Your Property Tax Bill: the Subject: Devil is in the Details-but There Are No Details*

Recommendations 1

• R1
  That your Board receive and file the attached combined response by the Auditor-Controller and the Treasurer-Tax Collector to the 2009-10 San Luis Obispo Grand Jury Report concerning printing of property tax bills. DISCUSSION: The Grand Jury released a report entitled "Your Property Tax Bill: The Devil is in the Details - But There are No Details". The Grand Jury found that information concerning detailed breakdown of property tax allocation is not printed on individual tax bills and recommended that the breakdown be printed and also available on a web page. The report's findings and recommendations were directed to the Auditor-Controller and to the Treasurer-Tax Collector. The Board of Supervisors is not required to respond. This item is provided for your Board's information only. See attached. The Auditor and Tax Collector agreed with the finding that the bills do not include a breakdown of the 1% Proposition 13 tax amount, but point out that the current bill format meets all known legal mandates. They also believe that no other California County provides this level of detail on their printed tax bills. They do not intend to implement the recommendations that the bills be modified, believing that the cost of making such a change would outweigh public benefit. Further, while the County's Information Technology Strategic Plan has called for replacement of the current mainframe based property tax system since 2002, a cost-effective replacement system has not yet been identified or funded. The Auditor and Tax Collector suggest that at such time as a more modern property tax system is implemented, a review of the distribution breakdown information provided for taxpayers would be appropriate. OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT: None RESULTS: The combined response fulfills all obligations under Penal Code Section 933. A-24 July 27, 2010