Finance
FY 2023-25 PROPOSED POLICY BUDGET
SERVICES
External Services
Mandatory Garbage
Collect delinquent garbage invoices and issue Notifications of Property Assessment on behalf of the City’s Mandatory Garbage program.
Collections
Facilitates the collection of receivables, obligations, and debts owed to the city through courts, liens, assessments, and other legal processes.
Internal Services
Payroll
Processes and distributes bi-weekly citywide payroll in a timely efficient way including benefits and taxes, maintains and upgrades payroll systems, and processes year-end reports and production of W-2’s and 1099R’s.
Cash & Operations
Manages cash collections, banking services, asset management and petty cash management for the City, Successor Agency and Port of Oakland. Ensure short term financial liquidity.
Debt Issuance & Investment
Debt management including the issuance of new debt, maintaining and restructuring debt, and managing day to day investment portfolios. City debt issuances including general obligation debt for infrastructure and affordable housing, master lease agreements for vehicles, and pension obligation bonds.
Retirement
Administers all three of the City’s retirement systems (CalPERS, OMERS, and PFRS). Oversees the administration of audits and retirement benefits and ensures compliance for two closed systems (PFRS and OMERS). Ensures accurate and timely pension payments, facilitates all Retiree medical, administering the various Pension Boards and Committees, and oversight responsibility of a wide range of pension Investment portfolios held in trust.
Accounts Payable
Processes the City departments’ payables ensuring that vendors are paid timely and departments are able to procure supplies and services needed to continue the operations, services, and programs benefiting the citizens of Oakland. Manages the sales tax reporting to the State Board of Equalization and 1099 Miscellaneous reporting for City vendors to the Internal Revenue Service.
General Ledger / Accounts Receivable
Provides accounting, fiscal monitoring, and financial and specialized reporting for all City departments, thereby allowing them to perform timely grant draw downs, and securing new grants. Plans and coordinates the year-end audit process and prepares the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the Single Audit Report and completes several legislative mandated measures year-end audits. Provides centralized billing and collection support to City departments.
Mailroom
Operates the City’s central shipping and receiving functions for all City departments, which is over 800,000 pieces of incoming mail and 400,000 pieces of outgoing mail annually.
Purchasing
Supports the procurement of materials, equipment and services essential to providing governmental services for the citizens of Oakland. Prepares specifications and requests for formal bids and request for proposals in collaboration with City departments.
Tax Audit/Compliance
Audits and reviews charter city tax revenue sources including Business Tax, Transient Occupancy Tax, Parking Tax, Utility Consumption Tax, Real Property Transfer Tax, and Sales Tax.
Business Tax
Collects, records and reports on City revenues; enforces and monitors the provisions of the City's ordinances; Complies with the State of California reporting requirements pertaining to the following taxes & Fees: Business Tax, Utility Users’ Tax, Real Estate Transfer, Parking Tax Transient, Occupancy Tax, Rental Adjustment Program (RAP), Excess Liter Fee (ELF), and Business Improvement District (BID).
Budget, Analysis & Operations
Develops, implements, and monitors the City’s budget. Reviews and approves personnel requisitions and budget change requests. Reviews and approves agenda reports and legislation to ensure accuracy in fiscal impact. Provides extemporaneous financial analysis and costing on various policy matters and operational issues.
PRELIMINARY PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Service Title: Manage City Council agenda reports
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Generates all public facing Reports to the City Council reporting on the work the Finance Department manages
Service Type: Both
Output Measure: Number of reports produced, including memos and agenda reports
Objective Description: Provide timely and accurate information while improving the readability of Finance reports to the City Council and the general public
Success Measure: Percent of executive summaries issued with High School 11th grade reading level
Service Title: Budget Development
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Provide timely information and responses to the Departments, Mayor, Council, and Public to facilitate development of City’s Budget.
Service Type: Internal
Output Measure: Number of questions received from Council that require a formal response
Objective Description: Provide formal responses to 70% of Council questions received within 14 days
Success Measure: Percent of Council questions answered within 14 days
Service Title: Budget Operations
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Bureau reviews departments requests to transfer budgets
Service Type: Internal
Output Measure: Number of Budget Change Requests received each period
Objective Description: Review 80% of Budget Change Requests within three business days of receipt
Success Measure: Percent of Budget Change Requests processed within 3 business days
Service Title: Accounts Payable
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Accounts payable processes all non-payroll City payments, with the exception of wire transfer and trustee payments.
Service Type: Internal
Output Measure: Number of invoices processed. Dollar amount of invoices processed
Objective Description: To process payment requests from City Departments in an efficient, accurate, and timely manner within 7 days of submission
Success Measure: Percent of invoices processed within 7 days
Service Title: General Ledger
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Citywide financial accounting and reporting
Service Type: Internal
Output Measure: Number of financial adjustments processed
Objective Description: Timely and accurate closing of City’s books and publication of financial reports in accordance to established deadlines
Success Measure: Number of financial report publications and closing of books that met deadline.
Service Title: Mailroom
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Process all incoming and outgoing City mail and deliveries.
Service Type: Internal
Output Measure: Incoming mail and Outgoing mail.
Objective Description: Maintain timely and efficient service for all City mail users by processing incoming/outgoing mail within 3 business days
Success Measure: Percent of incoming/outgoing mail processed within 3 business days of receipt
Service Title: Purchasing
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Procurement of Goods & Services for City departments and maintenance of supplier database
Service Type: Both
Output Measure: Number of purchasing order processed monthly; Number of vendor record transactions and related requests processed in a month
Objective Description: To employ diversity and equity to procure the highest quality materials and services at the most economical price in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations and to develop maximum competition for all purchases and to make awards based on lowest responsive bid
Success Measure: Percent of informal requests for goods and services processed within 30 days; Percent of formal requests for goods and services processed within 60 days
Service Title: Citywide Payroll Processing
Council Priority: Good jobs and vibrant economy
Service Description: Produce accurate and timely payment of salary/wages to employees in accordance with the City of Oakland policy, federal and state laws.
Service Type: Internal
Output Measure: Number of current FTE employees; Number of retirees; Number of paychecks issued
Objective Description: 95% of paychecks are processed accurately; Process payroll in a timely manner to accurately pay City of Oakland active employees and retirees.
Success Measure: Percent of paychecks prepared accurately
Service Title: Retirement Reporting CALPERS
Council Priority: Good jobs and vibrant economy
Service Description: Administers all City retirement matters, including all aspects of CalPERS (PERS) retirement including timely pension payments, reporting, and research requests.
Service Type: Internal
Output Measure: Number of CalPERS reports completed (including earned period reports, payroll adjustments, service credit, research, reciprocity, and adjustments).
Objective Description: To meet 100% of CALPERS deadlines for Payments, reporting, responses, adjustments, and research on time to avoid penalties
Success Measure: Percent of reports submitted on time
Service Title: Cash, Debt, and Investments
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Manage cash collection and banking services for the City, Successor Agency and Port of Oakland. Manages the pooled cash (xxx) for the City, Successor Agency and Port of Oakland. Manages City and Successor Agency debt, both old and new, including debt for infrastructure improvements, affordable housing, and vehicles
Service Type: Internal
Output Measure: Size of City cash pool
Objective Description: Maximize portfolio yield while maintaining safety and liquidity
Success Measure: Annual yield on city cash pool.
Service Title: Retirement Debt & Investments
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Administers all three of the City’s retirement systems (CalPERS, OMERS, and PFRS). Oversees the administration of audits and retirement benefits and ensures compliance for two closed systems (PFRS and OMERS). Ensures accurate and timely pension payments, facilitates all retiree medical, administering the various Pension Boards and Committees, and oversight responsibility of a wide range of pension investment portfolios held in trust.
Service Type:
Output Measure: Cash management bank transactions
Objective Description: Minimize bank fees charged for transactions in a given month
Success Measure: Value of bank fee penalties charged.
Service Title: Audits
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Carry out financial compliance reviews of taxes and fees reported to the City.
Service Type: External
Output Measure: Revenue generated from audits of major revenue sources
Objective Description: Complete 90% of audits within one year to ensure taxes and fees reported and paid to the City are accurate and in compliance with City Ordinances.
Success Measure: Percent of audits completed in a year.
Service Title: Business Tax Customer Service Delivery
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Business Tax Customer service delivery entails responding to person or business inquiries regarding tax obligations, walk-in, online and over the phone.
Service Type: External
Output Measure: Number of calls received. Number of walk-ins serviced. Number of online applications and renewals processed. Number of language translations services provided.
Objective Description: Ensure 100% of persons and business owners contacting the Business Tax Office who have limited English proficiency have access to adequate services in their preferred language.
Success Measure: Percent of persons and business owners with limited English proficiency adequately served in preferred language.
Service Title: Business Tax Customer Service
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Assist with the filing and the collection of taxes from all Oakland businesses.
Service Type: External
Output Measure: Number of businesses served.
Objective Description: 70% of business tax filers should pay taxes by annual deadline. To ensure taxes are accurately and efficiently collected.
Success Measure: Percentage of business owners who filed and paid their taxes by the yearly deadline (March 1st).
Service Title: Collections
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Ensure citywide collection of revenue from parking citations, fire inspections, business taxes and other City owed debt.
Service Type: Both
Output Measure: Volume of debt eligible for collections.
Objective Description: To collect debt owed to the City via judgements from court or established payment plans. To get judgements in 90% of cases. Alternate: set up at least 500 payment plans each year.
Success Measure: Percent of judgements awarded by judge in court. Alternate: number of plans set up each year.
Service Title: Liens
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: Place assessments and liens to ensure collection of City owed debt, including Business Tax, Mandatory Garbage and Real Estate Transfer Tax liens.
Service Type: External
Output Measure: Number of assessment/liens imposed.
Objective Description: 95% of liens recorded within 14 days of Council approval. To make sure liens are recorded accurate and in a timely manner.
Success Measure: Percentage of assessments/liens are accurately recorded within 14 days of Council approval
Service Title: Tax Compliance
Council Priority: Other
Service Description: To bring into compliance non-registered and delinquent tax accounts.
Service Type: External
Output Measure: Number of non-registered and delinquent accounts brought into compliance.
Objective Description: 80% of non-compliant & delinquent accounts brought into compliance in a year. To bring into compliance non-registered and delinquent tax accounts in an efficient and fair manner.
Success Measure: Percent of non-compliant accounts brought into compliance and resolved within a year.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
BUREAUS/DIVISIONS
Administration
The Administration Bureau provides leadership, oversight, and administrative support to the five Bureaus in the Finance Department. Administration’s primary responsibility is managing the Department’s general operations to ensure efficient and effective service delivery. Also, this bureau supports the Director of Finance with budget preparation, labor negotiations, development of sound fiscal policies, development of strategic plans to meet the short-term and long-term financial goals of the City, addresses all Department’s personnel matters in coordination with the Department of Human Resource Management, and manages all agenda reports for the Finance Department.
Budget
The Budget Bureau is responsible for developing a balanced and fiscally responsible budget that meets City Council priorities and community needs. It produces timely and accurate analysis of program revenues and expenditures, provides consultative services to ensure City programs are efficient and effective, compiles and produces the Biennial Proposed Budget and prepares the Adopted Budget, and provides thorough legislative analysis to the City Administrator and elected officials to ensure the City remains proactive in its legislative agenda.
Controller
The Controller Bureau is responsible for maintenance of the City’s accounting records, financial reporting, audits, payments, and procurement. This includes the preparation of timely and accurate financial information and reports to the City Administrator, the Mayor and City Council, external funders, investors and the public; maintaining the integrity of information in the City’s financial management systems; and the designing and monitoring of internal controls. In addition, the bureau maintains the Citywide vendor database, oversees and monitors grant programs, manages the finance-related functions of the City’s enterprise resource planning system, and provides internal and external mail services for all City departments.
Revenue Management
The Revenue Management Bureau collects, records and reports on City revenues; deposits City-wide collections; enforces and monitors compliance with the provisions of City ordinances and complies with the State of California reporting requirements, pertaining to the following taxes: Business License, Parking, Utility Consumption, Real Estate Transfer, Marijuana, Transient Occupancy, Sales, Use and Mandatory Garbage; identifies and brings into compliance non registered and delinquent tax accounts; acts as the collection agent for all City Agencies and departments and represents the City in Small Claims Court; manages and collects all revenues derived from the City’s parking meters; and collects revenues derived from parking citations and fire inspection billings.
Treasury
The Treasury Bureau has five sub-sections: Investment, Debt Management, Cash and Operations, Payroll, and Retirement. Treasury is responsible for investment for the City, Successor Agency and Port of Oakland including managing day-to-day investments for safety, liquidity and yield; Debt Management for the City and Successor Agency, including the issuance of new debt, maintaining and restructuring debt, regulatory compliance and continuing disclosure, and preserving strong credit ratings and investor relations; Cash and Operations related services include cash collections, banking services, asset management and petty cash management. Treasury also processes timely citywide payroll and payments including benefits and taxes; maintains and upgrades HR/payroll systems, including implementing changes as compliance to labor contracts, legislative and other system requirements; and produce reports for various reporting requirements. In addition, this bureau administers all City retirement matters, including all aspects of the City’s legacy police and fire retirement system (PFRS) as well as key functions related to the CalPERS (PERS) retirements and retiree related medical including timely pension payments, facilitating all retiree medical, administering the various pension boards and committees, and oversight responsibility of a wide range of pension investment portfolios held in trust.