REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 17, 2020
FROM
BOB DUTTON, Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk
SUBJECT
Title
Fiscal Year 2020-21 Grant Award from the California Department of Finance for the State Supplementation for County Assessors Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Accept grant award Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 18-796 from the California Department of Finance for the State Supplementation for County Assessors Program in the amount of $750,000 for fiscal year 2020-21 to fund temporary help services and upgrade information technology systems and software.
2. Authorize the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Chief Executive Officer, Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, or Assistant Assessor to execute any non-substantive ancillary grant award documents and amendments required by the California Department of Finance subsequent to grant acceptance, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk to transmit all documents and amendments in relation to this award to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Bob Dutton, Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, 382-3207)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The third and final County match for this grant is $375,000 for fiscal year 2020-21. During the first two fiscal years of the grant award (2018-19 and 2019-20) the County provided matching funds in the amount of $375,000 each year for a total of $750,000. For each fiscal year that the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk (ARC) receives State Supplementation for County Assessors (SSCA) Program funding, the County must match the program funds at the rate of one dollar ($1) for every two dollars ($2) in program funds pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code Section 95.50 and Resolution No. 2018-147. Sufficient funding for the County match resides in the General Fund Reserve and will be requested in future quarterly budget reports during fiscal year 2020-21.
The grant award provided funding in the amount of $750,000 each year in fiscal years 2018-19 and 2019-20 for a total of $1,500,000. The grant award will also provide funding in the amount of $750,000 for fiscal year 2020-21. This item includes the third and final year of grant funding for fiscal year 2020-21.
The annual combined funding of $1,125,000 from the grant and the County match will be used to fund temporary help services to assist with the assessment and enrollment of newly constructed real property and to upgrade information technology systems and software.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On August 21, 2018 (Item No. 15) the Board of Supervisors (Board) authorized ARC to submit a grant application to the Department of Finance (DOF) for the SSCA Program. ARC received a grant award notification from DOF on October 3, 2018, awarding funds to ARC in the amount of $2,250,000 for fiscal years 2018-19 to 2020-21. On November 6, 2018 (Item No. 10), the Board accepted a grant award Agreement No. 18-796 from DOF for the SSCA Program in the amount of $750,000 for fiscal year 2018-19. On November 19, 2019 (Item No. 9), the Board accepted a grant award Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 18-796 from DOF for the SSCA Program in the amount of $750,000 for fiscal year 2019-20. ARC noted in Item No. 9 that the department would return to the Board for approval to accept the additional grant award amount for fiscal year 2020-21. This item is being presented to the Board at this time to accept the grant award for fiscal year 2020-21 that was disbursed by the State on October 15, 2020.
SSCA Program funds aid county assessors in performing property assessments in a fair, accurate, and expeditious manner for property tax purposes. This program is administered by DOF. County assessor offices may use the program funds for the payment of salaries and benefits for staff assessing and enrolling newly constructed real property, as well as, procuring information technology systems and software developed to assist with property assessment activities by increasing efficiencies and effectiveness of property tax administration.
ARC will return to the Board for approval of any other substantive documents that may be required by the DOF.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Kristina M. Robb, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 20, 2020; Finance (Carl Lofton, Finance Analyst, 387-5404) on October 30, 2020; County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-4342) on October 30, 2020.