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HomeMy WebLinkAbout18 - Municipal Resource Consultants Contract Renewalu • CJ • November 13,1995 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Glen Everroad, Revenue Manager i council agenda no.: C - Z77S BY (3 -) SUBJECT: MUNICIPAL RESOURCE CONSULTANTS CONTRACT RENEW Nov 1 3 19% Recommendation APPROVE The Revenue Division respectfully recommends Council's approval of the attached proposed contract renewal with Municipal Resource Consultants. Back round In 1955, the Bradley -Bums Uniform Local Sales & Use Tax Law was adopted providing the opportunity for cities to contract with the Board of Equalization (BOE) for collection, distribution and general administration of sales and use taxes. Newport Beach contracts with the BOE for sales & use tax administration. In 1989, Municipal Resource Consultants (MRC) proposed to provide the City with sales & use tar audit services, suggesting that perhaps thousands of dollars owed the City were being misallocated by the BOE. MRC also proposed in the 1989 contractual agreement to train City staff in sales tax fundamentals. Since 1989, MRC sales & use tax audit services has generated $ 1,215,438 in new sales & use tax revenue for the City of Newport Beach. Training provided by MRC to Revenue Division staff since 1991 has resulted in staffs ability to detect and correct 225 local accounts, resulting in an additional $600,000 in fund transfers for the City. The agreement with MRC was expanded in 1993 to include transient occupancy tax (TOT), documentary transfer tax and franchise fee audits. The 1993 amendment also provided for preparation of a fiscal impact/economic base study and business license tax assessment. MRC performed the first comprehensive TOT audit of hoteliers operating in the City during 1993, identifying $74,939 in additional TOT revenue owed the City. In addition to the MRC audit services, MRC also maintains and provides quarterly a computerized sales tax analysis and reporting service (STARS), as well as a geobased revenue information program (GRIP) consolidating the major revenue streams to the City. These programs have become essential tools for Planning and Administrative Services Deparmtents staff in economic development, business cooperation and business improvement district program development. The proposed agreement expands the areas in which MRC may assist the City in revenue recovery to include virtually every revenue stream to the City. Real property tax, State and County subventions, lease agreements, franchise agreements, court fines and forfeitures, marine charter and business license taxes are examples of revenues the attached proposed agreement would enable MRC to audit on the City's behalf The proposed agreement would also expand MRC's assistance to the City to include a state-of- the -art business license tax detection and management system, replacing an outdated (15 year old) program operating on a degenerated computer. The entire cost of this system will be borne by the State through the SB 90 mandate reimbursement program. MRC will not be compensated for their business license tax program until (and unless) the State provides reimbursement to the City. The proposed agreement was reviewed by the Finance Committee on October 19, 1995. Copies of the proposed agreement are available for review in the Revenue Division.