Report 2015-134 Recommendation 34 Responses
Report 2015-134: Residential Building Records: The Cities of San Rafael, Novato, and Pasadena Need to Strengthen the Implementation of Their Resale Record Programs (Release Date: March 2016)
Recommendation #34 To: Novato, City of
To ensure that the resale record fees it charges is appropriate, Novato should establish a time frame to periodically determine whether the fees are commensurate with the cost of administering the resale record program. The city should ensure that it retains any documentation used to support its analyses and any subsequent adjustments to fees.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2017
The City of Novato periodically performs updates of its municipal fee schedule, including fees for the resale inspection program. While the City is in the process of updating its fee schedule, which has been funded by the City Council in the FY 17/18 budget, the City will not establish a schedule for future, periodic updates of the fee schedule due to implications of costs and staff resources.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Will Not Implement
1-Year Agency Response
The City has solicited and received 3 consultant proposals for a comprehensive fee study, including the resale inspection fee. A consultant contract is expected to be executed in April, and adoption of a revised fee schedule by the City Council is expected to occur in September 2017.
- Estimated Completion Date: September 2017
- Response Date: March 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Will Not Implement
Although Novato indicates that it expects to conduct a fee study in 2017, it has informed us that it does not plan to establish a time frame for periodically determining whether the resale record fees are commensurate with the cost of administering the program.
6-Month Agency Response
The fees for the resale program will be evaluated as part of a comprehensive Fee Study for all city fees by May, 2017, for adoption in the FY 17/18 budget.
- Estimated Completion Date: May 2017
- Response Date: September 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
In November 2016 the Community Development Director informed us that the city had not yet issued a Request for Proposals or entered into a contract for a fee review.
60-Day Agency Response
The fees for the resale program will be evaluated as part of a comprehensive Fee Study for all city fees by February, 2017 for adoption in the FY 17/18 budget.
The auditors previously accepted that Novato's resale inspection fees are below the current cost of service.
- Estimated Completion Date: February 2017
- Response Date: May 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
In June 2016 the Community Development Director clarified that the city prefers to conduct full nexus studies for all city fees and it has not established a time frame to conduct these studies.
All Recommendations in 2015-134
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.