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Title:
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Approval of an Amendment to an Existing Agreement with HdL Companies (Diamond Bar, CA) to Support the Implementation of Online Business Tax Renewals.
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City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council approve an amendment to an existing agreement
with HdL Companies to purchase software and professional services to support the
implementation of online business tax renewals.
BACKGROUND:
On July 24, 2006 City Council approved entering into agreements with various
vendors to begin accepting online payments via the City’s website. Citizens
currently have the ability to pay for parking tickets and recreation class registrations
online. Beginning on November 12
th
, with the launch of the new website, online
permitting will also be expanded. This new functionality will include the ability to
pay for over-the-counter permits (permits not requiring a plan check) and the ability
to view the permit status and inspection results.
The staff report of July 24, 2006 also stated staff would be returning to City Council
at a later date to obtain approval for renewing business tax certificates via the City’s
website.
Meeting Date: 11/05/07 Item Number: A-2
AGENDA ITEM:
Approval of an Amendment to an Existing Agreement with HdL Companies
(Diamond Bar, CA) to Support the Implementation of Online Business Tax
Renewals.
Contact Person/Dept.: Michele Williams
Phone Number: 310.253.5959
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [ ] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [ ]
Public Notification:
E-mail Master Notification List on 11/01/07, Crystal Alexander (City Treasurer) on
10/30/07
Department Approval:
John Richo (10/30/07)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Iker) (10/30/07)
Fiscal Impact Approval:
Marlee Chang (by M. Noller) (10/30/07)
City Manager Approval:
Jerry B. Fulwood (10/31/07) City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
DISCUSSION:
The City currently uses software from HdL Companies to track business tax
certificates. This software has been in place (with upgrades) and functioning very
well since 1999. The vendor has also been very supportive with making
modifications to the software as the business needs of the City have changed over
the years. In early 2007, HdL released a software module to facilitate online
business tax certificate renewals. Each year, businesses are to report to the City
their business taxes and renew their business tax certificate. Currently this is a
manual process. The renewal forms are printed and mailed to each business entity.
The renewal is typically mailed back or returned in person to the City with the
payment. Staff in the City Treasurer’s Office are responsible for data-entering
various information from the renewal form into the HdL software. Implementing the
option of renewing via the City’s website would make the renewal process more
convenient for businesses and it would also alleviate the burden of manual data
entry.
The following is a list of local agencies that have implemented or are in the process
of implementing HdL’s web module. Staff spoke with Riverside County and the City
of Carson to obtain their experiences. The references from these agencies were
exceptional and both commented on the superior consulting services received from
HdL.
Agency Status of Implementation
Riverside County First installation, went live in Feb 2007
City of Rancho Cucamonga Went live 9/24/07
City of Carson Plan to launch late November 2007
City of Coronado Implementation in process
City of Temecula Implementation in process
Staff recommends amending the current agreement with HdL to purchase the web
module for business tax renewals and to obtain professional services to support the
implementation.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The approval of an amendment to the existing agreement with HdL Companies
(Diamond Bar, CA) to support online business tax renewals would result in an
expenditure of $10,800. The following details the costs for the amended agreement:
City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
Description Amount
Software License Fee $ 7,500
Training $ 1,050
Installation Services $ 2,250
Total Expenditure $10,800
Sufficient funds have been allocated in the Financial System Enhancement CIP
Project– 42000636 for these expenditures.
The year after implementation, there will be an annual software maintenance fee of
$1,500 per year. This amount will be included in future year’s Repair and
Maintenance budget requests of the Information Technology Department.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
MOTION:
That the City Council:
1. Approve an amendment to the existing agreement with HDL Companies
authorizing an expenditure of $10,800 from CIP Project 42000636 - Financial
System Enhancement for the purchase of HDL’s web module and for
professional services to support the implementation;
2. Authorize the City Attorney to prepare the appropriate documents and authorize
the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.