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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2020 0115 REG CCSA ITEM 10GCITY OF MOORPARK, 
CALIFORNIA City Council Meeting of January 15, 2020 ACTION Approved staff recommendation. BY B.Garza. G. Consider Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement with Hinderliter, de Llamas and Associates for Sales, Use and Transaction Tax Services. Staff Recommendation: Approve Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement with Hinderliter, de Llamas and Associates; and authorize the City Manager to execute the Amendment, subject to the final language approval by the City Manager and City Attorney. (Staff: Irmina Lumbad) Item: 10.G. MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT TO: Honorable City Council FROM: Kambiz Borhani, Finance Director BY: Irmina Lumbad, Deputy Finance Director DATE: 01/15/2020 Regular Meeting SUBJECT: Consider Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement with Hinderliter, de Llamas and Associates for Sales, Use and Transaction Tax Services BACKGROUND On June 2, 1993, City Council approved the agreement with Hinderliter, de Llamas and Associates (HdL) to perform specialized consulting work required for the sales tax audit and reporting work. The two primary components of the services are Economic Analysis and Allocation Audit and Recovery. Economic Analysis includes the City’s major sales tax producers for the most current and previous quarter which includes sales tax receipts for each business category used by the Board of Equalization (BOE). The cost of this service is $300.00 per month. The agreement does not specify an end date or a maximum dollar amount. The Allocation Audit and Recovery identifies and corrects “point-of-sale” distribution errors potentially resulting in sales tax income not previously paid to the City. The cost of this work is fifteen percent (15%) of the new sales tax revenue received by the City as a result to this audit. DISCUSSION HdL has partnered with over 500 government agencies in 11 states and has recovered more than $2 billion in revenue for them. Moreover, HdL serves most cities and counties in California, which has enabled them to compile the most extensive database needed to analyze economic data, historical trends, and the tools required to be efficient at recovering misallocated revenue for their clients. For more than 26 years, HdL has come to thoroughly understand the City’s sales and property tax sources, and can continue to perform this work with highest quality together with cost-effectiveness. Upon the execution of Amendment No. 1 of their existing agreement, they are proposing a new payment rate for the two component services listed above. Item: 10.G. Honorable City Council 01/15/2020 Regular Meeting Page 2 The breakdown of these rates is: Service Components Old Rate New Rate Payment Terms 1) Economic Analysis $ 300.00 $ 400.00 Per month 2) Allocation Audit & Recovery 15% 15% of first $500,000 Of re-allocated sales tax revenue received 10% of next $100,000 Of re-allocated sales tax revenue received 5% over $1,000,000 Of re-allocated sales tax revenue received The amounts paid to HdL in City's financial system dates back to July 1999. During this period, the City expended $215,558.58 for combined services. The table below illustrates the costs incurred over the years: The $141,758.58 paid for Allocation Audit & Recovery translates to an additional $945,057 in sales tax revenue recovered for the City. This service will continue to be initiated by Work Authorization signed by the City Manager or Finance Director. Sales tax information is considered confidential and to secure such confidential information, the State requires that only designated City staff and those specifically authorized receive access to sales tax data. Since 1993, HdL has been authorized by the City to obtain and perform such services. Therefore, staff recommends that Council awards a single source contract to HdL and accept the proposed amendment to the rates as suggested. Honorable City Council 01/15/2020 Regular Meeting Page 3 FISCAL IMPACT Upon the execution of Amendment No.1 of HdL’s existing agreement, the expected fee for Economic Analysis service component will be $2,100 to $2,400 for the remainder of this fiscal year, and for the Allocation Audit & Recovery service the fee is unknown but will be offset by the sales tax revenue collected. There is currently funding available in the FY 2019/20 Operating Budget to complete this increase. Staff is not requesting an additional appropriation. COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE This action does not support a current strategic directive. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Approve Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement with Hinderliter, de Llamas and Associates; and authorize the City Manager to execute the Amendment, subject to the final language approval by the City Manager and City Attorney. Attachment: Amendment No. 1 CITY OF MOORPARK FIRST AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT FOR SALES, USE AND TRANSACTIONS TAX SERVICES 1. PARTIES AND DATE. This First Amendment to the Agreement for Sales, Use and Transactions Tax Services (“First Amendment”) is entered into on the _____ day of ____________, 2019, by and between the CITY of Moorpark organized under the laws of the State of California, with its principal place of business at 799 Moorpark Avenue, Moorpark, CA 93021 (“CITY”) and Hinderliter, de Llamas and Associates, a California corporation, with its principal place of business at 120 S. State College Blvd., Suite 200, Brea, CA 92821 (“CONTRACTOR”). CITY and Consultant are sometimes individually referred to herein as “Party” and collectively as “Parties.” 2. RECITALS. 2.1 Agreement. The Parties entered into that certain Agreement for Sales, Use and Transaction Tax Services dated June 8, 1993 (“Agreement”). 2.2 First Amendment. The Parties now desire to amend the Agreement for ongoing consultation for Sales Tax Audit and Information Services. Increase for Sales and Use Tax Reports. 2.3 Compensation. Consideration of the Agreement is hereby amended as follows: A. CONTRACTOR shall provide the sales tax and economic analysis services described in Consideration for a fee of $400 per month, commencing with the month of the Effective Date (hereafter referred to as “monthly fees”). The monthly fee shall be invoiced quarterly in arrears, and shall be paid by CITY no later than 30 days after the invoice date. The monthly fee shall increase annually following the month of the Effective Date by the percentage increase in the “CPI” for the preceding twelve-month period. In no event shall the monthly fee be reduced by this calculation. For purposes of this Agreement, the “CPI” shall mean the Consumer Price Index – All Urban Consumers for the surrounding statistical metropolitan area nearest CITY, All Items (1982-84 = 100), as published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, or, if such index should cease to be published, any reasonably comparable index selected by CONTRACTOR. B. For all new Sales and/or Use tax revenue received by the CITY as a result of audit and recover work performed by CONTRACTOR (hereunder referred to as “audit fees”), CONTRACTOR shall be paid the 15% of the first $500,000 of reallocations; 10% of the next $100,000 of reallocations (between $500,000 and $1,000,000); and 5% of any reallocation over $1,000,000. CONTRACTOR shall obtain CITY approval with a Sales Tax Authorization form before beginning work to correct any tax reporting methodology or point-of-sale specific businesses. CONTRACTOR shall notify the CITY promptly in writing whenever CONTRACTOR becomes aware that the CONTRACTOR’S estimated compensation would be greater than $10,000. ATTACHMENT 812 Efforts to correct errors shall be coordinated between the CITY and CONTRACTOR. CONTRACTOR shall evaluate the potential value of reallocations. Decisions concerning strategy and reallocation resolution are the sole province of the CITY and CONTRACTOR agrees to confer with CITY to determine the manner in which allocation errors will be investigated and how reallocation requests will be pursued at the Board of Equalization. CONTRACTOR shall contact appropriate management and accounting staff in companies where probability of errors exists to evaluate current tax receipts. Any such contact made by CONSULTANT shall be conducted with the utmost courtesy and in a manner to encourage local business retention and expansion. 1. The audit fee shall be paid even if CITY assists, works in parallel with, and/or incurs attorney’s fees or other costs or expenses in connection with any of the relevant Services. Among other things, the audit fee applies to state fund transfers received for back quarter reallocations and monies received in the first eight consecutive reporting quarters following completion of the allocation audit by CONTRACTOR and confirmation of corrections by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. CITY shall pay audit fees upon CONTRACTORS’S submittal of evidence of CONTRACTOR’S work in support of recovery of subject revenue, including, without limitation, copies of CDTFA 549-S petition forms or any other correspondence between CONTRACTOR and the Department of Tax and Fee Administration or the taxpayer. 2. For any increase in the tax reported by businesses already properly making tax payment to CITY, it shall be CONTRACTOR’S responsibility to support in its invoices the audit fee attributable, in whole or in part, to CONTRACTOR’S Services. C. CONTRACTOR shall invoice CITY for any consulting and other optional Services rendered to CITY based on the following hourly rates on a monthly or a quarterly basis, at CONTRACTOR’S option. All such invoices shall be payable by CITY no later than 30 days following the invoice date. CITY shall not be invoiced for any consulting Services totaling less than an hour in any month. The hourly rates in effect as of the Effective Date are as follows: Principal $325 per hour Programmer $295 per hour Senior Analyst $245 per hour Analyst $195 per hour CONTRACTOR may change such hourly rates from time to time upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice to CITY. D. Any invoices not paid in accordance with the Thirty (30) day payment terms, shall accrue monthly interest at a rate equivalent to ten percent (10%) per annum until paid. E. CONTRACTOR unilaterally retains the right to divide any recovery bills in excess of $25,000 over a one (1) year period (Four (4) quarterly billings). 813 F. CONTRACTOR shall provide CITY with an itemized quarterly invoice showing all formula calculations and amounts due for the audit fee (including, without limitation, a detailed listing of any corrected misallocations), which shall be paid by CITY no later than 30 days following the invoice date. 2.4 Remaining Provisions of Agreement. Except as otherwise specifically set forth in this First Amendment, the remaining provisions of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. CITY OF MOORPARK HINDERLITER, DE LLAMAS & ASSOC. By: ____________________________ By: _____________________________ Troy Brown, City Manager Andrew Nickerson, President ATTEST: By: ____________________________ Ky Spangler, City Clerk 814