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HomeMy WebLinkAboutContract 55965 CSC No. 55965 weaver)oo- Assurance•Tax•Advisory June 23,2021 Reginald Zeno, Chief Financial Officer City of Fort Worth,Texas 200 Texas Street Fort Worth,TX 76102 Dear Mr.Zeno: This letter sets forth our understanding for applying agreed-upon procedures to calculate the "Net Revenues" of the City of Fort Worth, Texas (the City) as of or for the period ended September 30, 2020. This engagement is solely for the purpose of reporting our findings in regards to the results of the procedures performed to calculate the ratio of"Net Revenues"of the City of Fort Worth,Texas Water and Sewer System (the System) to the average and maximum annual principal and interest of the System's debt obligations, including the System Revenue Refunding and Improvement Bonds, Series 2021, as received from the City, for the year ended September 30, 2020. The financial information utilized in calculating the "Net Revenues"of the System will be obtained from the Schedule of Revenues, Expenses, and Changes in Net Position of the System for the year ended September 30, 2020 in the City's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The debt service requirements for average and maximum principal and interest of the System's debt obligations will be received from information prepared by the City or its financial advisor.The procedures we will perform have been agreed to by management of the City.These agreed-upon procedures are enumerated on the below schedule. Net Revenues, as defined above, shall include the gross operating revenues of the System less expenses for operation and maintenance, including all salaries, labor, materials, labor, repairs and extensions necessary to continue the System in its present operating capacity. Net revenues shall not include non-cash expenses. Our Responsibilities We will apply the following procedures: 1) Obtain the System's operating revenues and operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation)from the Schedule of Revenues, Expenses, and Changes in Net Position of the System for the year ended September 30, 2020 from the City's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, and calculate the difference of these items as"Net Revenues". 2) Obtain the System's debt service requirements, including the Series 2021 requirements, by year from the City, or its financial advisor, and determine that this schedule reconciles or agrees to total debt service requirements per the City's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. 3) From the requirements obtained in step 2,determine the average and maximum annual debt service requirements over the life of the debt. 4) Calculate the debt coverage ratios of the average and maximum annual debt service requirements from the Net Revenues. 5) Determine, by review of the Schedule of Revenues, Expenses, and Changes in Net Position of the System for the year ended September 30, 2020, from the City's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, that the City is charging System rates to provide System revenues sufficient to provide for System operating expenses, including depreciation, for the year ended September 30,2020. Weave OFFICIAL RECORD 2821 West 7th Street, Suite 700 1 Fort CITY SECRETARY CPAs AND ADVISOl FT. WORTH, TX City of Fort Worth,Texas June 23, 2021 Page 2 We will conduct our engagement in accordance with the attestation standards for agreed-upon procedures engagements of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. We are responsible for carrying out the procedures and reporting findings in accordance with these standards. The sufficiency of these procedures is solely the responsibility of the specified parties.Consequently,we make no representation as to the sufficiency of these procedures for the purposes of the specified parties or for any other purpose. The agreed-upon procedures to be performed do not constitute an examination or review of the subject matter.Accordingly,we will not express an opinion or conclusion on the subject matter.If we did perform additional procedures, other matters might come to our attention that would be reported to you. Your Responsibilities With respect to any nonattest services we may provide, including preparation of report, the City's management is responsible for (a) making all management decisions and performing all management functions; (b) assigning a competent individual, preferably within senior management, to oversee the services; (c) evaluating the adequacy of the services performed; (d) evaluating and accepting responsibility for the results of the services performed; and (e) establishing and maintaining internal controls, including monitoring ongoing activities. As part of our engagement, we will request from management, written confirmation concerning representations made to us in connection with the agreed upon procedures. Engagement Fees We estimate that the fee for our engagement will be $4,000. The fee estimate is based on anticipated cooperation from your personnel and the assumption that unexpected circumstances will not be encountered during the engagement.We understand that your employees will prepare all confirmations we request and will locate any documents or support for any other transactions we select for testing. Our engagement fees do not include any time for post-engagement consultation with your personnel or third parties, consent letters and related procedures for the use of our reports in offering documents, inquiries from regulators or testimony or deposition regarding any subpoena. Charges for such services will be billed separately. Our engagement fees do not include consulting on the adoption of new accounting standards and any increased duties because of any future regulatory body or an unknown or unplanned significant transaction.We will consult with you in the event any of these take place that may affect our fees. Our invoices for these fees will be rendered each month as work progresses and are payable on presentation. Our fee is based upon the complexity of the work to be performed and the tasks required. Fees for our services are due upon receipt of our invoice. For bills not paid within 60 days of the billing date, a late charge will be added to the outstanding balance.The late charge will be assessed at .5% on the unpaid balance per month. City of Fort Worth,Texas June 23,2021 Page 3 Our Report and Other Relevant Information Our report will list the procedures performed and our findings.Our report will be addressed to the City and will be intended for use by and restricted to the use of the specified parties as identified above.Our report will contain such restricted-use language. Should we have any reservations with respect to the subject matter,we will discuss them with you before the report is issued. We have no responsibility to update our report for events and circumstances occurring after the date of our report. During the course of our engagement, we will request information and explanations from management regarding the City's operations, future plans, specific transactions and accounting systems and procedures. At the conclusion of our engagement, we will require, as a precondition to the issuance of our report, that management provide certain representations in a written representation letter.The City agrees that as a condition of our engagement that management will, to the best of its knowledge and belief, be truthful, accurate, and complete in all representations made to us during the course of the engagement and in the written representation letter. The procedures we perform in our engagement and the conclusions we reach as a basis for our report will be heavily influenced by the written and oral representations that we receive from management. False or misleading representations could cause us to expend unnecessary efforts in our engagement; or,worse, could cause a material error or a fraud to go undetected by our procedures. In the unlikely event that circumstances occur which we in our sole discretion believe could create a conflict with either the ethical standards of our firm or the ethical standards of our profession in continuing our engagement,we may suspend our services until a satisfactory resolution can be achieved or we may resign from the engagement. We will notify you of such conflict as soon as practicable, and will discuss with you any possible means of resolving them prior to suspending our services. The hiring of or potential employment discussions with any of our personnel could impair our independence. Accordingly, you agree to inform the engagement partner prior to any such potential employment discussions taking place. During the course of the engagement,we may communicate with you or with your personnel via fax or e-mail,and you should be aware that communication in those mediums contains a risk of misdirected or intercepted communications. Mr. Kevin Sanford is the engagement partner for the services specified in this letter. His responsibilities include supervising the engagement and signing the report or authorizing another individual to sign it. We plan to begin our procedures in June 2021, and unless unforeseeable problems are encountered,the engagement should be completed by July 2,2021. City of Fort Worth,Texas June 23, 2021 Page 4 Please sign and return the attached copy of this letter to indicate your acknowledgment of, and agreement with, the arrangements for our engagement including our respective responsibilities. If you have any questions, please let us know. // WEAVER AND TIDWELL, L.L.P. RESPONSE: This letter correctly sets forth our understanding. Acknowledged and agreed on behalf of the City of Fort Worth by: ✓/Signature:Reginald Zeno(Jun 25,202116:19 CDT) Title: CFO Date:06/25/2021 4 ' bbL FaRr C V a o oO o do o--40 Acting City Secretary Jul 7,2021 Vo o°=d 0 o o d aaa OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TX FORTWORTH MEMORANDUM Date: June 7,2021 To: Charissa A. Williams,Financial Management Services Department From: Denis McElroy,Assistant City Attorney Subject: Delegated Authority in connection with the City of Fort Worth,Texas The purpose of this memo is to document the authority of the City Manager and/or the Chief Financial Officer/Director of Financial Management Services ("CFO") to effect the sale of various Council- authorized bond and debt obligations and to enter into related agreements and for the CFO to execute related contractual documents. On April 13, 2021, the Mayor and Council adopted ordinances authorizing issuance and sale of taxable and tax-exempt general obligation bonds,tax notes, certificates of obligation, and water and sewer system revenue bonds (Ordinances 24799, 24801, 24892, 24805, 24808, and 24811-04-2021, collectively the "Debt Ordinances"). Each of the Debt Ordinances designated the City Manager and the CFO as the City's agent with authority to effect the sale of the debt within the parameters of the specific ordinance as approved by the Mayor and Council. The Council-approved Debt Ordinances also generally provided these individuals with authority to undertake all actions and execute all instruments, whether or not mentioned in the ordinance, that are deemed necessary to complete the sale. Because each Debt Ordinance generally contemplates the debt having and maintaining a rating, in my opinion the rating-agency agreements are necessary instruments in order to effect the sale of the debt, and execution of the instruments is authorized by the Debt Ordinances even though these contracts are not specifically identified. Each ordinance also contains language designating the Chief Financial Officer/ Director of Financial Management Services as a special Acting Assistant City Manager for the limited purposes of executing certificates, agreements, notices, instruction letters, requisitions, and other documents on behalf of the City in accordance with the corresponding Debt Ordinance. Therefore,under the terms of the Debt Ordinances,the City Manager or the CFO is authorized to execute contracts related to issuance and sale of the debt obligations authorized under the terms of the Debt Ordinances. i Contract Compliance Manager: By signing I acknowledge that I am the person responsible for the monitoring and administration of this contract,including ensuring all performance and reporting requirements. Alex Laufer /-k4dh' Name of Employee/Signature Debt&Compliance Manager Title [�I This form Is N/A as No City Funds are associated with this Contract Alex Laufer /764dZ-b" Printed Name Signature OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TX