HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugust 1DRAFT Finance and Investment Committee Regular Meeting
Town of Los Altos Hills
Town Hall, Monday, August 1, 2011
Chairman, Allan Epstein, called the meeting to order at 4 pm.
Members present: Allan Epstein, Jim Lai, Frank Lloyd, Jean Mordo, Stan Mok (5 pm), John Radford,
Roddy Sloss and Lalla Stark.
Member absent: Bill Silver
Staff present: Nick Pegueros, Finance Director
Guests present: None
Public Present: Kjell Karlsson, Davina Gentry
Report by Davena Gentry of Acterra on home energy savings:
Ms. Gentry, representing Acterra, a non-profit, offering free software for home use for the purpose of
highlighting opportunities for energy savings, arrived at the meeting unannounced and requested a few minutes
to describe a free product available to town residents by her organization. The Chairman invited Ms. Gentry to
make a two minute presentation which she did and then excused herself.
Approval of minutes: Minutes of the June 2, 2011 meeting were approved as submitted.
Report by Jean Mordo on recent Council activities of interest:
Mr. Mordo’s report covered an update on Fremont bike path activity, Stanford path activity, new charitable
contribution process adopted by Town Council, and a request by Frank Lloyd that Council consider requesting a
life line or similar exemption from PG&E for homeowners with a second dwelling on their property.
Report by Nick Pegueros on Finance Department activities.
Mr. Pegueros handed out final copies of the Town’s June 2012 fiscal year budget.
FY 2011 interim audit work was completed without incident. Final work is scheduled to begin on September
12, 2011, and a draft financial statement is scheduled for the Committee’s review in its November 7, 2011
meeting.
A media story indicating the Town’s assessed valuation for property tax purposes declined was false. The latest
estimate is that property tax revenues for the Town will increase by 3.75% (compared to 1.9% budget)
excluding an increase for a $100 million home sale reported on La Paloma.
Quarterly financial reporting to the Council and FIC is expected to begin in November for the quarter ended
September 30, 2011. The format is being developed but is expected to include budget variances with
explanations for all major funds and a balance sheet.
CalPERS contract with the Town was adjusted to accommodate Council action changing pension benefits for
new hires.
At John Radford’s request, the Town’s ad hoc Compensation Committee will reconvene in January 2012 and
consider a proposal by Allan Epstein previously discussed by the Committee that anticipates allocating further
pension cost increases to employees until the ceiling on employee contributions has been reached.
DRAFT FIC minutes, August 1, 2011 page 2.
Report on new proposed Pension Accounting Standard by Roddy Sloss:
Mr. Sloss discussed material described in a slide presentation handed out at the beginning of the meeting. A
GASB draft proposal requires the Town to recognize pension expense in its financial statements beginning in
the June 2014 fiscal year. This liability was approximately $350,000 at June 30, 2009, the last time it was
measured. When the proposed standard is adopted, and before it is implemented, the Town is obliged to make
an estimate of its impact in the Town’s financial statements. The need for special consulting assistance will be
evaluated after the proposed standard is adopted.
Election of Committee officers:
By unanimous vote of all attending members, Allan Epstein was elected Chairman, Bill Silver was elected Vice
Chairman, and Roddy Sloss was elected Secretary for one year terms.
Proposed topics and dates for future meetings:
The September 5, 2011 meeting is canceled and the next meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 12, 2011,
at 4 pm. Review of investments and investment policy; review of Town bidding policy and review of the
Building and Planning Fee Study are scheduled topics for the Committee’s next meeting. Review of town staff
salary change distribution policy will be performed in the January committee meeting.
Adjournment:
The meeting adjourned at 5:20 pm
Respectfully submitted by Roddy Sloss, Committee Secretary