphasis on first-line supervisors.
D. Developing and implementing appropriate methods of recognizing and rewarding exceptional employee
performance.
E. Evaluating the ability of the private sector to perform the same level of service at a lower cost.
F. Periodic formal reviews of operations on a systematic,ongoing basis.
G. Maintaining a decentralized approach in managing the City's support service functions. Although some
level of centralization is necessary for review and control purposes, decentralization supports
productivity by:
1. Encouraging accountability by delegating responsibility to the lowest possible level.
2. Stimulating creativity, innovation and individual initiative.
3. Reducing the administrative costs of operation by eliminating unnecessary review procedures.
4. Improving the organization's ability to respond to changing needs, and identify and implement
cost-saving programs.
5. Assigning responsibility for effective operations and citizen responsiveness to the department.
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CONTRACTING FOR SERVICES
A. General Policy Guidelines
1. Contracting with the private sector for the delivery of services provides the City with a
significant opportunity for cost containment and productivity enhancements. As such,the City is
committed to using private sector resources in delivering municipal services as a key element in
our continuing efforts to provide cost-effective programs.
2. Private sector contracting approaches under this policy include construction projects,
professional services, outside employment agencies, and ongoing operating and maintenance
services.
3. In evaluating the costs of private sector contracts compared with in-house performance of the
service, indirect, direct, and contract administration costs of the City will be identified and
considered.
4. Whenever private sector providers are available and can meet established service levels, they
will be seriously considered as viable service delivery alternatives using the evaluation criteria
outlined below.
5. For programs and activities currently provided by City employees, conversions to contract
services will generally be made through attrition,reassignment, or absorption by the contractor.
B. Evaluation Criteria
Within the general policy guidelines stated above, the cost-effectiveness of contract services in meeting
established service levels will be determined on a case-by-case basis using the following criteria:
I. Is a sufficient private sector market available to competitively deliver this service and assure a
reasonable range of alternative service providers?
2. Can the contract be effectively and efficiently administered?
3. What are the consequences if the contractor fails to perform, and can the contract reasonably be
written to compensate the City for any such damages?
4. Can a private sector contractor better respond to expansions, contractions, or special
requirements of the service?
5. Can the work scope be sufficiently defined to ensure that competing proposals can be fairly and
fully evaluated,as well as the contractor's performance after bid award?
6. Does the use of contract services provide us with an opportunity to redefine service levels?
7. Will the contract limit our ability to deliver emergency or other high priority services?
8. Overall, can the City successfully delegate the performance of the service but still retain
accountability and responsibility for its delivery?
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OPERATING PROGRAMS Exhibit �—
OVERVIEW-PURPOSE AND ORGANIZATION
The operating programs set forth in this section of the Financial Plan form the City's basic organizational units,provide for
the delivery of essential services,and allow the City to accomplish the following tasks:
■ Establish policies and goals which define the nature and level of services to be provided
■ Identify activities performed in delivering program services.
■ Set objectives for improving the delivery of services.
■ Appropriate the resources required to perform activities and accomplish objectives.
The City's operating expenditures are organized into the following hierarchical categories:
Function
The highest level of summarization used in the City's Financial Plan,the "function"classification represents a grouping of
related operations and programs which may cross organizational(departmental)boundaries aimed at accomplishing a broad
goal or delivering a major service. The six functions in the Financial Plan are:
■ Public Safety ■ Leisure,Cultural and Social Services
■ Public Utilities 0 Community Development
■ Transportation ■ General Government
Operation
Grouping of related programs within a fimctional area such as police protection within Public Safety or water service within
Public Utilities.
Program
Basic organizational unit of the Financial Plan which establishes policies,goals, and objectives that define the nature and
level of services to be provided
Activity
Specific service performed within a program in the pursuit of its objectives and goals.
The following is an example of the relationship between functions,operations,programs,and activities:
FUNCTION Public Utilities
OPERATION Water Service
PROGRAM Water Treatment
ACTIVITY Laboratory Analysis
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4-a a
OPERATING PROGRAMS Exhibit-4- :1--
OVERVIEW
xhibit_4'ZOVERVIEW-SUMv1ARY OF MAJOR FUNCTIONS AND OPERATIONS
Responsible Primary
Department/Office Funding Source
Public Safety
Police Protection Police General Fund
Fire&Environmental Safety Fire General Fund
Public Utilities
Water Service Utilities Water Fund
Wastewater Service Utilities Sewer Fund
Whale Rock Reservoir Utilities Whale Rock
Transportation
Transportation Planning Public Works General Fund
Streets&Flood Control Public Works General Fund
Parking Public Works Parking Fund
Municipal Transit System Public Works Transit Fund
Leisure,Cultural,&Social Services
Parks and Recreation
Recreation Programs Parks&Recreation General Fund
Special Youth Services Parks&Recreation CDBG Fund
Golf Course Parks&Recreation Golf Fund
Maintenance Programs Public Works General Fund
Cultural Activities Administration General Fund
Human Relations Parks&Recreation General Fund
Housing Assistance Parks&Recreation CDBG Fund
Community Development
Planning - Community Development General Fund
Natural Resources Protection Administration General Fund
Building&Safety Community Development General Fund
Engineering Public Works General Fund
Economic Health
Business Improvement Area Council&Advisory Bodies BIA Fund
Community Promotion Administration General Fund
Economic Development Administration General Fund
General Government
Legislation&Policy Council&Advisory Bodies General Fund
General Administration
City Administration Administration General Fund
Public Works Administration Public Works General Fund
Legal Services City Attorney General Fund
Records&Elections City Clerk General Fund
Organizational Support Services
Personnel Administration Personnel General Fund
Risk Management Personnel General Fund
Financial Management Finance General Fund
Information Systems Finance General Fund
GeoData Services Public Works General Fund
Building Maintenance Public Works General Fund
Vehicle Maintenance Public Works General Fund
D-2
4. -29
OPERATING PROGRAMS- Exhibit
OVERVIEW-OPERATING PROGRAM NARRATIVES
Each operating program narrative provides the following information:
Program Title
The function, program name, operation, department responsible for program administration, and the primary funding
source are shown at the top of the page.
Program Cosmo
Four years of historical and projected expenditure information(1995-96 through 1998-99) is provided in this part divided
into four categories:
■ Staffing. All costs associated with City staffing, including salaries for all regular, temporary, and contract
employees as well as related costs for benefits and overtime.
■ Contract services All expenditures related to contract services.
■ Other operating expenditures Purchases of supplies, tools, utilities, insurance, and similar operating
expenditures.
■ Minor capitaL New capital acquisitions or projects with a life in excess of one year and costs between$5,000 and
$15,000. New capital acquisitions or projects with a cost in excess of $15,000 are included in the Capital
Improvement Plan(CIP)section-
Program Description
Program purpose,goals,and activities are described in this part.
Staffing Summary
This part provides a four year summary of authorized regular positions allocated to this program along with full-time
equivalents (FI'E's) for temporary staffing. Generally,whole regular positions are assigned to programs based on where
employees spend at least 50%of their time.
Significant Expenditure and Staffing Changes
Significant operating program changes from the prior Financial Plan are summarized in this part, which include: major
service curtailments or expansions; any increases or decreases in regular positions; significant one-time costs; major
changes in the method of delivering services; changes in operation that will significantly affect other departments or
customer services;and changes that affect current policies.
1997-99 Program Objectives
This part provides a listing of major 1997-99 program objectives to improve service delivery.
Performance and Worldoad Indicators
Four years of historical and projected performance and workload indicators(1995-96 through 1998-99)are provided in this
part in order to provide the Council and public with an overview of the program's workscope and effectiveness.
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