CC SR 20201117 03 - First Quarter Financial Report
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 11/17/2020
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to receive the Fiscal Year 2020-21 First Quarter
Financial Report.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
1) Receive and file the FY 2020-21 First Quarter Financial Report.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Current Budget: Revenues: $28,969,900
Transfers In: $230,000
Expenditures: $26,836,900
Transfers Out: $1,964,000
ORIGINATED BY: Christopher Browning, Senior Administrative Analyst
Vina Ramos, Deputy Director of Finance
REVIEWED BY: Trang Nguyen, Director of Finance
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
In June 2020, during a public hearing to adopt the FY 2020-2021 budget, the City
Council directed Staff to prepare a first-quarter financial report in response to the recent
economic downturn. The purpose of preparing an additional report prior to the mid-year
review is to identify any necessary corrective actions for substantial changes to the
adopted budget and/or to the assumptions applied.
The financial report as of September 30, 2020, is presented tonight for the City
Council’s review. For this report, Staff has reviewed all revenues and expenditures,
focusing on the General Fund. For illustration purposes, the report compares revenues
and expenditures for the first three months of the fiscal year relative to the same point in
time last year.
Overall, the analysis’s main goal is to identify any substantial changes between the
adopted budget and the first-quarter results that may require adjustments to the current
budget and the Five-Year Model. Compared to the prior year, the revenues for FY
2020-21 were reduced by over $2.45 million, excluding transfers. As such, the report is
focused on the current status of revenues received.
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Historically, the City’s expenditures are generally more predictable than revenues and
consistently have favorable variances. Based on the first-quarter results, the amounts
spent are consistent with budgeted amounts, and the potentially favorable variances are
aligned with the City’s current activities. At the end of the second quarter, December 31,
Staff will conduct another review of revenues and expenditures. At that time, Staff will
provide an update to the City’s financials along with comprehensive year-end estimates
and adjustments, if needed, to the budget for further review and approval.
On October 29, 2020, Staff presented the September financial reports to the Finance
Advisory Committee (FAC). At this meeting, the committee moved unanimously to
receive and file the reports. Staff will continue to provide updates to the FAC,
particularly the revenue results, during scheduled meetings.
General Fund Revenue
During the first three months of the fiscal year, the General Fund received just over $3.8
million in revenue, approximately $570,000 less than what was received at the same
point last year. The largest contributing factor to this change is the decrease of transient
occupancy tax (TOT) revenue. TOT revenue was the revenue source that was projected
to be impacted the most by the economic slowdown. At the beginning of the prior fiscal
year (FY 2019-20), TOT revenue was budgeted at $5.54 million; year-end estimates
were reduced to $4.18 million. This fiscal year (FY 2020-21), $3.76 million in revenue is
expected.
Beginning March 19, 2020, Terranea Resort (the City’s largest TOT revenue source)
announced the temporary closure of the resort and all amenities. On June 12, 2020, the
resort resumed operations at a decreased capacity. Sales tax has also been negatively
impacted by the pandemic-caused economic slowdown as retail and restaurants have
been significantly affected. A comparison of FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21 first quarter
General Fund revenue, including transfers, are presented in Table 1 on the next page.
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Table 1: First Quarter General Fund Revenues - Current Year vs. Prior Year
The decrease of TOT and sales tax revenue was partially offset by higher than normal
revenue from other taxes and miscellaneous revenue, when compared to the same
period last year.
Tables 2 and 3 on the following page provide a view of how first-quarter revenues in FY
2019-20 and FY 2020-21, including transfers, compared to the total adopted budget.
The revenue received for FY 2020-21 of 13.2% is slightly behind the adopted budget
when compared to 14% in the first quarter of FY 2019-20. It should be noted that future
economic activity, legislation, and policy decisions, and any other unforeseen
circumstances could affect the City's revenue streams for the remainder of FY 2020-21.
Revenue Type Q1 FY 19-20 Q1 FY 20-21
Property Tax $386,500 $338,600 -12.4%($47,900)
Transient Occupancy Tax $1,661,500 $903,800 -45.6%($757,700)
Sales Tax $424,800 $276,400 -34.9%($148,400)
Permits & Fees $597,100 $547,400 -8.3%($49,700)
Franchise Tax $160,900 $165,600 2.9% $4,700
Utility User Tax $509,200 $514,400 1.0% $5,200
Other Taxes & Misc. Revenue $614,900 $1,051,100 70.9% $436,200
Transfers In $68,750 $57,500 -16.4%($11,250)
Total Revenues $4,423,650 $3,854,800 -12.9%($568,850)
Variance
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Table 2: FY 2019-20 First Quarter Revenue Status
Table 3: FY 2020-21 First Quarter Revenue Status
Staff has provided a more in-depth analysis of the City’s major revenue sources below.
Property Tax
Revenue is budgeted at $14.13 million in FY 2020-21, an increase of $154,000 over the
last fiscal year. As of the end of the first quarter, revenue is down slightly ($47,000)
when compared to Q1 FY 2019-20. This is a small variance that can be attributed to
timing. The bulk of property tax revenue is received from December through June.
Revenue Type FY 2019-20
Adopted Budget Q1 FY 19-20 %
Received
Property Tax $13,975,500 $386,500 2.8%
Transient Occupancy Tax $5,541,300 $1,661,500 30.0%
Sales Tax $2,529,000 $424,800 16.8%
Permits & Fees $2,167,800 $597,100 27.5%
Franchise Tax $2,044,400 $160,900 7.9%
Utility User Tax $1,942,300 $509,200 26.2%
Other Taxes & Misc. Revenue $3,223,100 $614,900 19.1%
Transfers In $275,000 $68,750 25.0%
Total $31,698,400 $4,423,650 14.0%
Revenue Type FY 2020-21
Adopted Budget Q1 FY 20-21 %
Received
Property Tax $14,129,700 $338,600 2.4%
Transient Occupancy Tax $3,762,500 $903,800 24.0%
Sales Tax $2,312,300 $276,400 12.0%
Permits & Fees $1,819,200 $547,400 30.1%
Franchise Tax $2,167,500 $165,600 7.6%
Utility User Tax $2,099,700 $514,400 24.5%
Other Taxes & Misc. Revenue $2,679,000 $1,051,100 39.2%
Transfers In $230,000 $57,500 25.0%
Total $29,199,900 $3,854,800 13.2%
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The positive aspect of property tax revenue is that FY 2020-21 tax revenue is based on
housing data from calendar year 2019. This means that the revenue projections
received from the City’s consultant, HdL Companies, should not be negatively impacted
by the economic impact of the pandemic. Additionally, economic studies have shown
that the economic downturn has not impacted homeowners and the housing market as
much as it has renters. At this time, no modifications are needed for revenue estimates.
Staff will continue to monitor the City’s largest source of revenue for changes.
Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)
As mentioned previously in this staff report, TOT was the revenue source that was
projected to be impacted the most by the economic slowdown. Revenue is budgeted at
$3.76 million in FY 2020-21, a decrease of $1.7 million from the same period in FY
2019-20. The reduction to budgeted revenue is due to the current occupancy
restrictions.
As a result of Terranea’s reduction in potential revenue and the uncertainty of the
demand that would remain for travel and leisure activities, Staff made significant
reductions to TOT revenue estimates for FY 2020-21. Revenue estimates were based
on the FY 2019-20 adopted budget and were modified by reducing the prior year
amounts by 70% during the first quarter and 50% during the second quarter.
Staff projected revenue would reach just over $367,000 during the first quarter, roughly
30% of the revenue budgeted during the same period in FY 2019-20. Terranea
outperformed estimates by 138%, coming in at $875,700. For the second quarter,
Terranea projects it will generate $660,700 in TOT revenue, roughly $190,000 less than
budgeted. In total, from July through December, Terranea’s TOT revenue was budgeted
to reach $1.22 million. Based on actual revenue through the first quarter and Terranea’s
conservative estimates for the second quarter, TOT revenue is projected to outpace the
budget by $315,000. Although a favorable variance is expected for Terranea in the next
six months, due to the economy's uncertainty, the continued decrease in demand, and
state restrictions on occupancy, Staff recommends not making any modifications to the
budgeted amount during the first quarter. Staff will continue to watch this revenue
source closely and present a comprehensive year-end estimate at the conclusion of
midyear.
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
% of Original FY 19-20 Estimated Revenue 30% 50% 100% 100%
FY 2020-21
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Table 4: Terranea TOT Revenue Analysis July – December 2020
Sales Tax
The COVID-19 health crisis caused the temporary closure of Terranea Resort, as
mentioned above, along with a decrease in retail and restaurant operations throughout
the City. Terranea and local restaurants comprise nearly half of all of the City’s sales tax
revenue. For these reasons, sales tax revenue decreased by $148,400, or 34.9%,
during the first quarter of FY 2020-21 compared to this same period last fiscal year. This
decrease was expected and was already factored into the adopted budget. Overall
sales tax revenue was expected to be slightly higher this fiscal year as a result of
continued growth in revenue from the county pool due to increased online retail activity
and the impact of the South Dakota v. Wayfair case, which provides a distribution of
online sales tax revenue to local agencies. Staff will continue to monitor how this
revenue source performs through the holiday season and review updates from HdL, the
City’s sales tax consultant. There are no substantial changes to the budget; therefore,
no modifications are necessary.
Permits and Fees
Although first-quarter revenue is underperforming when compared to this same period
last fiscal year, this was expected. Staff projected that the COVID-19 pandemic, stay-at-
home order, and social distancing measures decrease the number of permits
generated, therefore reducing permit revenue. Despite these difficulties, permits and fee
revenue has outpaced expectations, with 34% of total budgeted revenue already
received as compared to approximately 30% at this same time during FY 2019-20. The
largest contributors to this revenue source are building and safety permits ($363,000)
and plan check permits ($88,000). There are no substantial changes to the budget,
therefore, no modifications are necessary.
Budget Actual Budget Estimates
Terranea 367,853 875,676 852,992 660,700
Month 1 122,618 238,262 284,331 230,700
Month 2 122,618 331,765 284,331 200,000
Month 3 122,618 305,649 284,331 230,000
Jul - Sep Oct - Dec
Budget Actual +
Estimates Variance
July - Dec 1,220,845 1,536,376 315,531
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Franchise Tax
The Franchise tax is levied on the providers of utility, refuse, and cable services in
exchange for using the City’s rights-of-way. The economic slowdown is not expected to
have any significant impact on this revenue source. First-quarter FY 2020-21 is
outpacing this same period during FY 2019-20 by 2.9%, or $4,700. No adjustments to
the budgeted $2,167,500 are revenue needed at this point.
Utility Users Tax (UUT)
Utility users tax revenue has been relatively flat since FY 2014-15. There has not been
any indication after the first quarter that any adjustment to the adopted budget will be
necessary. This revenue source is driven primarily by weather conditions, utility rates,
and consumption. Staff will continue to monitor revenue trends for the remainder of the
fiscal year and modify the year-end estimate, if necessary, during our mid-year review.
Other Taxes and Miscellaneous Revenue
This revenue category is comprised of 19 unique revenue sources, the largest being
business license tax, golf tax, interest earnings, and rentals/leases. This is a revenue
source that can be difficult to predict due to the wide variety of sources in this category.
Revenue has reached just over $1 million during the first quarter, 70.9% or $436,200
higher than this same period last fiscal year. The increase in revenue is the result of:
• $257,000 in federal grant revenue in the form of COVID-19 relief funds, which
have been used to offset costs associated with the City’s response to the
pandemic. These funds have been used for items such as cleaning supplies,
plexiglass barriers, and additional cleaning and sanitation throughout the City.
• $298,000 in revenue received from Los Angeles County. This revenue is
disbursed in July and January of each year and is for the repayment of loans
made by the City to the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) for the Portuguese Bend
and Abalone Cove landslide areas.
In addition to the items above, revenue from parking lot fees have performed better than
expected, bringing in over $140,000 which is already greater than the budgeted amount
of $138,000. Increased demand for parking at Abalone Cove is the primary catalyst for
this surge, as people sought recreational activities in the midst of a large-scale
shutdown of many entertainment venues. For this same reason, golf tax revenue has
already reached $161,000, 54% of the budgeted $300,300. Rental and lease revenue
from parks and recreation facilities has been limited due to the stay-at-home orders;
however, cell tower rental and lease revenue has helped to lift this revenue type to over
$148,000. Although this category has a favorable variance at the end of the first quarter,
no modifications are needed at this point.
General Fund Expenditures
As of September 30, 2020, the total for the General Fund expenditures is approximately
$4.1 million or 14% of total budget, including transfers out. Compared to the same
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period last year, total expenditures decreased by $1.8 million or 31%. The results are
aligned with the City’s reduced budget and current activities. The majority of the
decreased amounts are a combination of the following:
• Timing of disbursements, mainly for the Sheriff’s Department invoice;
• Savings from salaries and benefits from park closures, delayed and unfilled
vacancies
• Less expenditures for all categories in accordance with the reduced budget in FY
2020-21 and potential year-end savings;
• Less expenditures due to reduced activities from park and facility closures.
Personnel Costs
At the end of the first quarter, salaries ended at approximately $1.4 million or 17% of the
FY 2020-21 adopted budget. Compared to the prior year, this category is about
$190,000 or 12% lower. The variance is in line with the reduced budget in FY 2020-21.
Additionally, the lower amounts result from delayed and unfilled vacancies and savings
from part-time staff due to park closures. Correspondingly, benefits ended at
approximately $430,000 or 16% of the FY 2020-21 adopted budget. Compared to the
prior year, benefits are about $189,000 or 30% lower.
Staff anticipates there will be year-end savings for personnel as a result of the
continuous park and facility closures. In addition to part-time salary savings, Staff also
anticipates savings from full-time salaries due to vacancies. Staff will continue to
monitor these categories and report updated year-end estimates at midyear.
Non-Personnel Costs
At the end of the first quarter, the non-personnel category ended at approximately $1.7
million or 11% of the FY 2020-21 adopted budget. This category includes legal services,
the Sheriff’s Department contract, repairs and maintenance, professional and technical,
supplies, training and conferences, and miscellaneous expenses. Overall, non-
personnel costs decreased by about $925,000 or 5% compared to the same period as
last year. The decreased amount is mainly due to the citywide reduced budget in FY
2020-21, timing of disbursements, and potential additional savings due to reduced
activities. The areas in which Staff expects to see additional savings are training and
conferences, supplies, repairs and maintenance, and professional and technical. At this
time, the amounts are still to be determined due to the unknown demand and changes
to the health orders from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Staff will
continue to monitor these impacts and provide an updated report at midyear.
Transfers out are on target, ending the first quarter at $491,000 or 25% of the FY 2020-
21 Adopted Budget. This category may need an adjustment at yearend, depending on
the total revenue amount that the City will receive from TOT.
Chart 1 and Table 5 compare the General Fund first quarter of FY 2019-20 and FY
2020-21 by category.
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Chart 1: First Quarter General Fund Expenditures - Current Year vs. Prior Year by
Category
Table 5: First Quarter General Fund Expenditures - Current Year vs. Prior Year by
Category
Chart 2 and Table 7 below provide a view of the first quarter expenditures by category,
along with the total spent to budget.
Expenditure Type Q1
FY 2019-20
Q1
FY 2020-21
Salaries $1,586,426 $1,396,506 -12% -$189,920
Benefits $618,512 $429,871 -30% -$188,642
City Attorney $99,742 $233,286 134% $133,544
Misc. Expenses $427,380 $282,946 -34% -$144,433
Professional/Technical Service $301,444 $222,379 -26% -$79,065
Repairs and Maintenance $377,006 $255,430 -32% -$121,576
Sheriff Contract $1,233,419 $618,083 -50% -$615,336
Supplies $173,199 $92,383 -47% -$80,817
Training/Conference $54,788 $37,410 -32% -$17,378
Transfers out $1,029,225 $491,000 -52% -$538,225
Total Expenditures $5,901,142 $4,059,294 -31% -$1,841,848
Variance
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Chart 2: FY 2020-2021 General Fund Status Report – Expenditures
Table 7: FY 2020-2021 General Fund Status Report - Expenditures
Expenditure Type FY 2020-21
Adopted
Budget
Q1
FY 2020-21
Actuals
%
Expended
Salaries $8,368,100 $1,396,506 17%
Benefits $2,736,900 $429,871 16%
City Attorney $1,000,000 $233,286 23%
Misc. Expenses $1,184,600 $282,946 24%
Professional/Technical Service $2,675,500 $222,379 8%
Repairs and Maintenance $2,780,400 $255,430 9%
Sheriff Contract $7,222,400 $618,083 9%
Supplies $557,600 $92,383 17%
Training/Conference $311,400 $37,410 12%
Transfers out $1,964,000 $491,000 25%
$28,800,900 $4,059,294 14%
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In spite of the cuts made to the FY 2020-21 budget for expenditures, overall, at the end
of first quarter, the General Fund is trending in the right direction. Due to citywide
reduced activities, such as deferred/unfilled vacancies, park closures, and conservative
spending, Staff anticipates that the General Fund will have favorable results for
expenditures by yearend. Staff will continue to refine the year-end estimates in the next
quarter and will provide a report during midyear.
CONCLUSION
Year-End Outlook for Revenues
The FY 2020-21 adopted budget reflects multiple revenue sources that are affected
adversely by the economic slowdown, which was expected given the wide shutdown of
hotels, retail, and restaurants and the drop in consumer demand. Despite the
uncertainty, at the end of the first quarter, the majority of revenue sources are
performing as budgeted and others resulted in favorable variances. Monitoring TOT
revenue will continue to be a focus for staff as it continues to be the source that has
been impacted most by the pandemic. Although the overall results show favorable
variances at the end of the first quarter, no changes to the budget are recommended
due to the uncertainty of the economy in the coming months of the fiscal year. Staff will
conduct another review of revenues at midyear and provide comprehensive year-end
estimates in February/March 2021.
Year-End Outlook for Expenditures
The purpose of the first quarter update report is to identify any major deviations from
what was originally budgeted in June 2020. At the end of the first quarter, the results
show the City’s efforts in containing costs in response to the anticipated revenue loss.
Additionally, Staff expects expenditures to be lower than budgeted by yearend from
delayed/unfilled vacancy positions, reduced department activities, and park/facility
closures. In the next quarter of the fiscal year, the City will continue to be fiscally
prudent and committed to identifying savings when possible while maintaining current
service levels to the community.
While there are potential savings expected, due to the current economic uncertainties
caused by the pandemic and the health orders from Los Angeles County, no changes to
the expenditure budget are recommended at this time. For a refined year-end outlook,
Staff will repeat the same process and present an updated report for midyear and year-
end estimates in February/March 2021.
Five-Year Model
Each year, during the budget process, Staff updates the Five-Year Model, which is used
in the long-term planning process. The model also helps Staff and the City Council
examine any areas of concern. This model was updated with Staff’s year-end estimates
for FY 2019-20, the adopted budget for FY 2020-21, and future projections were
created using a series of assumptions based on past activity and economic projections.
As presented in this report, Staff believes it is premature to update the Five-Year Model.
The end of the second quarter should provide more insight into how the pandemic will
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continue to impact the economy and therefore demand for retail, restaurants, and
leisure travel. Once more data has been received, Staff will revisit budget assumptions
and the Five-Year Model in the midyear financial review.
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