February 18, 2025
Finance Department
DATE: February 18, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Shasa Curl, City Manager
Nickie Mastay, Deputy City Manager – Internal Services
Andrea Miller, Director of Finance
Mubeen Qader, Deputy Director of Finance
Subject:
Guiding Fiscal Policy Update
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Adoption of updates to the Guiding Fiscal Policy will not have a financial impact.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
July 1, 2020
March 2, 2021
April 20, 2021
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
City Staff is requesting that the City Council review and adopt the updates to the Guiding Fiscal Policy. On April 10, 2021, the City Council approved the Guiding Fiscal
Policy. Updates to the Guiding Fiscal Policy are reflected in Section E, Documentary Transfer Tax.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
REVIEW and ADOPT updates to the Guiding Fiscal
Policy – Finance Department (Shasa Curl/Nickie Mastay
510-620-6609/ Andrea Miller 510-620-6790/ Mubeen
Qader 510-412-2077).
AGENDA
REPORT
February 18, 2025
DISCUSSION:
On April 20, 2021, the City Council approved the Guiding Fiscal Policies. The update to the Guiding Fiscal Policy is reflected in Section E, Documentary Transfer Tax. This section currently states:
The City will establish a baseline estimate of what portion of the Documentary Transfer Tax is considered recurring by calculating the mean monthly amount collected since the increase to the rate was approved by voters in 2018. The average amount of tax collected from this source will be recalculated in June and January every year to incorporate new data and the new average will be adopted as the baseline amount budgeted each year. Any excess tax collected through this source-amounts collected above the baseline-may be considered non-recurring revenue in that year and the City Council will prioritize how these funds are spent. The Council will prioritize and consider using recurring revenue to address recurring expenditures before non-recurring revenue sources are used to fund recurring expenditures.
The City Council must adopt budget in June of every year, hence, it is impractical to recalculate documentary transfer tax in June and adopt the budget simultaneously. To remedy this timing issue, City staff is proposing the following update to the Guiding Fiscal Policy, Section E:
The City will establish a baseline estimate of what portion of the Documentary Transfer Tax is considered recurring by calculating the mean monthly amount collected since the increase to the rate was approved by voters in 2018. The average amount of tax collected from this source will be recalculated in April June and January every of each year to incorporate new data and the new average will be adopted as the baseline amount budgeted for the new fiscal each year. This amount will be recalculated in January and adjustments will be included with the midyear budget update to City Council. Any excess tax collected through this source-amounts collected above the baseline-may be considered non-recurring revenue in that year and the City Council will prioritize how these funds are spent. The Council should will prioritize and consider using recurring revenue to address recurring expenditures. BeforeNon-recurring revenue sources should not be areused to fund recurring expenditures.
Additional edits were made in the following sections:
II. A. C. D.
III. A. C. F.
IV. B. C.
V. C.
February 18, 2025
VI. B.
IX. A. 3.
SYNERGISTIC POLICIES:
Strategic Goal Area No. 5: Strengthen the City’s Internal Infrastructure and Process Goal No. 5.2 – Improve fiscal responsibility
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Guiding Fiscal Policy