HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-11-28 Finance Committee Agenda PacketFinance Committee
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Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Special Meeting
Community Meeting Room
6:30 PM
Agenda posted according to PAMC Section 2.04.070. Supporting materials are available in
the Council Chambers on the Thursday 12 days preceding the meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Members of the public may speak to agendized items. If you wish to address the Committee on any issue that is on this agenda, please complete a speaker request card located on the table at the entrance to the Council
Chambers/Community Meeting Room, and deliver it to the Clerk prior to discussion of the item. You are not required to give your name on the speaker card in order to speak to the Committee, but it is very helpful. Public comment may be addressed to the full Finance Committee via email at City.Council@cityofpaloalto.org.
Call to Order
Oral Communications
Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda.
Action Items
1. Review Recommended $4 Million in General Fund Savings and Approve
Corresponding Budget Amendments in Various Funds and the Table of
Organization
2. Review and Forward the FY 2020 - FY 2029 Long Range Financial
Forecast
Future Meetings and Agendas
Adjournment
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2 November 28, 2018
MATERIALS RELATED TO AN ITEM ON THIS AGENDA SUBMITTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL AFTER DISTRIBUTION OF THE AGENDA
PACKET ARE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION IN THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE AT PALO ALTO CITY HALL, 250 HAMILTON AVE.
DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS.
Finance Committee Items Tentatively Scheduled
Meeting
Date
Line
No. Item Title Referral
Date
12/4/2018
Macias Gini & O'Connell's Audit of the City of Palo Alto's
Financial Statements as of June 30, 2018 and Management
Letter - Auditor's Office
Recommendation to Approve the FY 2018 Comprehensive
Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and Approve Budget
Amendments in Various Funds - Administrative Services
Reimbursement Resolution for Revenue Bonds for the
Regional Water Quality Control Plant - Public Works
Council Chambers Upgrade Project - IT/PW/CLK
Finance Committee Items to be Scheduled
Referral
Date
Line
No. Item Title Status
Transparency Colleagues Memo - CMO/ATTY/HR/ASD
City of Palo Alto (ID # 9817)
Finance Committee Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 11/28/2018
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Review & Approve $4 Million in General Fund Budget
Amendments & Amend the Table of Organization
Title: Review Recommended $4 Million in General Fund Savings and Approve
Corresponding Budget Amendments in Various Funds and the Table of
Organization
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Administrative Services
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Finance Committee recommend that the City Council:
1) Amend the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Appropriation for various funds as identified in
Attachment A; and
2) Amend the Fiscal Year 2019 Table of Organization for the General Fund to:
a. Eliminate 1.0 Performance Auditor I in the Office of the City Auditor;
b. Reduce 1.4 Building Serviceperson-Lead and reduce 0.75 Building Serviceperson
positions; and
3) Amend the Fiscal Year Table of Organization for Other Fund increasing by 1.4 Building
Serviceperson-Lead and reduce 0.75 Building Serviceperson.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This action would complete the “immediate action” plan outlined by staff and approved by the
City Council in October 2018. If approved, these adjustments identify $4 million in excess
revenues and additional expense savings in the General Fund as directed by the City Council as
part of the FY 2019 Adopted Budget.
BACKGROUND
As part of the FY 2019 Adopted Budget, the City Council directed staff to find $4.0 million in
structural fixes in the General Fund and return to the Finance Committee and City Council after
the 2018 summer break. In September 2018 and October 2018, the Finance Committee and
the City Council approved two strategies to address this task as presented by staff, an
“immediate action” and a “strategic action” workplans. The workplans as presented in
September and October are discussed briefly below.
City of Palo Alto Page 2
Immediate Action: This approach would allow for potential resolution of this $4 million referral
by December 2018, with final budget adjustments completed during the FY 2019 Mid-Year
Budget review, considered by the Council in early February. Returning to the Finance
Committee in November/December, staff would bring forward recommended reductions based
on a review of basic criteria with a focus on the General Fund. As directed by the Council, both
one-time and ongoing solutions are viable for this workplan with a strong recommendation to
stay away from using reserves.
Strategic Action: This workplan would require an initially intensive citywide program review
effort anticipated to last anticipated to last approximately six-months, with budgetary actions
occurring no earlier than the FY 2020 budget process. Staff would begin a citywide review of all
programs and services currently provided by the City of Palo Alto resulting in a “services
portfolio.” Services are defined as discrete programs to identifiable users and vary in size across
the organization.
Previous staff reports transmitted regarding this referral can be found below:
- Finance Committee September 18, 2018: CMR #9553
- City Council, October 29, 2018: CMR #9740
DISCUSSION
Staff has identified “Immediate Action” General Fund budget adjustments and the impacts of
them to attain $4.0 million in excess revenues or additional expense savings beyond those
presumed in the FY 2019 Adopted Budget. These adjustments would allow for an additional
principal contribution of $4.0 million from the General Fund to the 115 Pension Trust Fund in FY
2019. Staff’s intent would be to contribute commensurate amounts from other funds,
including Internal Service Funds and Enterprise Funds, to match this level as part of the annual
budget development.
As we proceed in parallel with steps toward more comprehensive strategic recommendations,
these immediate actions reflect near-term revenue and expense changes to hit the $4 million
target. A summary of recommended adjustments are as follows; additional details with the
specific appropriation changes can be found in Attachment A, Exhibit 1.
City of Palo Alto Page 3
Proposed Change $’s in
‘000s
Ongoing?
Excess Tax Revenue FY 2019:
Collections are anticipated to exceed budgeted estimates, primarily
Property Tax.
$2,000 No
Additional Expense Savings:
The City is currently experiencing 8 to 10 percent vacancy levels. In
addition, it is anticipated three contingent accounts will remain
unspent, the Innovation, Human Resources, and HSRAP contingent
accounts.
1,155 No
Cubberley Operations & Maintenance:
Shift funding for CSD Cubberley operations and maintenance staffing
into the Cubberley Fund (472).
325 Yes
Eliminate One Staff Position in the Auditor’s Office:
Eliminate 1.0 vacant Performance Auditor I position.
135 Yes
Reduce Council Contingent Funds:
Reduce the City Council contingency account of $225,000 per year to
$125,000 per year beginning in FY 2019.
100 Yes
TOTAL $4,000
These recommended adjustments provide both incremental steps to addressing the structural
costs associated with more conservative pension calculation assumptions as well as ensure the
City can carefully consider the impacts of those structural reductions on a more long-term
basis.
RESOURCE IMPACT
This report fulfills the Council direction included as part of the FY 2019 Adopted Budget to
identify $4 million for contribution to the City’s 115 Pension Trust Fund. Through a
combination of recognizing additional one-time revenues, one-time expense savings, and
structural expense reductions, $4.0 million in additional General Fund resources are available.
These additional resources will offset the $4.0 million reduction included in the non-
departmental budget as part of the FY 2019 Adopted Operating Budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This report is not a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Environmental review is not required.
Attachments:
• Attachment A: FY 2019 Budget Amendments in Various Funds
Department Adjustment Adjustment
GENERAL FUND (102)
Administrative
Services
Property Tax Revenue
This action increases the estimate for Property Tax receipts by $900,000, from $49.9 million to
$50.5 million. This increase recognizes an unusually high payment of excess Educational
Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF) which are estimated to be nearly double previous year
collections totaling over $2 million in FY 2019. This is anticipated to be a one-time adjustment.
900,000$ -$
Administrative
Services
Sales Tax Revenue
This action increases the estimate for Sales Tax receipts by $500,000, from $31.2 million to
$31.7 million. Increased business to business activities, specifically in leased revenue, have
seen significant growth in the near term. This revised estimate captures this growth; however,
additional monitoring is necessary to determine if this is a new trend or a one-time event.
500,000$ -$
Administrative
Services
Documentary Transfer Tax Revenue
This action increases the estimate for Documentary Transfer Tax receipts by $600,000, from
$7.4 million to $8.0 million. The FY 2019 Budget assumed collections in this category would
remain flat from prior year levels. However, due to property values and transactions, receipts
are tracking to end the year above budgeted estimates. This is anticipated to be a one-time
adjustment as growth for future years was already assumed as part of previous Long Range
Financial Forecasts.
600,000$ -$
Administrative
Services
Departmental Savings (vacancy savings)
This action reduces appropriated funds by $300,000 from $8.0 million to $7.7 million in the
Administrative Services Department to recognize one-time salary and benefits savings.
Additional vacancy savings is the result of three senior management positions recently vacated
including the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Procurement Officer, and Real Estate Manager.
Although it is anticipated these positions will be filled, sufficient savings is anticipated to
accrue until that time. As a result, staff remains focused on core business functions.
-$ (300,000)$
City Auditor's
Office
Reduce One Staff Position in the Auditor's Office
This action eliminates 1.0 vacant Performance Auditor I position in the Office of the City
Auditor. Each Auditor position has a goal of producing two performance audits annually; the
elimination of this position would reduce the capacity for the number of audits that can be
performed in a given year. During the development of the FY 2019 budget, no significant
reductions were approved in the Auditor's Office, which had a full team of staffing, compared
to the reductions felt by other departments and appointees.
-$ (135,000)$
City Clerk's Office Departmental Savings (vacancy savings)
This action reduces appropriated funds by $50,000 from $1.3 million to $1.2 million in the
Office of the City Clerk to recognize one-time salary and benefits savings. Currently the office
has a vacant part-time staff position that provides administrative support and coverage for the
Office. It is anticipated this position will continue to be recruited for; sufficient savings is
anticipated to accrue until the position is filled. As a result, staff ensure the continuation of
required business processes through additional coverage from management staffing.
-$ (50,000)$
CITY OF PALO ALTO
RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY MANAGER'S FY 2019 BUDGET
Revenues Expenses
ATTACHMENT A
Department Adjustment Adjustment
GENERAL FUND (102)
CITY OF PALO ALTO
RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY MANAGER'S FY 2019 BUDGET
Revenues Expenses
ATTACHMENT A
Community
Services
Reallocation of Cubberley Operations & Maintenance
This action reallocates funding for CSD Cubberley operations and maintenance staffing into the
Cubberley Fund (472). Staffing includes part-time custodial assistants (2.08 FTE) and full-time
building servicepersons (2.15 FTE). This is in addition to the Department of Public Works
staffing and resources shifted previously. In total, $700,000 of the $1.9 million annual
contributions will be dedicated to O&M and funding of $1.2 million would be available
annually for significant capital improvements. A corresponding change to the full-time Table of
Organization is included in the recommendation.
-$ (325,000)$
Human Resources Departmental Savings (vacancy savings)
This action reduces appropriated funds by $50,000 to $3.5 million in the Human Resources
Department to recognize one-time salary and benefits savings. The vacancy savings is the
result of a vacant Senior Human Resource Administrator position in the Employee Relations &
Training team. Although it is anticipated this position will eventually be filled and reassigned
to support organizational Recruitment demands, sufficient savings is anticipated to accrue
until that time. As a result, staff remains focused on keeping up with critical timelines and
deliverables and has augmented gaps in staffing with some contractual assistance to keep up
with business needs.
-$ (50,000)$
Library Departmental Savings (vacancy savings)
This action reduces appropriated funds by $200,000 from $9.7 million to $9.5 million in the
Library Department to recognize one-time salary and benefit savings. Additional vacancy
savings are the result of vacant positions such as a Senior Librarian and the current shared
executive management between the Community Services Department and the Library
Department. It is anticipated that vacant positions will continue to be recruited for and that
the shared executive management where the savings is being realized in the Library
Department in whole will accrue sufficient savings until the positions are filled. As a result,
staff ensure the continuation of Library services and hours however, additional desk time for
libraries may be necessary. In addition, both CSD and Library are operating with a reduced
executive management team resulting in diminished capacity for strategic initiatives and
oversight.
-$ (200,000)$
Non-
Departmental
Contingent Account Savings
This action eliminates funding of $140,000 on a one-time basis with the elimination of the
HSRAP contingent account ($50,000), the Human Resources contingent account ($50,000), and
the Innovation contingent account ($40,000).
-$ (140,000)$
Non-
Departmental
Reduce City Council Contingent Account
This action reduces the City Council contingent account by $100,000 beginning in FY 2019
(from $225,000 to $125,000). Historically the City Council contingent account ends each year
with expense savings. This action would limit the discretionary special projects and financial
support in those years when there are extraordinary events. In FY 2019, approximately
$30,000 has been expended to date.
-$ (100,000)$
Department Adjustment Adjustment
GENERAL FUND (102)
CITY OF PALO ALTO
RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY MANAGER'S FY 2019 BUDGET
Revenues Expenses
ATTACHMENT A
Planning &
Community
Environment
Departmental Savings (vacancy savings)
This action reduces appropriated funds by $500,000 from $8.9 million to $8.3 million in the
Planning & Community Environment Department to recognize one-time salary and benefits
savings. Critical vacancies in the department are resulting in increased application processing
time, diminished time for department strategic work planning, increased potential for
administrative mistakes, staff burnout leading to increased vacancies, and possible delays in
responses to governing bodies. This is being managed through spikes in management overtime
however, this results in reductions in quality control as remaining staff are striving to meet
deadlines. It is expected that these positions will be filled, however, sufficient vacancy savings
is anticipated to accrue until they are filled.
-$ (500,000)$
Public Works Departmental Savings (vacancy savings)
This action reduces appropriated funds by $200,000 from $18.5 million to $18.3 million in the
Public Works Department in salaries and benefits funding. Additional vacancy savings is the
result of four vacant positions, which include a Heavy Equipment Operator, Facilities staff, and
the Director of Public Works. Although it is anticipated these positions will be filled, sufficient
savings is anticipated to accrue until that time. In the interim period, staff has not been able
to keep up with work orders and regular maintenance. Similarly, daily tasks have had to be
reprioritized and/or deprioritized to accommodate the highest need requests. The interim
Director of Public Works has focused on core business functions at the expense of strategic
initiatives.
-$ (200,000)$
Non-
Departmental
Transfer to General Benefit Fund (115 Pension Trust contribution)
This action appropriates a $4.0 million transfer from the General Fund to the General Benefits
Fund for a contribution to the City's Section 115 Pension Trust Fund in alignment with the
Council direction provided as part of the FY 2019 budget adoption. A corresponding revenue
and expense adjustment in the General Benefits Fund will offset this action.
-$ 4,000,000$
Non-
Departmental
Reversal of FY 2019 General Fund Structural Reduction
This action reverses the adjustment approved in the FY 2019 Adopted Budget consistent with
the Finance Committee Recommendation on May 23, 2018 which reduced budgeted expenses
in the General Fund by $4.0 million. The specific impacts of this reduction were to be identified
and articulated to the Finance Committee during the remainder of the 2018 calendar year.
Included in this report are the specific $4 million in transactions including the implications of
them.
-$ 4,000,000$
Non-
Departmental
Budget Stabilization Reserve
This action decreases the fund balance to offset adjustments recommended in this report.
-$ (4,000,000)$
GENERAL FUND (102) SUBTOTAL 2,000,000$ 2,000,000$
Department Adjustment Adjustment
GENERAL BENEFIT FUND (687)
Non-
Departmental
Transfer from General Benefit Fund/115 Pension Trust contribution
This action recognizes $4.0 million transfer from the General Fund and appropriates a $4.0
million expense for a contribution to the City's Section 115 Pension Trust Fund. This action is
in alignment with the Council direction provided as part of the FY 2019 budget adoption.
4,000,000$ 4,000,000$
GENERAL BENEFIT FUND (687) SUBTOTAL 4,000,000$ 4,000,000$
CUBBERLEY INFRASTRUCTURE FUND (472)
Non-
Departmental
Reallocation of Cubberley Operations & Maintenance
This action reallocates funding for CSD Cubberley operations and maintenance staffing from
the General Fund to the Cubberley Fund (472). Staffing includes part-time custodial assistants
(2.08 FTE) and full-time building servicepersons (2.15 FTE). This is in addition to the
Department of Public Works staffing and resources shifted previously. In total, $700,000 of the
$1.9 million annual contributions will be dedicated to O&M and funding of $1.2 million would
be available annually for significant capital improvements. A corresponding change to the full-
time Table of Organization is also recommended.
-$ 325,000$
Non-
Departmental
Ending Fund Balance Adjustment
This action decreases the fund balance to offset adjustments recommended in this report.
-$ (325,000)$
CUBBERLEY INFRASTRUCTURE FUND (472) SUBTOTAL -$ -$
ATTACHMENT A
CITY OF PALO ALTO
RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY MANAGER'S FY 2019 BUDGET
Revenues Expenses
City of Palo Alto (ID # 9764)
Finance Committee Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 11/28/2018
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: FY 2020 - FY 2029 Long Range Financial Forecast
Title: Review and Forward the FY 2020 - FY 2029 Long Range Financial
Forecast
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Administrative Services
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Finance Committee review, comment, and forward the Fiscal Year
2020 to 2029 General Fund Long Range Financial Forecast (Base Case) for City Council approval.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 to 2029 General Fund Long Range Financial Forecast (LRFF), marks the
beginning of the FY 2020 annual budget process. It includes projected General Fund financials
over the next ten years based on current City Council approved service levels as well as
alternative financial models. The current Base Case financial forecast projects a gap in the
General Fund of $2.8 million in FY 2020 and a range between annual gaps of up to $4.5 million
to significant surpluses in the final years of the forecast. The Base Case provides a preliminary
forecast that can assist in gauging effects of major policy interventions against a likely “status
quo” version of the future. It assumes that the world continues to change and unfold in line
with current expectations.
City staff will continue to review and refine these projections to establish the FY 2020 Base
Budget and provide direction to Departments on the FY 2020 budget process. Based on this
Forecast, it is anticipated that guidance to prioritize spending will again be critical to ensure
financial stability.
Looking forward, the City continues to face several pressures from the 2014 Council approved
Infrastructure Plan including a new public safety building, the growing costs of pension benefits,
and the ongoing labor negotiations for many of the City’s largest employee units. The policy
direction from the City Council regarding proactively addressing the pension obligations,
including the most recent direction to assume a lower discount rate in calculating pension
costs, is contained in the base case forecast model. If this direction were excluded from the
model, the General Fund would reflect the tough choices and the hard work of the City during
City of Palo Alto Page 2
the FY 2019 Budget process to structurally balance the budget. The City will continue to face
critical choices in order to balance future financial challenges and any unforeseen program
needs or an economic downturn. The review of this Long Range Financial Forecast and the
planning that follows it will be critical since the City is facing many requests and has identified
several key programs that the community would like to fund and complete.
Included in this report and subsequent documents are the following:
- Overview of the current financial status of the General Fund as of the FY 2019 Adopted
Budget
- Discussion of the current financial climate of the United States to the City of Palo Alto
- Review of the Base Case for the Long Range Financial Forecast including Revenue and
Expense modeling assumptions
- Alternative Scenarios including a) normal cost calculated at CalPERS Discount Rate
(phase-in to 7.0 Percent by FY 2021) and b) an economic downturn modeled in FY 2022
of the forecast
BACKGROUND
Annually the Office of Management and Budget produces a ten-year Long Range Financial
Forecast (LRFF). The LRFF reflects staff’s best estimates on the projected revenues and
expenditures over the next ten years based on the information currently available. It is
important to note that the LRFF is a planning document and is separate and distinct from the
development of the City’s Adopted Operating Budget. There are assumptions and parameters
modeled in the LRFF, but these assumptions are revised and refined as more information
becomes available through the budget adoption process.
The LRFF does contain a comprehensive review of the costs to provide current City Council
approved service levels, including looking at current contracts, updates to salaries and benefits
based on the current population of employees and the current labor contracts in effect. The
LRFF also reviews the status of the current economy and various economically sensitive
revenues such as Sales Tax, Documentary Tax, Property Tax, and Transient Occupancy Tax to
explain key trends in those areas. This Forecast allows staff and City Council to look at both the
short-term and long-term financial status of current service levels in the General Fund and
inform daily policy decisions and ongoing long-term goals and challenges.
Since the great recession, the City has approved many strategies to mitigate rising costs,
especially the rising increase in salaries and benefits. Strategies that have been used include: a
second pension tier, employees sharing in health plan cost increases, and ending the employer-
paid member contributions for pensions. Negotiations with bargaining units have included
employees not only paying their full portion of CalPERS contributions but also beginning a cost-
sharing program wherein employees contribute a certain percentage of the City’s required
pension contribution.
City of Palo Alto Page 3
The City Council continues to invest in the community and approved significant improvements
in June 2014 with the Infrastructure Plan in the original amount of $125.8 million. However,
other projects identified in the plan are estimated to cost substantially more due to updated
designs, rising construction costs, and minimum and prevailing wage requirements. These
changes have led to an anticipated funding gap of approximately $76 million for the
Infrastructure Plan projects. Capital projects are one example of known items that are not fully
included in this Forecast, both the capital cost to build as well as the operating and
maintenance costs once these projects are completed and these new facilities are actively used
will be refined as information becomes available.
Palo Alto serves a diverse community with a broad range of unique services that adds to the
significant complexity of managing a balanced budget and healthy long-range financial outlook.
The demands and conflicts emerging from our vibrant economy have heightened the intensity
of the “Palo Alto Process” with new analyses and data generation demands and deep dives into
complex problem solving within an engaged public process across a wide range of issues. These
forecast figures present staff with the challenge of prioritizing the growing needs of the City
with the long-term sustainability of these needs.
The Economy
The economy is healthy at a national level. As of the end of September, the national gross
domestic product (GDP) increased 3.5 percent while the national consumer price index (CPI)
has grown 2.3 percent. The economy has gained from a rebound in consumer spending,
employment growth, and substantial tax cuts. The nation is operating at what is considered
“full employment” levels, at 3.7 percent unemployment as of September 2018. At the same
time, massive tax cuts have driven budget deficits and higher interest rates. It is anticipated
that the national job market may slow and the make-up of the market may change as
immigration decelerates and labor participation from the Baby-Boomer generation shrinks.
The local economy continues to outpace the unemployment rate at the state and national level.
As of the end of September, California maintained 4.1 percent unemployment and the
unemployment rate for the Bay Area region was lower at 2.5 percent. Despite local housing and
transportation challenges, companies continue to plan expansion in Palo Alto and communities
that surround our City. Compared to other regions in California, the Bay Area experienced the
strongest job growth at 2.1 percent last quarter and is expected to slow in the short term.
Although there is enough economic momentum to generate growth for the remainder of the
year, reports from the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy, UCLA’s Anderson
School of Management, and Bank of the West Economics point to sharply lower economic
growth in the short term and higher interest over the next two fiscal years. It is expected that
GDP will fall to near 1 percent in the next 12 to 18 months. Regionally, demand for employees
has driven the local real estate market so far up that, for some communities, it has become
prohibitively expensive for businesses. Bay Area job growth is anticipated to decelerate from 2
percent in 2019 to 0.3 percent in 2020.
City of Palo Alto Page 4
The foundations of the local economy – stable housing market, diverse and favorable mix of
business segments, and academic and medical properties – provide the City a bulwark against
an economic downturn in the medium term.
DISCUSSION
Included in this section are both the Base Case and alternative scenarios. As with all forecasts,
there is uncertainty regarding the revenue and expenditure estimates contained in this
document. For example, General Fund revenues may exceed or fall below expectations based
on changes in economic or non-economic conditions. Various cost elements can also vary from
year to year.
Base Case
The following table displays the projected General Fund revenues and expenditures over the
next decade and the total cumulative surplus. In addition to the cumulative surplus, the
incremental surplus or shortfall (assuming each preceding surplus or shortfall is addressed
completely with ongoing solutions in the year it appears) for each year of the forecast is
included. Because it is the City’s goal to remain in balance on an ongoing basis, the incremental
figure is useful in that it shows the additional surplus and/or shortfall attributed to a particular
fiscal year. To the extent that a shortfall is not resolved, or a surplus is not expended on an
ongoing basis, it is important to understand that the remaining budget gap or surplus will carry
over to the following year. For example, in FY 2019, the City structurally balanced both FY 19
and FY 2020 with known variables at the time. This reduced expenses on an ongoing basis by
more than $2.3 million. Had this discipline not been exercised and had reserves been used
instead, the FY 2020 gap would be even larger, estimated to be at least $5.1 million.
Instead, this FY 2020-2029 Long Range Financial Forecast anticipates smaller gaps ranging from
$2.8 million in FY 2020 to a gap of $4.5 million in FY 2021 with surpluses beginning in FY 2024 at
$0.8 million and increasing through the term of the forecast.
TABLE 1: FY 2020-2029 Long Range Financial Forecast
Base Case
City of Palo Alto Page 5
TABLE 2: FY 2020-2029 Long Range Financial Forecast Net Operating Margin
Base Case
Revenue Assumptions
As discussed in the Economy section of this report, the Bay Area economy is anticipated to
outperform the state and the nation. Despite a projected slowdown in Bay Area job growth,
major expansion for Silicon Valley companies and a stable local housing market result in healthy
and robust tax revenues for the City throughout the term of the forecast. Tax revenues
constitute nearly 60 percent of General Fund resources. In FY 2020, the forecast projects a $9.1
million, or 7.2 percent, tax revenue increase compared to the levels in the Adopted FY 2019
Budget. In total, revenues are anticipated to increase by $12.6 million, or 5.9%, from the
Adopted FY 2019 Budget of $214.5 million to $227.1 million in FY 2020.
City of Palo Alto Page 6
TABLE 3: FY 2020 - 2029 General Fund Revenue Forecast
Base Case
Revenue & Other Sources
Adopted
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
CAGR 10
Years
Sales Taxes $31,246 $34,286 $35,754 $37,000 $38,154 $39,302 $40,426 $41,546 $42,759 $44,063 $45,498 3.8%
Property Taxes 45,332 48,193 51,181 54,231 57,235 60,285 63,426 67,289 71,508 76,078 80,970 6.0%
Transient Occupancy Tax- General Purpose 16,699 17,977 18,444 18,933 19,473 20,018 20,618 21,260 21,908 22,556 23,188 3.3%
Transient Occupancy Tax- Infrastructure 8,350 8,406 8,625 8,853 9,106 9,361 9,641 9,941 10,244 10,547 10,843 2.6%
Documentary Transfer Tax 7,434 8,359 8,631 8,905 9,174 9,484 9,851 10,188 10,547 10,928 11,325 4.3%
Utility Users Tax 16,092 17,026 17,519 18,024 18,407 18,768 19,109 19,497 19,811 20,168 20,526 2.5%
Other Taxes and Fines 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 0.0%
Subtotal: Taxes 127,185 136,279 142,186 147,978 153,581 159,250 165,103 171,753 178,809 186,372 194,382 4.3%
Charges for Services 20,630 22,057 22,870 23,551 24,230 24,788 25,323 25,955 26,010 26,464 26,534 2.5%
Stanford Fire & Dispatch Services 7,384 7,829 7,992 8,128 8,273 8,395 8,486 8,580 8,651 8,763 8,810 1.8%
Permits and Licenses 8,949 9,065 9,169 9,252 9,337 9,406 9,474 9,555 9,563 9,620 9,669 0.8%
Return on Investments 1,166 1,197 1,230 1,266 1,304 1,346 1,390 1,432 1,475 1,519 1,563 3.0%
Rental Income 15,807 16,120 15,272 14,766 15,153 15,551 15,961 16,384 16,819 17,267 17,729 1.2%
From Other Agencies 1,150 370 370 370 370 370 370 370 370 370 370 -10.7%
Charges to Other Funds 10,093 11,103 11,471 11,770 12,092 12,357 12,595 12,894 12,837 13,100 13,300 2.8%
Other Revenue 2,361 2,361 2,313 2,314 2,315 2,316 2,316 2,317 2,318 2,319 2,321 -0.2%
Total Non-Tax Revenue 67,540 70,102 70,688 71,418 73,073 74,528 75,915 77,487 78,043 79,422 80,296 1.7%
Operating Transfers-In 19,772 20,727 21,063 21,918 22,267 22,793 23,374 23,893 24,459 25,062 25,271 2.5%
BSR Contribution (One-Time)
Golf Operating Loss Reserve Liquidation
Total Source of Funds $214,497 $227,108 $233,938 $241,315 $248,921 $256,571 $264,392 $273,133 $281,311 $290,856 $299,948
Sales Tax
The sales tax revenue forecast is driven by strong personal income and spending growth and a
larger share of consumer spending online. New and innovative retail formats have helped
revive physical retail presence. Stores that were once strictly online are now finding physical
presence within communities. As the nation transitions from a shopping center country to
online, a surge in online retail sales displace tax revenue from traditional industry segments to
state and county pools. Based on activity and receipts for the recent quarter close, it is
estimated that sales tax revenue will exceed the FY 2019 Adopted Budget by $1.2 million, or 3.9
percent, and will generate a total of $32.4 million by year-end. In FY 2020, sales tax is expected
increase to $34.3 million, or 9.7 percent, above the FY 2019 Budget. This revenue category is
currently tracking above budgeted levels in FY 2019 and it is anticipated that appropriate
adjustments will be brought forward for the FY 2019 Budget through the mid-year budget
process. Segments contributing to this growth include electronic equipment, restaurants,
furniture/appliance, and auto leases. Department and drug store sales continue to experience
declines. The FY 2020 – FY 2029 LRFF anticipates a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of
3.8% through the term of the forecast, with FY 2020’s significant growth over FY 2019’s
Adopted Budget level tapering down through the out-years.
Property Tax
Property tax revenue is the General Fund’s largest revenue source and represents 21 percent of
total revenues. Over the last three-year period, property tax revenue has grown 17 percent,
from $36.6 million in FY 2016 to $42.8 million (unaudited) in FY 2018. The FY 2019 Adopted
Budget assumes $45.3 million in total property tax and is expected to grow to $46.2 million, or
$0.9 million, by year-end. This trend continues in FY 2020, where property tax revenue is
expected to increase by additional $2.0 million, or 4.2 percent, to total $48.2 million.
City of Palo Alto Page 7
TABLE 4: City of Palo Alto Property Tax Actuals and Forecast through FY 2029
City staff meets with the County quarterly to obtain the latest assessed valuation and
assessment roll data used to forecast of property tax revenues. The above graph displays nine
years of actual revenue and 11 years of forecast, including the year-end projection for FY 2019.
The forecast assumes the anticipated cooling of the housing market and an economic downturn
that is spread over the length of the 10-year forecast. Over the 20-year period displayed, there
has been some unpredictability in the revenue growth rate, from a negative 1.1 percent in FY
2011 to a high of 11.5 percent in FY 2015.
Meeting the property tax revenue forecast is contingent on maintaining property turn over and
the median sales price. Data for the first four months of FY 2019 show that compared to the
same time prior year, property sales volume is 7.3 percent lower while price is 9.8 percent
higher. According to Zillow, as of November 2018, residential median sales price in Palo Alto is
$3.3 million, an increase of 8.0 percent over the prior year.
Included in this revenue source category are excess Educational Revenue Augmentation Funds,
or ERAF, which is not considered a permanent local revenue source. The FY 2019 forecast
assumes $2.3 million in excess ERAF funds and this amount is reduced to $1.3 million in FY 2020
to reflect closer alignment with historical collection levels.
City of Palo Alto Page 8
Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)
In FY 2019, TOT revenue is expected to reach $25.5 million, $0.5 million or 2.2 percent above
the FY 2018 unaudited revenue amount. Compared to the FY 2019 Adopted Budget, this is a
slight increase of 1.7 percent, or $0.4 million. TOT realized double digit growth in FY’s 2015 and
2016 due the 2 percent rate increase (from 12 percent to 14 percent tax rate), the recovering
economy, and the addition of the three large hotels. Since then, TOT revenue has moderated
therefore modest growth is anticipated for FY 2020 and beyond. FY 2020 is forecasted to be
$0.9 million, or 3.6 percent, above the current FY 2019 estimate, totaling $26.4 million.
Average occupancy rates average 84.1 percent for the first two month of the fiscal year,
compared to 81.7 percent in the same prior year period. At the same time, average room rates
have increased from $265 to $272 per day, a 2.6 percent increase, compared to prior year.
According to August 2019 TRENDS® in the Hotel Industry – Northern California Performance
Report, the average daily room rate in Palo Alto is higher than that of the San Jose/Peninsula
Area, while hotel occupancy is trending the same as the region.
TABLE 5: Northern California Hotel – Motel Business Trends as of August 2018
Table source: TRENDS® in the Hotel Industry Northern California, compiled and produced by CBRE Hotels, Consulting
Recently, the voters approved an additional increase in the rate of Transient Occupancy Tax of
1.5 percentage points, from a tax rate of 14.0 percent to 15.5 percent. Due to the timing of this
approval, no revenues anticipated as a result of this increase have been factored into this
forecast. This rate increase is estimated to generate additional receipts of approximately $2.6
million annually.
City of Palo Alto Page 9
Utility User’s Tax (UUT)
The UUT is levied on electric, gas, and water consumption, as well as on telephone usage. In
total, FY 2019 revenues were originally budgeted at $16.1 million and are currently estimated
at $16.3 million in FY 2019 before rising to $17.0 million in FY 2020.
UUT telephone revenues rose from $5.5 million in FY 2017 to $6.0 million in FY 2018
(unaudited). This revenue has realized double digit growth and is forecasted to reach $6.3
million in FY 2020.
UUT revenue from Utility sales came in at $9.4 million in FY 2018 and is anticipated to reach
nearly $10.1 million in FY 2019. Rate increases of 6.0 percent for electric, 4.0 percent for gas,
and 3.0 percent for water consistent with the financial plans discussed in Spring 2018 with
Finance Committee and City Council, are the primary drivers of this revenue growth. This
revenue is expected to rise to $10.7 million in FY 2020.
Documentary Transfer Tax
In FY 2015, documentary transfer taxes peaked at $10.1 million. This milestone was a
consequence of several large commercial transactions on Page Mill Road and in the Stanford
Research Park. Since that time, transfer taxes have moderated somewhat, with $9.2 million
earned in FY 2018. Given that revenue from July through October in FY 2019 is running nearly
9.8 percent above the same period in FY 2018, staff will likely modify the FY 2019 Adopted
Budget at midyear from $7.4 million up to $8.3 million. For FY 2020, revenues are expected
remain consistent with FY 2019 projected levels at $8.4 million.
As in past years, this revenue source is challenging to forecast since it is highly dependent on
sales volume and the mix of commercial and residential sales. The transactions through
October (217) are running lower than those through October of last year (234), however, the
total value of these transactions has increased by 9.8 percent. The Palo Alto housing market
remains stable despite the decline in number of transactions because the growth in total value
is robust. Although pressure on the housing market and local economy will either drive or slow
down property turnover, there is enough of a baseline trend in the Palo Alto housing market to
signal a stable 3.1 to 3.9 percent growth in revenue over the length of this forecast.
City of Palo Alto Page 10
Rental Income
Rental Income of $16.1 million primarily reflects rent from the City’s Enterprise Funds and the
Cubberley Community Center and reflects growth of approximately 2 percent from the FY 2019
Adopted Budget of $15.8 million. The declines at the beginning of the forecast in FY 2021 and
FY 2022 represent the phase-out of payments from the Refuse Fund associated with the Landfill
and the steady growth after that models a general 3.0 percent increase for this area partially
offset by minor adjustments throughout the forecast. Rental revenue annual increase is
typically based on a review of the change in the California Consumer Price Index (CCPI) in the
San Francisco Bay Area from the December to December period. It is expected that revenues
will be reviewed and revised subsequent to this forecast based on updated information.
Charges for Services and Permits and Licenses
Revenues in the ‘Charges for Services’ and the ‘Permits and Licenses’ categories are anticipated
to be $22.1 million and $9.1 million, respectively, in Fiscal Year 2020. This represents growth
from the Fiscal Year 2019 Adopted Budget levels of $20.6 million for ‘Charges for Services’ and
$8.9 million for ‘Permits and Licenses’. These increases in revenue estimates are primarily
driven by the cost to provide services to the community, ranging from recreational activities to
development activities. Therefore, revenues are impacted by personal service costs, the
primary cost driver for providing these services, and are modeled to grow in line with the
average increase in general salaries and benefits increases included in the Forecast. In the base
case, the Normal Cost of pensions associated with the Discount Rate of 6.2% is not included in
cost-recovery modeling in these categories. As part of the FY 2020 Budget and the municipal
fee development process, the City will need to examine the implications of including this
marginal cost in charges for services and permits and licenses. Additionally, this budget
category includes revenues associated with the recently renovated Golf Course.
Stanford Fire and Dispatch Services
The City has two separate agreements with Stanford University to provide its response and
emergency dispatch services. The City and Stanford have entered into a new agreement
effective July 1, 2018 outlining both terms for service levels and a new cost allocation
methodology as the baseline for the contract costs. The new fire agreement services contract
extends through June 30, 2023 with a renewal through 2028 unless otherwise terminated.
As part of this new contract, a new staffing deployment model for suppression and medical
services was approved by the City Council in October 2017 and deployed in January 2018. This
forecast assumes this new staffing model and in accordance with the new contract, increases to
this revenue from Stanford have been aligned with the average growth of the expenses in the
Fire Department over the forecast period.
City of Palo Alto Page 11
Charges to Other Funds
The main source of revenues in this category is General Fund administrative cost allocation plan
charges to the Enterprise and Internal Service Funds. Internal support departments such as
Administrative Services, Human Resources, and Council Appointees provide services to
Enterprise and Internal Service Funds. The costs for these services are recovered through the
administrative cost allocation plan charges. The FY 2020 estimate for Charges to Other Funds of
$11.1 million reflects growth of 10.0 percent from the FY 2019 Adopted Budget of $10.1
million. This is attributed to the assumed increases in salary and benefits costs and the
restoration of expenses such as workers’ compensation and general liability that were
subsidized by the respective Internal Service Fund on a one-time basis in FY 2019. After the first
year of FY 2020, growth is more moderate ranging from 0 percent up to 3.3 percent annual
increases throughout the forecast period.
Operating Transfers-in
Operating Transfers-in materialize as expenses in other funds throughout the City and as a
revenue in the General Fund. This budget category includes the equity transfer from the Electric
and Gas funds. In accordance with a methodology approved by the City Council in June 2009,
the equity transfer is calculated by applying a rate of return on the capital asset base of the
Electric and Gas funds. This rate of return is based on PG&E's rate of return on equity as
approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Using the Utility Department’s
projections from the Electric and Gas Five Year Financial Forecasts, as approved by the City
Council in spring 2018, the equity transfer from the Electric and Gas funds are projected to
increase over the course of this forecast from $19.9 million in FY 2020 to $24.8 million in FY
2029. Overall, the Operating Transfers-in are estimated to increase slightly to $20.7 million in
FY 2020, a 4.8 percent increase from the FY 2019 Adopted Budget level of $19.8 million.
Expense Assumptions
As part of developing the FY 2020 Forecast expenditure budget, the General Fund expense
categories have been adjusted by removing FY 2019 Adopted Budget one-time expenses and
updating major cost elements such as salary and benefits costs. The tables below display the
expense forecast and when compared to the FY 2018 Adopted Budget, growth of 2.6 percent is
expected in FY 2019, with growth ranging from 1.5 percent to 3.7 percent throughout the ten-
year forecast.
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TABLE 6: FY 2020-2029 General Fund Expense Forecast
Base Case
Expenditures & Other Uses
Adopted
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
CAGR
10
Years
Salary 70,469$ 78,029$ 80,751$ 82,730$ 84,835$ 86,761$ 88,548$ 90,317$ 92,083$ 93,845$ 95,607$ 3.1%
Benefits 54,935 60,378 62,416 64,366 66,295 67,733 68,771 70,277 69,192 70,141 71,278 2.6%
Subtotal: Salary & Benefits 125,404 138,408 143,167 147,097 151,130 154,494 157,318 160,594 161,275 163,986 166,884 2.9%
Contract Services 22,025 21,607 22,030 22,552 23,018 23,454 23,881 24,313 24,750 25,178 25,478 1.5%
Supplies & Material 3,521 3,558 3,628 3,697 3,767 3,837 3,907 3,977 4,046 4,116 4,189 1.8%
General Expense 6,183 10,454 10,726 11,005 11,289 11,580 11,877 12,682 12,901 13,531 14,364 8.8%
Debt Service 613 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 N/A
Rents & Leases 1,690 1,751 1,804 1,858 1,914 1,971 2,030 2,091 2,154 2,218 2,285 3.1%
Facilities & Equipment 522 532 543 553 564 574 584 595 605 616 628 1.9%
Allocated Charges 19,850 21,345 21,891 22,393 22,843 23,307 23,689 24,133 24,528 24,965 25,414 2.5%
Total Non Sal/Ben Before Transfers 54,404 59,247 60,621 62,059 63,395 64,723 65,968 67,790 68,984 70,624 72,357 2.9%
Operating Transfers-Out 5,725 4,869 4,899 4,955 5,039 5,033 5,092 5,156 5,182 5,212 5,271 -0.8%
Transfer to Infrastructure - Base/Cubb 16,823 18,987 21,161 21,545 21,937 22,339 22,752 23,175 23,609 24,055 24,512 3.8%
Transfer to Infrastructure - TOT 8,350 8,406 8,625 8,853 9,105 9,360 9,641 9,941 10,244 10,548 10,843 2.6%
Total Use of Funds $210,706 $229,916 $238,472 $244,508 $250,606 $255,948 $260,771 $266,655 $269,292 $274,424 $279,867 2.9%
Salary and Benefits
The table above (also available in Attachment A) depicts the estimated General Fund salaries
and benefits costs for the next decade. Over the forecast period, the salaries and benefits costs
gradually increase in comparison to the total expenditure budget. In FY 2020, salaries and
benefits costs represent approximately 60 percent of the General Fund budget expenditures
and remain near that level of General Fund budget expenditures through FY 2029.
Salary
Consistent with the City’s salary budget methodology for recent budgets, positions are
budgeted at the actual rate of pay of employees including benefits as of Fall 2018. Then, by
position, salary costs are updated in accordance with applicable Memorandum of Agreements
(MOA) between the City and its labor groups and the Management and Professional Personnel
and Council Appointees Compensation Plan(s). The safety (Police and Fire) bargaining units
recently concluded bargaining with MOAs that continue through Fiscal Year 2022 as approved
by the City Council. The main bargaining unit for miscellaneous employees in the General Fund,
Service Employees International Union (SEIU), is currently in negotiations with the City. The
SEIU MOA expires December 31, 2018.
The Forecast assumes step increases for employees in applicable positions, including SEIU, IAFF,
and PAPOA and merit increases for Management and Professional employees. General wage
adjustments of 2% are included in each year of the Forecast for all employees in years when
there is not a MOA in effect. This is consistent with prior Council direction to use the 2 percent
increase as a forecasting model, not as a commitment to future negotiations. If agreements are
negotiated with salary increases greater than presumed in the forecast, then expenses will
increase accordingly.
City of Palo Alto Page 13
Benefits
Pension: The Forecast includes pension rates from CalPERS as of the June 30, 2017 valuation for
the City’s Miscellaneous and Safety plans for the first six years of the Forecast and modeled by
the City for the final years of the Forecast. This methodology is necessary as CalPERS only
provides projected pension rates for the next six years. CalPERS has implemented some
changes with significant impacts to the City’s pension liability lowering the discount rate from
7.5 percent to 7.0 percent over three years. For Fiscal Year 2020, the second year of this three-
year phase in, CalPERS used a 7.25 percent discount rate.
CalPERS determines the City’s total contributions for a given Fiscal Year as the sum of two
factors: Normal Cost (NC) and Unfunded Accrued Liability (UAL). The Normal Cost (NC) is a
variable cost that increases or decreases directly with the salary levels of the City and is
sometimes referred to as a ‘pay-go’ cost. It represents the necessary funding for the City to pay
for employees presuming that CalPERS makes its stated investment returns. However, in a year
that CalPERS does not make its stated investment return, a loss in assets is realized. The
accumulation of these losses represents the City’s Unfunded Accrued Liability (UAL), which is
calculated by CalPERS and is sometimes referred to as the ‘catch-up’ cost. The UAL is calculated
over an amortized period with defined annual payments, similar to a mortgage. CalPERS then
blends these payments into a percentage of payroll for reference.
For the miscellaneous plan, the projected pension contribution rate will increase from the
current 32.6 percent in FY 2019 to 35.6 percent in FY 2020. This includes the continued phase-in
of the lower discount rate for the unfunded accrued liability (UAL), which will be completed in
FY 2021. The rate continues to increase to a peak of 43.1 percent of payroll in FY 2026 as a
result of actuarial impacts before tapering down to 37.0 percent in FY 2029. This projection is
consistent with prior actuarial assessments done by Bartel Associates which anticipated a slight
decline in pension costs associated with various amortization factors including the pay-down of
previously sustained losses.
The Safety plan follows a similar trend line, with the increases plateauing in the out years of the
Forecast. In the first year, the safety plan is projected to grow to 59.4 percent of payroll from
the current 55.6 percent of payroll and increase to 73.7 percent in FY 2025 before tapering
down beginning in FY 2026. As with the miscellaneous plan, this initial growth is primarily
driven by the phase-in of the 7.0 percent discount rate instead of the previous 7.5 percent
discount rate. This growth stabilizes in the out years of the Forecast and returns to a lower level
of 66.0 percent by FY 2029.
The table below shows CalPERS’ projected FY 2019 – FY 2029 blended retirement rates. It
should be noted that the numbers in FY 2026 are not provided by CalPERS (they only provide a
forecast through FY 2025) but have been calculated by the City using a methodology consistent
with CalPERS actuarial analysis. These rates are before the employee pick-ups of the employer
share are factored in; that pick-up materializes as savings in the City’s pension costs. The
forecast does presume that employees in the miscellaneous plan will pick up 1% of the
City of Palo Alto Page 14
employer pension cost for miscellaneous plan members, and that safety plan members will pick
up percentages consistent with their MOAs, ranging from the current 3% to 4% depending on
the year and the unit.
TABLE 7: CalPERS’ Projected FY 2019-2029 Blended Retirement Rates
(percentage of payroll)
FY
2019
FY
2020
FY
2021
FY
2022
FY
2023
FY
2024
FY
2025
FY
2026
FY
2027
FY
2028
FY
2029
Miscellaneous 32.6 35.6 38.2 40.0 41.4 41.9 42.5 43.1 38.5 37.9 37.0
Safety 55.6 59.4 64.1 68.0 71.1 72.7 73.7 70.0 68.9 67.5 66.0
On October 29, 2018 the City Council approved a significant change in assumptions for the
development of financial planning, beginning with this base case for the Long-Range Financial
Forecast. The City Council directed that staff include the NC for pension benefits in the budget
assuming an equivalent of 6.2 percent discount rate and transfer additional funding beyond
CalPERS actuarial determined contribution levels to the 115 Trust Fund. A preliminary
calculation was done to capture the marginal increases associated with recognizing a 6.2
percent discount rate for the City’s Normal Cost payments. The implication of this marginal
increase is approximately $3.9 million in additional pension expenses in this Long-Range
Financial Forecast beginning in FY 2020 compared to previous assumptions. These additional
funds would be contributed directly to the City’s IRS Section 115 irrevocable Pension Trust Fund
and would augment the current principal deposits of $7.6 million. The City’s Unfunded Accrued
Liability (UAL), calculated by CalPERS, remains at the CalPERS discount rate assumption phasing
down to 7.0 percent in FY 2021.
The marginal costs of the lower discount rates do taper as the forecast continues through to
the end of the ten-year term. It is anticipated the City will spend a total of $32.3 million on
pension costs in FY 2020, increasing to a peak of $35.6 million in FY 2026 before the downward
trend starts at the end of the forecast. These expenses represent approximately 14% of the
General Fund’s total expenses. Alternative Forecast #1, contemplates how the Long Range
Financial Forecast would change if the marginal costs associated with the lower discount rate
were excluded from the forecast.
Retiree Medical: Retiree Medical is based on the most recent actuarial study prepared by
Bartel Associates, which is completed every two years. The last actuarial study was done in FY
2018 and presented to the City Council as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 Adopted Budget. The
table below details the cost to the General Fund for every year based on that actuarial study,
excluding the implied subsidy. Consistent with City Council direction, as recommended by staff,
the City continues to budget for the full payment of the Actuarial Determined Contribution
(ADC) for retiree healthcare. Since CalPERS blends active employees with pre-Medicare retirees
and charges the same medical premium, even though younger employees on average consume
less healthcare and thereby subsidize older employees and retirees, there is an implied subsidy
that effectively lowers the funding necessary to meet the ADC.
City of Palo Alto Page 15
TABLE 8: FY 2020 – FY 2029 Retiree Medical General Fund Contributions
FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029
General
Fund $9.1M $9.3M $9.6M $9.9M $10.2M $10.5M $10.8M $11.1M $11.5M $11.8M
The City’s CERBT Trust, which contains prefunding for the City’s Other Post Employment Benefit
(OPEB) liabilities, maintains a very health fund balance. The CERBT Trust currently has over
$100 million in assets. As the City continues through the next few years, there will be
important impacts to examine associated with Retiree Medical as there may be opportunities
over the course of this forecast to subsidize the City’s ADC payments with withdrawals from the
OPEB CERBT Trust. That savings could possibly be used for other competing priorities, such as
prepaying an additional portion of the City’s pension UAL.
Healthcare: Consistent with the most recent labor agreements between the City and its
bargaining units in the General Fund, the City’s contribution amounts towards medical costs for
employees are based on a flat rate contribution from the City, with the employee contributing
towards the remaining medical plan premium. Like salaries, healthcare costs are updated in
accordance with applicable Memorandum of Agreements (MOA) between the City and its labor
groups and the Management and Professional Personnel and Council Appointees
Compensation Plan(s). This Forecast assumes an inflation factor of four percent on healthcare
costs to the City in each year of the Forecast for all employees in years when there is not a MOA
in effect. This forecast does presume lower growth than the four percent that has been
modeled in the past for dental and vision costs. These costs underwent adjustments during CY
2018, including a downward adjustment for dental, and as a result of that increases of only two
percent are modeled through this forecast.
Contract Services
This FY 2020 forecast assumes $21.6 million in contract services, a 1.9 percent decrease from
the FY 2019 Adopted Budget of $22.0 million. This decrease is driven primarily by $780,000 in
grant expenses that were recognized on a one-time basis as part of the FY 2019 Adopted
Operating Budget. This budget category includes important contract increases for contractual
obligations already approved by the City Council, including significant contracts such as tree
maintenance, landscape maintenance, operations at the newly renovated Golf Course, and
janitorial services. Throughout the Forecast, a 2.0 percent annual escalator was modeled to
capture anticipated growth in this expense category beginning in FY 2020.
Supplies and Materials
The FY 2019 Adopted Budget for the General Fund included $3.5 million for Supplies and
Materials, which is anticipated to grow modestly to $3.6 million in FY 2020. An escalator of 2.0
percent was applied to this expense category to capture anticipated growth over the course of
the forecast.
City of Palo Alto Page 16
General Expense
This category includes costs for travel and meetings, telephone and non-city utilities,
contingency accounts, bank card service charges, and subsidies and grants provided through
the Human Services Resource Allocation Program (HSRAP). The FY 2019 Adopted Budget of $6.2
million is somewhat understated because it includes the $4.0 million in General Fund expense
reductions as directed by the City Council during the adoption of the FY 2019 Budget. The
conversation between staff and the Finance Committee regarding that $4.0 million and where
the lower expenses will be realized is ongoing. The FY 2020 forecast for this category does not
continue that reduction, which is why this category increases to $10.5 million. Over the course
of the forecast, increases of 2.0 percent were modeled. These figures do not include General
Expenses for the Cubberley Lease, which is explained in further detail below.
General Expense - Cubberley Lease: In FY 2015, the City and Palo Alto Unified School District
(PAUSD) agreed to an extension of the Cubberley Lease by five years starting January 1, 2015
and expiring December 31, 2019. As part of the lease agreement, the City Council approved
creation of a fund for Cubberley infrastructure improvements. Based on the new lease, $1.9
million is transferred to the Cubberley Property Infrastructure Fund annually. Therefore, the
$1.9 million is classified as an Operating Transfer Out which is discussed in further detail below.
With the Cubberley infrastructure funds set aside, the FY 2019 Budget includes $6.3 million for
Cubberley Lease payments. In accordance with the lease agreement, the Forecast assumes a
3.0 percent annual CPI increase for the lease payments to the PAUSD for the Cubberley facility.
For planning purposes in this Forecast, it is assumed that the current agreement will continue
during the entire Forecast period.
Rents and Leases
The Rents and Leases expense category for FY 2020 is estimated to increase by 3.6 percent
from $1.7 million in FY 2019 to $1.8 million in FY 2020. This increase includes the lease for some
of the Development Services Department staff at 526 Bryant Street. The growth throughout the
forecast is projected at 3.0 percent due to the continued pressure on this expense category. It is
important to note that if the City must continue renting space for operations of departments
like Development Services and if the current rent environment persists, that this expense
category could increase even more.
Facilities and Equipment
The Facilities and Equipment expense category is expected to experience a slight increase of 2.0
percent from $522,000 to $533,000, from FY 2019 to FY 2020. This budget category includes
subscription payments for equipment like public safety radios as well as other non-capital
equipment. Growth of approximately 2.0 percent is modeled through the forecast to capture
anticipated increases.
City of Palo Alto Page 17
Allocated Charges
Allocated Charges represent expense allocations by the City’s Enterprise and Internal Service
Funds for services and products they provide to General Fund departments. The FY 2019
Adopted Budget for the General Fund included $19.8 million for these expenses, including
utilities usage, general liability insurance, technology costs, vehicle equipment maintenance
and replacement costs and other charges. The allocated charges for general liability expenses
and workers’ compensation were subsidized on a one-time basis in FY 2019, which is not
continued in the forecast in FY 2020. The FY 2020 allocated charges in the Forecast update the
revenues and expenses for these various allocations based on the information available at the
time of the Forecast development. FY 2020 is anticipated to experience an increase of 7.5
percent to a total of $21.3 million. This increase is driven primarily by the restoration of the full
allocation of costs associated with the general liability expenses and workers’ compensation
funds.
Operating Transfers Out
Operating Transfers Out include transfers from the General Fund to the Debt Service Fund, the
Technology Fund, and other funds. The transfer level for the FY 2019 Adopted Budget was $5.7
million; this included a one-time transfer of $1.2 million from the City’s General Fund to its
irrevocable Section 115 Trust Fund through the General Benefits Fund to prefund pension
obligations. As a result of removing that transfer, the Operating Transfers Out are anticipated to
be $4.9 million in FY 2020. (The costs associated with the lower discount rate and
correspondingly higher Normal Cost, as directed by the City Council, are included in the Salary
and Benefits category beginning in FY 2020.)
The main reason for the year-over-year increase in this category, even after adjusting for the
one-time transfer to the benefits fund, is that the City shifted how it is paying for its debt
service. Although no expenses are anticipated in the Debt Service category in the General Fund
in FY 2020 budget, transfers to the debt service fund are included for the debt issued associated
with the golf course. These payments continue throughout the term of the forecast.
Transfer to Infrastructure
In FY 2019, the adopted General Fund transfer to the Capital Improvement Fund is $25.2
million, which includes the base transfer of $16.8 million and $8.4 million from additional TOT
proceeds generated through a two percentage point TOT increase as well as through the
addition of new hotels. Incremental TOT increases from the rate increase and new hotels are
dedicated to the Capital Improvement Fund to support the Infrastructure Plan, consistent with
City Council direction. This transfer is anticipated to increase to $17.1 million for the base
transfer in FY 2020 and an additional $8.4 million for the dedicated TOT funds per Council
priorities. This budget category also includes the separate $1.9 million transfer to the Cubberley
Property Infrastructure Fund, described earlier in this document. This transfer remains
consistent throughout this Forecast despite the sunset date of the current lease terms for
Cubberley to capture the anticipated costs.
City of Palo Alto Page 18
The transfers to the Capital Improvement Fund are anticipated to remain generally consistent
with the FY 2019 Adopted Budget for the next few years, with slight increases annually over the
forecast period. Both the TOT and base transfers to the Capital Improvement Fund are
anticipated to increase each year of the forecast period. The TOT transfer captures the growth
anticipated from the construction of new hotels. Both the TOT transfer and the base transfer
increase over the term of the forecast to capture anticipated CPI increases as well.
Budget Stabilization Reserve
The City's Budget Stabilization Reserve (BSR) serves as the primary General Fund reserve. By
policy, the BSR is maintained in the range of 15 to 20 percent of General Fund operating
expenditures, with a target of 18.5 percent. Any reduction to the reserve below 15 percent
requires City Council approval. At the discretion of the City Manager, any BSR balance above
18.5 percent may be transferred to the Infrastructure Reserve (IR), which was established to
provide funding for maintenance and rehabilitation of the City’s capital assets. The BSR is used
to fund unanticipated one-time costs as opposed to ongoing or recurring operating
expenditures. The City's intent is to fund ongoing programs and services with ongoing dollars.
This forecast assumes that the BSR meets or exceeds the City Council approved minimum of 15
percent of anticipated expenses in any given year.
The City has held a long-standing practice of maintaining a BSR balance of no less than 15
percent of General Fund operating expenses. At the close of Fiscal Year 2018, the BSR is
anticipated to remain above the 18.5 percent target at $51.4 million. It should be noted that
this includes the $4.0 million referral from City Council related to prefunding pension
obligations. It is anticipated that other qualifications for the balance of the BSR will be further
clarified through the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and the Year-End process for FY
2018. Establishing sound fiscal reserve policies have been a strong factor in the City being rated
AAA by rating agencies.
Assumptions NOT Included in Forecast
It should be noted that this Forecast does not include several potential impacts to the FY 2020
projected budget and the out years of the Forecast. Below is a list of a few items not included.
This is not intended to be a comprehensive list or in any priority order.
Labor negotiations: Although the City has recently concluded negotiations with four safety
units, these contracts only extend through the first few years of the forecast. These safety units
are the Palo Alto Peace Officers Association (PAPOA), the International Association of Fire
Fighters (IAFF), Fire Chiefs Association (FCA), and Police Management Association (PAPMA).
Each of those contracts expire June 30, 2021. Additionally, the Service Employees International
Union (SEIU) MOA expires at the conclusion of the 2018 calendar year. After an agreement is
reached with SEIU, it will need to be incorporated into future budgets and forecasts, as
applicable. Additionally, as discussed above, this Forecast models only modest increases to
salaries in years where there is not a contract. This region’s competition for a qualified
workforce remains a significant pressure on the City’s anticipated salary costs.
City of Palo Alto Page 19
Capital Infrastructure Plan: As referenced earlier, the June 2014 Council approved
Infrastructure Plan of $125.8 million in projects was based on construction and design costs
with data from 2012. As construction costs have increased and the City is required to pay
prevailing wages, the Plan’s funding status has shifted. The FY 2019 Adopted Capital Budget
anticipated that this Plan would cost $249.9 million. In addition, this Forecast does not assume
ongoing operating and maintenance impacts as a result of the Infrastructure Plan, such as the
operating costs associated with the new Public Safety building, but future forecasts will
incorporate operating cost impacts as the specific projects are designed and implemented.
Grade Separation: The city is currently in the process of exploring four locations for grade
separations. As the City continues the process of deciding not only how many locations will
have grade separation but also what kind of grade separation will be pursued the financial
impacts are difficult to define. Additionally, it may make sense to undertake a coordinated area
plan for transit in the downtown area to synchronize with the grade separation process. Costs
for these items are not included in this forecast.
Parks Master Plan: The Parks Master Plan was finalized in 2017, however, when approved it
identified a need to develop a funding strategy. As such, this Forecast does not yet contemplate
the necessary investments to execute this plan.
Junior Museum and Zoo: In November 2014, the City Council directed staff to negotiate a
capital lease with the Friends of the Junior Museum and Zoo for the reconstruction of the
Junior Museum and Zoo. This Forecast does not assume any additional capital or ongoing
operating costs related to the renovated building and changes in programming as a result of the
new building. This is an especially important variable to consider as future budgets are
developed since the impacts will materialize at the beginning of the forecast and continue.
Other Capital Improvement Projects: A number of both assets and planned projects remain on
the horizon, however, none have resulted in formalized capital improvement projects. Major
improvements such as an update to the animal care shelter, rail grade separation, the former
ITT site, and the acquisition of land or assets are not factored into the Forecast.
City owned assets operated by non-profit organizations: This Forecast does not include any
additional capital investments for the Avenidas Senior Center (beyond the current $5 million
pledge), the Palo Alto History Museum, the Ventura Child Care Center, the Junior Museum and
Zoo, nor the Sea Scout Building.
Cubberley Community Center Master Plan: The City has started the process of designing a
Cubberley Community Center Master Plan, however, costs to implement that master plan in
excess of the dedicated Cubberley infrastructure funding as agreed to between the PAUSD and
the City are not assumed in this Forecast. In addition, the lease agreement with the PAUSD is
set to expire in December 2019.
City of Palo Alto Page 20
Loans for special projects: From time to time the City’s General Fund will assist other City
operations with modest cash flow loans to bridge fiscal years. For example, the City has
provided over $3 million in loans to the Airport Fund as it works to secure significant grant
funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for capital improvement costs. Other
initiatives may need a similar type of short-term loan in order to fund the capital costs
necessary to implement though none have been assumed in this forecast.
Cadillac Healthcare Federal Excise Tax: A 40 percent excise tax will be imposed on the value of
health insurance benefits that exceed a certain threshold. CalPERS may be able to design
healthcare premiums to stay below the threshold and discussions are in the preliminary stage.
Congress did delay the implementation of this tax from calendar year 2020 to calendar year
2022. However, if the tax is implemented and applicable, the City may have to pay the tax.
Greater CalPERS City contribution increases: Currently, CalPERS assumes an annual investment
return of 7.0 percent. Further, the CalPERS Board approved a gradual de-risking strategy, which
is intended to reduce the assumed investment return to 6.5% over the next 20 years. This
Forecast assumes that CalPERS will meet the annual investment return. However, staff and the
Finance Committee continue to discuss the City’s best options for addressing the unfunded
pension liability. At the City Council’s direction, this forecast does include the marginal costs
associated with a lower discount rate on the normal cost. However, if CalPERS experiences
investment returns lower than it has presumed in its actuarial model, it is anticipated that there
may be even greater impacts on the City’s finances.
Tax revenue alignment with updated Comprehensive Plan: The City Council recently completed
updating its Comprehensive Plan, including the potential fiscal impact of various land use
scenarios. The fiscal impact of this plan and various land use scenarios are not factored into this
Forecast.
Changes in the local, regional, and national economy: This Forecast assumes a moderately
growing local economy. Any changes may have positive or negative impacts on economically
sensitive revenues such as Sales Tax and the Transient Occupancy Tax.
City of Palo Alto Page 21
Alternative Forecast #1: Normal Cost calculated at CalPERS Discount Rate (phase-in to 7.0
percent by FY 2021)
As discussed in the Salary and Benefits section above, the base forecast includes approximately
$3.9 million in additional pension expenses in this Long-Range Financial Forecast. These costs
capture the direction from City Council to budget the Normal Cost using a 6.2 percent discount
rate to proactively prefund the City’s pension liability. This assumption deviates from the
current CalPERS actuarial assumptions for investment earnings; CalPERS currently assumes a
phase-in to 7.0 percent discount rate by FY 2021. This alternative scenario models the impact
of assuming CalPERS rates for both the NC and UAL portions of the City’s annual pension
contributions. The summary table for this alternative forecast and the Net Operating Margin
graph for this alternative forecast are below. Additional discussion for this alternative follows
these figures.
TABLE 9: FY 2020 – FY 2029 Long Range Financial Forecast
Alternative Forecast #1
Adopted
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
Total Revenue $207,042 $227,108 $233,938 $241,315 $248,921 $256,571 $264,392 $273,133 $281,311 $290,856 $299,948
9.7%3.0%3.2%3.2%3.1%3.0%3.3%3.0%3.4%3.1%
Total Expenditures $210,426 $226,033 $235,292 $241,479 $247,736 $253,283 $258,718 $264,994 $268,506 $273,945 $279,573
7.4%4.1%2.6%2.6%2.2%2.1%2.4%1.3%2.0%2.1%
Net One-Time Surplus/(Shortfall)($3,384)$1,075 ($1,354)($164)$1,185 $3,288 $5,675 $8,139 $12,805 $16,911 $20,376
Cumulative Net Operating Margin (One-Time)$67,936
Net Operating Margin $1,075 ($2,430)$1,190 $1,349 $2,103 $2,386 $2,465 $4,666 $4,106 $3,465
Cumulative Net Operating Margin $20,376
Assumes that the annual shortfalls are solved with ongoing solutions and annual surpluses are spent for ongoing expenditures.
TABLE 10: FY 2020-2029 Long Range Financial Forecast Net Operating Margin
Alternative Forecast #1
City of Palo Alto Page 22
The General Fund would run a slight surplus in the first year and then alternate between slight
deficits and surpluses before trending to surpluses in FY 2024 in this scenario. However, no
annual contribution to the City’s Section 115 Pension Trust Fund is presumed in this model.
This scenario represents the significant efforts the City has taken over the past few years to
structurally balance the budget through reprioritization of work and reductions to the City’s
full-time staffing in order to help contain rising pension costs.
Alternative Forecast #2: Major Tax Revenue Sensitivity Analysis
This alternative scenario models the potential impact that might be seen if the economy
contracted, for modeling purposes this is assumed to occur in FY 2022, and the growth that
would be anticipated for the remainder of the forecast. The lower revenue estimates would
continue through the forecast but would recover somewhat toward the final years of the
forecast. These lower revenue estimates through first nine years of the forecast would
significantly constrain the City’s resources.
As discussed in the base case, FY 2020 total tax receipts account for nearly 60 percent of the
General Fund’s total revenues. The base case assumes that average tax receipts grow $9.1
million, or 7.2%, above the Fiscal Year 2019 Adopted Budget of $127.2 million to reach a total
of $136.3 million in FY 2020. The growth tapers somewhat after that but remains between 4.3
percent and 3.5 percent over the ten years of the forecast. If tax revenue slowed, like patterns
experienced by the City of Palo Alto during prior recessions, but all other assumptions remained
constant, the loss in revenue would be approximately $15.3 million in FY 2022.
Under this alternative, the City’s expenses would be projected to exceed revenues in all but the
final two years of the forecast. The greatest one-time gap would be in Fiscal Year 2023, with
$24.0 million more in expenses than revenues, before narrowing to $3.0 million more in
expenses than revenues in FY 2027 and then closing in FY 2028. The summary table for this
Alternative and the corresponding graph showing the Net Operating Margin are included
below.
TABLE 11: FY 2020 – FY 2029 Long Range Financial Forecast
Alternative Forecast #2
Adopted
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
Total Revenue $207,042 $227,108 $233,100 $225,984 $226,565 $232,555 $242,938 $254,692 $266,323 $279,817 $293,398
9.7%2.6%-3.1%0.3%2.6%4.5%4.8%4.6%5.1%4.9%
Total Expenditures $210,426 $229,916 $238,472 $244,508 $250,606 $255,948 $260,771 $266,655 $269,292 $274,424 $279,867
9.3%3.7%2.5%2.5%2.1%1.9%2.3%1.0%1.9%2.0%
Net One-Time Surplus/(Shortfall)($3,384)($2,807)($5,372)($18,524)($24,041)($23,393)($17,832)($11,964)($2,970)$5,393 $13,531
Cumulative Net Operating Margin (One-Time)-$87,979
Net Operating Margin ($2,807)($2,565)($13,151)($5,517)$648 $5,560 $5,869 $8,994 $8,363 $8,138
Cumulative Net Operating Margin $13,531
Assumes that the annual shortfalls are solved with ongoing solutions and annual surpluses are spent for ongoing expenditures.
City of Palo Alto Page 23
TABLE 12: FY 2020-2029 Long Range Financial Forecast Net Operating Margin
Alternative Forecast #2
Conclusion
The FY 2020 Long Range Financial Forecast puts in perspective the growing desires and the
limited resources available to complete them all in a timely manner. The City structurally
balanced with the adoption of the budget in FY 2019 and now needs to continue to exercise
financial prudence in order to not only meet its obligations and demands on service delivery
but also proactively prefund its pension liability. This balance will require extensive
conversations with the community regarding what the City’s priorities are and how that balance
can best be achieved. Through these conversations, a continued scrutiny of the expansion and
enhancement of existing services, the addition of new services, and the priorities of the
community will be necessary. As the Committee and Council continue to discuss major projects
such as pension, infrastructure, and grade separation the ability to manage expectations and
implement innovative solutions will be critical. A prioritization of needs and ensuring that we
operate within resources that are available are essential to preserving the City’s sound financial
future.
RESOURCE IMPACT
Financial implications from this report and input from the Finance Committee will be
considered in the City Manager’s development of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This report is not a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Environmental review is not required.
Attachments:
City of Palo Alto Page 24
• Attachment A: Long Range Financial Report Base Case Revenue Tables
• Attachment B: Long Range Financial Report Base Case Expense Tables
FY 2020‐2029 Long Range Financial Forecast Base Case Revenue Table ATTACHMENT A
Revenue & Other Sources Adopted 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
CAGR 10
Years
Sales Taxes $31,246 $34,286 $35,754 $37,000 $38,154 $39,302 $40,426 $41,546 $42,759 $44,063 $45,498 3.8%
Property Taxes 45,332 48,193 51,181 54,231 57,235 60,285 63,426 67,289 71,508 76,078 80,970 6.0%
Transient Occupancy Tax‐ General Purpose 16,699 17,977 18,444 18,933 19,473 20,018 20,618 21,260 21,908 22,556 23,188 3.3%
Transient Occupancy Tax‐ Infrastructure 8,350 8,406 8,625 8,853 9,106 9,361 9,641 9,941 10,244 10,547 10,843 2.6%
Documentary Transfer Tax 7,434 8,359 8,631 8,905 9,174 9,484 9,851 10,188 10,547 10,928 11,325 4.3%
Utility Users Tax 16,092 17,026 17,519 18,024 18,407 18,768 19,109 19,497 19,811 20,168 20,526 2.5%
Other Taxes and Fines 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 2,032 0.0%
Subtotal: Taxes 127,185 136,279 142,186 147,978 153,581 159,250 165,103 171,753 178,809 186,372 194,382 4.3%
Charges for Services 20,630 22,057 22,870 23,551 24,230 24,788 25,323 25,955 26,010 26,464 26,534 2.5%
Stanford Fire & Dispatch Services 7,384 7,829 7,992 8,128 8,273 8,395 8,486 8,580 8,651 8,763 8,810 1.8%
Permits and Licenses 8,949 9,065 9,169 9,252 9,337 9,406 9,474 9,555 9,563 9,620 9,669 0.8%
Return on Investments 1,166 1,197 1,230 1,266 1,304 1,346 1,390 1,432 1,475 1,519 1,563 3.0%
Rental Income 15,807 16,120 15,272 14,766 15,153 15,551 15,961 16,384 16,819 17,267 17,729 1.2%
From Other Agencies 1,150 370 370 370 370 370 370 370 370 370 370 ‐10.7%
Charges to Other Funds 10,093 11,103 11,471 11,770 12,092 12,357 12,595 12,894 12,837 13,100 13,300 2.8%
Other Revenue 2,361 2,361 2,313 2,314 2,315 2,316 2,316 2,317 2,318 2,319 2,321 ‐0.2%
Total Non‐Tax Revenue 67,540 70,102 70,688 71,418 73,073 74,528 75,915 77,487 78,043 79,422 80,296 1.7%
Operating Transfers‐In 19,772 20,727 21,063 21,918 22,267 22,793 23,374 23,893 24,459 25,062 25,271 2.5%
BSR Contribution (One‐Time)
Golf Operating Loss Reserve Liquidation
Total Source of Funds $214,497 $227,108 $233,938 $241,315 $248,921 $256,571 $264,392 $273,133 $281,311 $290,856 $299,948 3.4%
Revenue & Other Sources 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
Sales Taxes 9.7% 4.3% 3.5% 3.1% 3.0% 2.9% 2.8% 2.9% 3.0% 3.3%
Property Taxes 6.3% 6.2% 6.0% 5.5% 5.3% 5.2% 6.1% 6.3% 6.4% 6.4%
Transient Occupancy Tax ‐ General Purpose 7.7% 2.6% 2.7% 2.9% 2.8% 3.0% 3.1% 3.0% 3.0% 2.8%
Transient Occupancy Tax ‐ Infrastructure 0.7% 2.6% 2.6% 2.9% 2.8% 3.0% 3.1%3.0% 3.0% 2.8%
Documentary Transfer Tax 12.4% 3.3% 3.2% 3.0% 3.4% 3.9% 3.4% 3.5% 3.6% 3.6%
Utility Users Tax 5.8% 2.9% 2.9% 2.1% 2.0% 1.8% 2.0% 1.6% 1.8% 1.8%
Other Taxes and Fines 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Subtotal: Taxes 7.2% 4.3% 4.1% 3.8% 3.7% 3.7% 4.0% 4.1% 4.2% 4.3%
Charges for Services 6.9% 3.7% 3.0% 2.9%2.3% 2.2% 2.5%0.2% 1.7% 0.3%
Stanford Fire & Dispatch Services 6.9% 2.1% 1.7% 1.8%1.5% 1.1% 1.1%0.8% 1.3% 0.5%
Permits and Licenses 1.3% 1.1% 0.9% 0.9%0.7% 0.7% 0.9%0.1% 0.6% 0.5%
Return on Investments 2.7% 2.8% 2.9% 3.0% 3.2% 3.3% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 2.9%
Rental Income 2.0%‐5.3%‐3.3% 2.6% 2.6% 2.6%2.6% 2.7% 2.7% 2.7%
From Other Agencies ‐67.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Charges to Other Funds 10.0% 3.3% 2.6% 2.7% 2.2% 1.9% 2.4%‐0.4% 2.1% 1.5%
Other Revenue 0.0%‐2.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1%
Total Non‐Tax Revenue 3.8% 0.8% 1.0% 2.3% 2.0% 1.9% 2.1% 0.7% 1.8% 1.1%
Operating Transfers‐In 4.8% 1.6% 4.1% 1.6% 2.4%2.5% 2.2% 2.4% 2.5% 0.8%
BSR Contribution (One‐Time)
Golf Operating Loss Reserve Liquidation
Total Source of Funds 5.9% 3.0% 3.2% 3.2% 3.1% 3.0% 3.3% 3.0% 3.4% 3.1%
FY 2019‐2028 General Fund Long Range Financial Forecast Base Case
Expense Table
ATTACHMENT B
Expenditures & Other Uses
Adopted
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
CAGR
10
Years
Salary 70,469$ 78,029$ 80,751$ 82,730$ 84,835$ 86,761$ 88,548$ 90,317$ 92,083$ 93,845$ 95,607$ 3.1%
Benefits 54,935 60,378 62,416 64,366 66,295 67,733 68,771 70,277 69,192 70,141 71,278 2.6%
Subtotal: Salary & Benefits 125,404 138,408 143,167 147,097 151,130 154,494 157,318 160,594 161,275 163,986 166,884 2.9%
Contract Services 22,025 21,607 22,030 22,552 23,018 23,454 23,881 24,313 24,750 25,178 25,478 1.5%
Supplies & Material 3,521 3,558 3,628 3,697 3,767 3,837 3,907 3,977 4,046 4,116 4,189 1.8%
General Expense 6,183 10,454 10,726 11,005 11,289 11,580 11,877 12,682 12,901 13,531 14,364 8.8%
Debt Service 613 0000000000N/A
Rents & Leases 1,690 1,751 1,804 1,858 1,914 1,971 2,030 2,091 2,154 2,218 2,285 3.1%
Facilities & Equipment 522 532 543 553 564 574 584 595 605 616 628 1.9%
Allocated Charges 19,850 21,345 21,891 22,393 22,843 23,307 23,689 24,133 24,528 24,965 25,414 2.5%
Total Non Sal/Ben Before Transfers 54,404 59,247 60,621 62,059 63,395 64,723 65,968 67,790 68,984 70,624 72,357 2.9%
Operating Transfers‐Out 5,725 4,869 4,899 4,955 5,039 5,033 5,092 5,156 5,182 5,212 5,271 ‐0.8%
Transfer to Infrastructure ‐ Base/Cubb 16,823 18,987 21,161 21,545 21,937 22,339 22,752 23,175 23,609 24,055 24,512 3.8%
Transfer to Infrastructure ‐ TOT 8,350 8,406 8,625 8,853 9,105 9,360 9,641 9,941 10,244 10,548 10,843 2.6%
Total Use of Funds $210,706 $229,916 $238,472 $244,508 $250,606 $255,948 $260,771 $266,655 $269,292 $274,424 $279,867 2.9%
Expenditures & Other Uses
Adopted
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
Salary N/A 10.7% 3.5% 2.5% 2.5% 2.3% 2.1% 2.0% 2.0% 1.9% 1.9%
Benefits N/A 9.9% 3.4% 3.1% 3.0% 2.2% 1.5% 2.2%‐1.5% 1.4% 1.6%
Subtotal: Salary & Benefits N/A 10.4% 3.4% 2.7% 2.7% 2.2% 1.8% 2.1% 0.4% 1.7% 1.8%
Contract Services N/A ‐1.9% 2.0% 2.4% 2.1% 1.9% 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1.7% 1.2%
Supplies & Material N/A 1.0% 2.0% 1.9% 1.9% 1.9% 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1.7% 1.8%
General Expense N/A 69.1% 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 6.8% 1.7% 4.9% 6.2%
Debt Service N/A ‐100.0% N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rents & Leases N/A 3.6% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0%
Facilities & Equipment N/A 2.0% 2.0% 1.9% 1.9% 1.9% 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1.7% 2.0%
Allocated Charges N/A 7.5% 2.6% 2.3% 2.0% 2.0% 1.6% 1.9% 1.6% 1.8% 1.8%
Total Non Sal/Ben Before Transfers N/A 8.9% 2.3% 2.4% 2.2% 2.1% 1.9% 2.8% 1.8% 2.4% 2.5%
Operating Transfers‐Out N/A ‐14.9% 0.6% 1.2% 1.7%‐0.1% 1.2% 1.3% 0.5% 0.6% 1.1%
Transfer to Infrastructure ‐ Base/Cubb N/A 12.9% 11.4% 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1.9% 1.9% 1.9% 1.9%
Transfer to Infrastructure ‐ TOT N/A 0.7% 2.6% 2.6% 2.8% 2.8% 3.0% 3.1% 3.0% 3.0% 2.8%
Total Use of Funds N/A 9.1% 3.7% 2.5% 2.5% 2.1% 1.9% 2.3% 1.0% 1.9% 2.0%
11/19/2018