TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Libby Bretthauer, Acting Finance Director
Julie Bondarchuk, Financial Controller
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Resolution Approving an Agreement with Harris & Associates for Direct Assessment Services with a Maximum Compensation of $40,000 Annually for Five Years (Budgeted) (Acting Finance Director Bretthauer).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 25-0047
Body
_________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 25-0047 approving a five-year agreement with Harris & Associates for a maximum of $40,000 annually to administer the City's direct assessments.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Sufficient funds are available in the FY 2025-2026 budget.
BACKGROUND:
The City places direct assessments on parcels annually to fund programs related to Utility Underground Assessment Districts (UUADs), Street Lighting and Landscaping, and Stormwater. The process to place assessments onto the tax roll takes approximately three months, starting in July and ending in September.
Once assessments are submitted to Los Angeles County ("the County"), staff is required to continually check the County website to correct any exceptions. Exceptions can include parcels that have split, combined, or have been re-numbered. There can also be changes in the use code where a parcel changes from a single-family residence, multi-family residence, various types of commercial use, or vacant land. All of these changes may potentially trigger a change in the assessment depending on the type of change. Staff must research each exception and submit revisions to the County. The process is labor intensive and takes a significant amount of staff time to complete.
DISCUSSION:
The complexity and time spent on the administration of direct assessments have increased over the years. Reporting requirements for bond disclosures along with the increas...
Click here for full text