From: Windy Quintanar
To: Chelsi Wilson; Chet Simmons; Craig Koehler; Emeline Noda; Kain Gallaugher; Luke South; Michael Claborn; Michael S. Daudt; OCFA Chief Covey; Robert Acosta; Ron Noda Cc: Eleanor Granflor
Subject: FW: January 16, 2024, City Council Meeting Warrants Date: Thursday, January 25, 2024 8:55:12 AM
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Good Morning Council,
Per the Accelerated Warrant Report, below are the questions received during the January Council meeting. Responses are provided in blue.
Please reach out to Chet with any questions.
Thank you.
Windmera Quintanar
City Clerk, MMC/Director of
Communications
City of Los Alamitos
(562) 431-3538, ext. 220
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From: Trisha Murphy <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2024 8:57 PM
To: Craig Koehler <[email protected]>
Cc: Chet Simmons <[email protected]>
Subject: January 16, 2024 City Council Meeting Warrants Good evening Mr. Koehler,
I hope all is well. I am seeking clarification on certain aspects brought to your attention at the January 16th City Council Meeting related to the Warrants within your financial operations.
To reiterate:
On Page 10, in respect to Good Evening Los Al, why are there two different Department expense allocations for "Community Development Admin" and "Special Events" to which you stated you "would have to research"?
There were two differentiating charges for printing for McClean Enterprises (Sir Speedy) because they were made by Community Development and Recreation separately for retractable posters that specifically related to Comm Dev and Rec and were displayed at the tables for the Good Evening Los Al event, and will most likely be used for future events as well.
Also, in regard to Pacific Secured Equities, you stated that you "would have to research" regarding the "Admin Flate Fee" as well as provide a fee structure related to my inquiry about the fee term.
This charge pertains to the monthly administration fees at the “flat contracted rate” for one of the City’s third party administrators for worker’s compensation, Intercare Holding Insurance Svcs (Pacific Secured Equities). The word, as entered, was mistyped and s/b flat vs. “flate”.
Counseling was conducted with staff to stress accuracy.
On Page 16, in respect to Winter Wonderland Supplies, how are the referenced (3) fees that are expensed to "Community Outreach" different to the fees associated with the "Winter Wonderland Supplies" on Page 10, that are expensed to "Special Events" to which you stated you "would have to provide research on that/follow-up as quick as possible"? The fee charges in question were charged and expensed by the PD Community Outreach staff for their respective charges on their Cal Card, which also happened to be for the Winter Wonderland event.
On Page 17, in respect to JFTB Tree Lighting Supplies, how is the fee that is expensed to "Recreation Administration" different to the fees associated with JFTB Tree Lighting Supplies on page 18 which is expensed to "Special Events", to which you again replied "will research"? They are the same, but were coded by the originating department Recreation, as Recreation Administration and also Special Events, different line item expenses within the Rec Dept budget. Special Events requires separate tracking, as funding is offset by donations, as opposed to Rec Administration expenses that is not.
In general, Finance records the respective charges as coded by the originating department, and expects that all information entered on the warrant request is accurate. That said, Finance is checking to verify that amounts on the warrant request agree with the invoice, all pertinent supporting backup is included with the invoice, and that the warrant request is signed off and approved by appropriate department staff.
If any discrepancies occur, Finance returns the warrant packet back to the originating department for correction before paying the invoice. As this could cause delays in payment to the vendor, it is imperative that the warrant request is accurate and complete before it is sent to Finance for processing.
Finance will be conducting a training session at an Executive staff meeting in February, whereby processing warrant requests is among the topics to be reviewed and discussed with the department heads and managers. Additional training by Finance with department personnel, is also contemplated in the future.
Your insights and research on these matters will be crucial for my understanding. I appreciate your prompt attention to the above referenced inquiries.
Thank you.
Trisha Murphy
Los Alamitos City Council Member - District 2
Cell: 310-308-4979
Email: [email protected]
City of Los Alamitos
3191 Katella Avenue
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
Business: 562-431-3538
Website: www.cityoflosalamitos.org