CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
REQUIRED COMMUNICATIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
JUNE 30, 2023
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CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
REQUIRED COMMUNICATIONS
For the Year Ended June 30, 2023
Table of Contents
Page
Required Communications ................................................................................................................................ 1 Significant Audit Matters:
Qualitative Aspects of Accounting Practices ................................................................................... 1 Difficulties Encountered in Performing the Audit ........................................................................... 3 Corrected and Uncorrected Misstatements ...................................................................................... 3 Disagreements with Management .................................................................................................... 3 Management Representations ............................................................................................................ 3 Management Consultations with Other Independent Accountants ................................................. 3 Other Audit Findings or Issues .......................................................................................................... 3 Other Matters ............................................................................................................................................ 4 This Page Left Intentionally Blank
REQUIRED COMMUNICATIONS
To the City Council of
the City of South San Francisco, California
We have audited the basic financial statements of the City of South San Francisco, California, for the year ended June 30, 2023. We did not audit the financial statements of the South San Francisco Conference Center Authority, a discretely presented component unit of the City, as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023, which represents 0.61%, 0.79%, and 1.32%, of the assets, net position and revenues, respectively, of the primary government. The component unit financial statements were audited by another auditor, whose report thereon has been furnished to us, and our opinion, insofar as it relates to the amounts included for this entity, is based solely on the report of the other auditors.
Professional standards require that we provide you with information about our responsibilities under generally accepted auditing standards and Government Auditing Standards and the Uniform Guidance, as well as certain information related to the planned scope and timing of our audit. We have communicated such information in our letter to you dated October 18, 2023 and in our meeting with the City Manager on May 23, 2023. Professional standards also require that we communicate to you the following information related to our audit.
Significant Audit Matters
Qualitative Aspects of Accounting Practices
Accounting Policies - Management is responsible for the selection and use of appropriate accounting policies. The significant accounting policies used by the City are described in Note 1 to the financial statements. No new accounting policies were adopted, and the application of existing policies was not changed during the year.
The following pronouncements became effective, but did not have a material effect on the financial statements:
GASB 91 – Conduit Debt Obligations
GASB 94 – Public-Private and Public-Public Partnerships and Availability Payment Arrangements
GASB 96 – Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements GASB 99 – Omnibus 2022, paragraphs 11-25
Unusual Transactions, Controversial or Emerging Areas - We noted no transactions entered into by the City during the year for which there is a lack of authoritative guidance or consensus. All significant transactions have been recognized in the financial statements in the proper period. 1 Accounting Estimates - Accounting estimates are an integral part of the financial statements prepared by management and are based on management’s knowledge and experience about past and current events and assumptions about future events. Certain accounting estimates are particularly sensitive because of their significance to the financial statements and because of the possibility that future events affecting them may differ significantly from those expected. The most sensitive estimates affecting the City’s financial statements were:
Estimated Fair Value of Investments: As of June 30, 2023, the City held approximately $424.2 million of cash and investments as measured by fair value as disclosed in Note 2 to the financial statements. Fair value is essentially market pricing in effect as of June 30, 2023. These fair values are not required to be adjusted for changes in general market conditions occurring subsequent to June 30, 2023.
Estimate of Depreciation: Management’s estimate of the depreciation is based on useful lives determined by management. These lives have been determined by management based on the expected useful life of assets as disclosed in Note 1L to the financial statements. We evaluated the key factors and assumptions used to develop the depreciation estimate and determined that it is reasonable in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.
Estimated Net Pension Liabilities and Pension-Related Deferred Outflows and Inflows of Resources: Management’s estimate of the net pension liabilities and deferred outflows/inflows of resources are disclosed in Note 7 to the financial statements and are based on actuarial studies and accounting valuations determined by the California Public Employees Retirement System, which are based on the experience of the City. We evaluated the key factors and assumptions used to develop the estimates and determined that the estimates are reasonable in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.
Estimated Net OPEB Liability and OPEB-Related Deferred Outflows and Inflows of Resources:
Management’s estimate of the net OPEB liability and deferred outflows/inflows of resources are disclosed in Note 9 to the financial statements and are based on an actuarial study determined by a consultant, which is based on the experience of the City. We evaluated the key factors and assumptions used to develop the estimates and determined that the estimates are reasonable in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.
Estimated Compensated Absences: Accrued compensated absences, which are comprised of accrued vacation and sick leave, is estimated using accumulated unpaid leave hours and hourly pay rates in effect at the end of the fiscal year, and are disclosed in Note 1M to the financial statements. We evaluated the key factors and assumptions used to develop the accrued compensated absences and determined that it is reasonable in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.
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Estimated Claims Liabilities: Management’s estimate of the claims liabilities payable is disclosed in Note 12 to the financial statements and the worker’s compensation claims payable is based on an actuarial study determined by a consultant and the general liability claims payable is based on estimates determined by the City’s third party claims administrator, which are both based on the claims experience of the City. We evaluated the key factors and assumptions used to develop the estimate and determined that it is reasonable in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.
Disclosures - The financial statement disclosures are neutral, consistent, and clear. 2 Difficulties Encountered in Performing the Audit
We encountered no significant difficulties in dealing with management in performing and completing our audit.
Corrected and Uncorrected Misstatements
Professional standards require us to accumulate all known and likely misstatements identified during the audit, other than those that are clearly trivial, and communicate them to the appropriate level of management. Management has corrected all such misstatements. In addition, none of the misstatements detected as a result of audit procedures and corrected by management were material, either individually or in the aggregate, to each opinion unit’s financial statements taken as a whole.
Professional standards require us to accumulate all known and likely uncorrected misstatements identified during the audit, other than those that are trivial, and communicate them to the appropriate level of management. We have no such misstatements to report to the City Council.
Disagreements with Management
For purposes of this letter, a disagreement with management is a financial accounting, reporting, or auditing matter, whether or not resolved to our satisfaction, that could be significant to the financial statements or the auditor’s report. We are pleased to report that no such disagreements arose during the course of our audit.
Management Representations
We have requested certain representations from management that are included in a management representation letter dated December 27, 2023.
Management Consultations with Other Independent Accountants In some cases, management may decide to consult with other accountants about auditing and accounting matters, similar to obtaining a “second opinion” on certain situations. If a consultation involves application of an accounting principle to the City’s financial statements or a determination of the type of auditor’s opinion that may be expressed on those statements, our professional standards require the consulting accountant to check with us to determine that the consultant has all the relevant facts. To our knowledge, there were no such consultations with other accountants.
Other Audit Findings or Issues
We generally discuss a variety of matters, including the application of accounting principles and auditing standards, with management each year prior to retention as the City’s auditors. However, these discussions occurred in the normal course of our professional relationship and our responses were not a condition to our retention.
3 Other Matters
We applied certain limited procedures to the required supplementary information that accompanies and supplements the basic financial statements. Our procedures consisted of inquiries of management regarding the methods of preparing the information and comparing the information for consistency with management’s responses to our inquiries, the basic financial statements, and other knowledge we obtained during our audit of the basic financial statements. We did not audit the required supplementary information and do not express an opinion or provide any assurance on the required supplementary information.
We were engaged to report on the supplementary information which accompany the financial statements, but are not required supplementary information. With respect to this supplementary information, we made certain inquiries of management and evaluated the form, content, and methods of preparing the information to determine that the information complies with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, the method of preparing it has not changed from the prior period, and the information is appropriate and complete in relation to our audit of the financial statements. We compared and reconciled the supplementary information to the underlying accounting records used to prepare the financial statements or to the financial statements themselves.
We were not engaged to report on the Introductory and Statistical Sections which accompany the financial statements, but are not required supplementary information. Such information has not been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audit of the basic financial statements, and accordingly, we do not express an opinion or provide any assurance on them.
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This information is intended solely for the use of City Council and management and is not intended to be, and should not be, used by anyone other than these specified parties.
Pleasant Hill, California
December 27, 2023
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