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02-07-2012 - 2011-12 Fiscal Year Mid-Year Budget Update - Item 7 (2).pdfCity of West Covina MEMORANDUM AGENDA Item No.: 7 Date: February 7, 2012 TO: Andrew G. Pasmant, City Manager and City Council FROM: Tom Bachman, Assistant City Manager SUBJECT: 2011-12 FISCAL YEAR MID-YEAR BUDGET UPDATE RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council receive and file this report. DISCUSSION: 2011-12 BUDGET — MID-YEAR UPDATE General Fund The 2011-12 Adopted General Fund Budget includes $51.6 million of estimated revenues and $53.5 million of appropriations, resulting in a revised $1.9 million deficit. Revenues in 2011-12 are projected to increase by 4.8% over the 2010-11 estimates while expenditures are projected to increase by 1.3% over the 2010-11 budget. There will also be a limited amount of operating carryovers from the 2011-11 fiscal year that will increase the gap by $61,266. Through the first half of the fiscal year, there are no major identifiable deviations in revenue sources, due in large part to many of the City's revenue sources are not received until the second half of the fiscal year. Property tax and sales tax combine for almost 60% of the General Fund's revenues. Property tax revenues should show a slight increase this year after declining for the last two years. That revenue is expected to grow slowly as the housing market is still sluggish and a number of commercial assessment appeals are still working their way through the county process. Sales tax on the other hand has already started to turn around, growing 8.4% last fiscal year after three years of declines, and further growth is expected in the current year. Sales tax revenues however, still are well below their pre-recession levels. Both revenues are on track to meet there budget estimates in the current year. Most other revenues are performing at or near budget levels. A more detailed discussion of the top 10 General Fund revenues is provided in Attachment 1 of this report. On the expenditure side, most departments are either at or below where they should be in terms of budget at this time of the year. The City will again realize significant savings on its variable rate bond debt service payments due to continued historically low-interest rates that have remained in the 0.10% - 0.25% range. These rates are expected to remain low for the next couple of years. The Finance Department budget, which includes the non-departmental expenditures, is at 54.2% of budget due to the property tax administration fees that are paid to the county as a deduction from the first property tax revenue payment received by the City in December. This expenditure picture will change for the remainder of the fiscal year due to the state's elimination of redevelopment agencies effective February 1, 2012. In addition to the six full time employees in the Community Development Commission Department, redevelopment funds were used to pay for portions of 17 other City staff members' salaries and benefits. This funding source goes away on February 1st and absent any immediate staffing reductions, those costs will have to be absorbed by other funds with the bulk of it ending up in the General Fund. In total, the loss of redevelopment will cost the City's General Fund anywhere between $1.8 million and $4.8 million annually, depending on the final determination of whether the City's loans to the redevelopment agency are held as valid. This issue is described in more detail on another staff report on this agenda along with a series of recommended actions to address the loss of funding. The table below presents a summary of General Fund revenues and expenditures through December 31, 2011. As of December 31, 2012, the General Fund had received only 29.3% of its estimated revenues compared to spending 48.0% of its appropriations, and has spent $10.6 million more than it has received in revenues. While January is a big revenue month for the City, there are still a couple of large revenue sources such as franchise fees and the sales tax reimbursement agreement payment from the CDC that do not come in until later in the fiscal year. That sales tax agreement is one of the revenues at risk of being held invalid due to the elimination of redevelopment agencies. Expenditures are very consistent throughout the year as the majority of costs (83%) are payroll related and paid every two weeks. • Biidggt.;: Original . , ._, mended YTD Balance Summary 'Budget' . Budget - Actual Remaining Received Total Revenues 51,623,820 51,623,820 15,113,992 36,509,828 29.3% Total Expenditures I 53,485,573 53,632,414 25,721,599 27,910,815 48.0% Budget Surplus/(Deficit) I (1,861,753) (2,008,594) (10,607,607) Other Funds Like the General Fund, most other funds have also started to stabilize and are showing slow to moderate growth depending on the funding source. Special revenue sources such as Prop A Transit, Prop C Transit, Measure R Transit, and Prop172 Public Safety Augmentation funds are all based on sales tax revenues but are distributed to cities using different allocation methods. These sales tax based revenues, like General Fund sales tax, also showed growth during the 2010-11 fiscal year. Prop A and C and Measure R are all Los Angeles County 1/2 cent sales tax revenues that are allocated locally based on population and all are projected to exceed last year's total as well as this year's budget estimates. Prop C and Measure R are used to fund transportation services and transit related capital projects, while Prop A is mostly sold to other agencies for unrestricted General Fund dollars which in turn can be used for any purpose such as public safety. Prop 172 sales tax revenues on the other hand, which are based on statewide sales tax and fund public safety programs, is also projected to show moderate growth over last years revenues. Gas Tax revenue is based on a flat 18 cent per gallon tax and is allocated to cities based on population. This revenue source provides funding for the City's street maintenance programs. Gas Tax revenue rebounded in 2009-10 after declining sharply over a three-year period ending in 2008-09. In 2010-11, gas tax revenues again declined as gas prices rose sharply and people cut back on their consumption. This sluggish trend is continuing in the current year and revenue is expected to be slightly below last year's total and below the current year budget estimate. Two other revenue sources that support ongoing safety operations are parking fines and vehicle code violations. Traffic citations are on pace to exceed last years total but parking revenues are running below last years total. Parking revenues should pick up once the DMV office opens again. The transfer from this fund to the General Fund was reduced in this year's budget to reflect the downward trend of these revenues, so there will be no effect on General Fund revenues. The elimination of redevelopment agencies will also affect the General Fund revenues. Per the terms of the agreement with the City, the CDC repaid the $5 million line of credit during the fiscal year, which will reduce General Fund revenues in the current year by $156,250. The City will also have to absorb additional costs to offset the funding provided for many City positions that are no longer eligible for funding after the February 1 dissolution date. FISCAL YEAR 2012-13 OUTLOOK The City faces an immediate serious financial crisis due to the sudden elimination of redevelopment agencies. The City, at a minimum, will lose $1.8 million annually due to loss of revenues generated by the redevelopment agency and costs that were shared with the agency. That $1.8 million could grow to $4.8 million if the City's two remaining agreements with the redevelopment agency are held invalid. This loss will mean that the projected General Fund deficit in 2012-13 will grow from $3.8 million to at least $5.6 million, and possibly $8.6 million. The City is projecting an available fund balance at the end of the year of approximately $6 million. Pending the outcome of current court cases that seek to address the question of validity of loans between cities and redevelopment agencies, the City will have to consider its own action to protect the $16.5 million outstanding balance that is due from the redevelopment agency as well as the sales tax reimbursement agreement. Staff has already presented the summary budget information for 2012-13 to the City Council including the size of the deficit scenarios and the projections for the following two years. Based on preliminary direction from City Council, staff will return to City Council in February with a staffing reduction plan to help offset the increase in the deficit due to the elimination of the redevelopment agency. Staff is also presenting to the City Council additional recommended actions on another report on this agenda to also address this issue. Assistant City Manager Attachment No. 1 2011-12 General Fund Revenue and Expenditure Summary Attachment 1 2011-12 GENERAL FUND REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE SUMMARY Shown below is a summary of the 2010-11 adopted budget with revenues and expenditures through the month of December (50% of the year). Certain of the larger revenue sources are running well below the 50% mark due to timing of when revenues are received during the fiscal year. The top ten revenues are discussed below. -REWICTITE SOI.iTia , % of Total Original Budget . Amended Budget YTD Actual Balance Remaining % Received Property Tax 34.3% 17,685,000 17,685,000 3,875,346 13,809,654 21.9% Sales Tax 24.6% 12,700,000 12,700,000 4,012,725 8,687,275 31.6% Interest 4.6% 2,354,228 2,354,228 1,200,607 1,153,621 51.0% Franchise Tax 6.4% 3,325,000 3,325,000 522,073 2,802,927 15.7% Overhead Chargebacks 3.1% 1,600,000 1,600,000 691,248 908,752 43.2% Ambulance Service 3.4% 1,750,000 1,750,000 700,414 1,049;586 40.0% Business License Tax 4.3% 2,200,000 2,200,000 238,882 1,961,118 10.9% Sales Tax Reimbursement 2.2% 1,136,000 1,136,000 0 1,136,000 0.0% Transient Occupancy Tax 1.6% 850,000 850,000 373,423 476,577 43.9% Other Revenues 12.7% 6,574,592 6,574,592 2,675,964 3,898,628 40.7% Transfers In 2.8% 1,449,000 1,449,000 823,311 625,689 56.8% Total Revenues 100.0% 51,623,820 51,623,820 15,113,992 36,509,828 29.3% Property taxes - Property tax revenues, which include the Supplemental in Lieu of VLF amount, make up almost 35% of General Fund revenues. It is made up of two main components, (1) property taxes based on real property located within the City, and (2) the supplemental in lieu of VLF property tax that grows each year based on the increase or decrease in the total city wide assessed valuation. Total assessed valuation in the City increased in 2011-12 by 1.9% after declining the prior two years. Residential properties, which comprise 90% of General Fund property tax revenues, increased by 1.5% as compared to a 0.4% decrease in the prior year. The supplemental in lieu of VLF portion declined in 2009-10 by 0.2% ($17,227) due to the decrease in total assessed valuation in the City. It will increase by $162,000 (1.9%) during the current year because this revenue source is tied directly to changes in assessed valuation. Property taxes are projected to show slight growth during the current fiscal year after declining by approximately $950,000 in the last two years. There are still a large number of commercial assessment appeals pending with the County. The revenue loss from these appeals could be between $1 million - $2 million. While most of these commercial appeals are within redevelopment project areas, they would have an indirect effect on General Fund revenues to the extent that they lower total assessed valuation in the City, which affects the supplemental in lieu of VLF portion. Property tax revenues through December were $3,875,346 and are projected to exceed their revenue estimate for the year by 1% - 2%. Sales Tax - Sales tax revenues, which include the triple flip, are at $4,012,725, or 31.6% of its budget estimate through the first six months of the year. This does not include any triple flip money, since those amounts are received twice-annually in January and May. This is $43,637 (1.1%) higher than the $3,969,088 amount at this time last year. Sales tax revenues grew by 8.4% last year after three years of decline in which they decreased by a total of $3,166,120 (22%) from $14,209,893 in 2006-07 to $11,043,773 in 2009-10. The increase in 2010-11 was $931,068 bringing the annual total to $11,974,841, which is still 16% below the high in 2006-07. Sales tax is expected to grow another 5% during the current year. This growth over the last two years has lagged statewide and countywide growth due in large part to certain under-performing auto dealerships that have not rebounded at the same level as the rest of the auto industry. Many of the vacant midsize and large stores have been re-tenanted, although in most cases, with tenants that will generate less sales tax revenues than their predecessors. The expansion of the mall that followed the move of Best Buy to that location is ongoing and it is expected to help revitalize that property with new restaurants and shops. This growth is expected to be very gradual and will take another two to three years before it reaches it previous levels generated in 2006-07. The estimate for the current year is $12.7 million, although it appears sales tax may fall a little short of that mark. Interest — Interest income is right where it should be at this time of the year. This is because essentially all of the City's interest income of $2.4 million comes from loans to the redevelopment agency and is paid monthly to the City. This budget amount will be less $156,250 due to the CDC repaying the $5 million line of credit. This revenue source is also in jeopardy due to legislation that was part of the redevelopment agency dissolution that would make these loans no longer valid. Franchise Tax — Franchise tax receipts are only at $522,073 or 15.7% due to the fact that large payments from the utilities are not received until later in the year and only one quarter's payment has been received from both Athens Disposal and Charter Cable. This revenue source should meet, or be slightly below its budget estimate of $3.3 million for the fiscal year. Overhead Chargebacks — These are budgeted chargebacks to various departments and funds that receive external funding. This revenue source has been reduced in recent years as the City cuts back on staffing and other expenditures; there are less General Fund costs to be charged back to the other funds. This revenue source will also be reduced in the future by approximately $400,000 due to amounts no longer able to be recovered from the redevelopment agency. Ambulance Service — Ambulance transport revenues for the first seven months are $700,414 or 40.0% of their revenue estimate with only five months of revenue received to date. Revenues for the same period last year were $691,206. This revenue source has declined the last two years and generated $1,715,806 in 2010-11. It is still on track to meet its budget estimate of $1,750,000 for the fiscal year. Business License Tax — Business license revenues are at $238,882 (10.9%) through six months as the majority of business license renewals are due in January. This is the one revenue source that has consistently grown throughout the recession while all other revenues either declined or stayed flat. This revenue sources is expected to meet its budget estimate of $2,200,000 during the fiscal year. Sales Tax Reimbursement — This revenue source reimburses the General Fund for current year and prior year sales tax revenues that have been diverted to the Community Development Commission for repayment of the CFD bonds. The current year estimate is $1,136,000 but this is one of the revenues whose validity remains in question due to the dissolution of the redevelopment agency. Transient Occupancy Tax — Transient occupancy taxes are at $373,423 (43.9%) and only include five months' payments. This is higher than last year's total of $336,110 at the same time of year. This revenue source increased by $109,450 (16.9%) after decreasing dramatically over the prior two fiscal years as the recession battered the hospitality industry. This revenue source should meet or slightly exceed it revenue estimate of $850,000 for the current year. Other Revenues — This revenue source contains all other revenues, including the Prop A Exchange and is at $2,675,964 (40.7%) for the year. These revenues, in total, should meet their budget estimate of $6,574,592 for the current year. Fund Transfers — This revenue source includes transfers from the Traffic Safety, Public Safety Augmentation and West Covina Service Group Funds. This revenue source, in total, should be very close to its budget estimate for the year. A chart of expenditures for 2011-12 is shown below. '-' ENDITURE % o . Total- k, rigina . ,.. Budget Amended Budget YTD - Actual Balance Remaining . 0 Expended City Council 0.4% 233,768 238,468 100,618 137,850 42.2% General Administration 1.8% 982,164 1,038,730 410,970 627,760 39.6% City Clerk 1.5% 816,595 816,595 291,368 525,226 35.7% Finance 4.5% 2,382,954 2,443,914 1,325,683 1,118,232 54.2% Human Resources 0.9% 459,699 459,699 197,793 261,906 43.0% Planning 0.8% 424,827 424,827 203,852 220,975 48.0% Police 48.2% 25,757,768 25,771,693 12,679,164 13,092,529 49.2% Fire 30.6% 16,365,979 16,365,979 7,624,978 8,741,001 46.6% Public Works 8.4% 4,511,971 4,522,661 2,141,911 2,380,750 47.4% Community Services 1.4% 738,798 738,798 339,737 399,061 46.0% Transfers Out 1.5% 811,050 811,050 405,525 405,525 50.0% Total Operating Budget 53,485,573 53,632,414 25,721,599 27,910,815 48.0% Net Operating Budget Surplus/(Deficit) (1,861,753) (2,008,594) (10,607,607) 8,599,013 Capital Projects Total 0.0% 0 0 0 0 #DIV/0! General Fund Budget Total 100.0% 53,485,573 53,632,414 25,721,599 27,910,815 48.0% Most departments are on track at this point in the year to stay within their budgets. The City has a number of vacancies that will remain vacant in an effort to reduce the budget deficit in the current year, as well as to facilitate further staff reductions in the upcoming year necessitated by the elimination of the redevelopment agency and the resulting loss of revenue and shared costs with the General Fund.