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HomeMy WebLinkAbout17-Finance ~ _l L CITY OF SAN BERNOmINO - REQUEST Fo. COUNCIL ACTION Dept: FINANCE Subject: CHARGE FOR THE COLLECTION OF RETURNED CHECKS DUE TO INSUFFICIENT FUNDS OR OTHER REASONS. From: BARBARA PACHON, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Date: MARCH 22, 1994 Synopsis of Previous CouDcil action: Ordinance MC-703 was adopted January 27, 1990, amending Section 3.10.010 of the San Bernardino Municipal Code by increasing the charge for the collection of returned checks to $10.00. Recommended motion: That further reading of the motion be waived and it be laid over for final adoption. ~/~/~ Contact person: Barbara pachon. Director of Finance Phone: x - 5242 Supporting data attached: AB 2274. City Attnv Memo 9/3/92. Cost Analysis Ward: FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount: NIA Source:CAcct. No.) (Acct. Descriotionl Finance: Council Notes: Agenda Item No. ~' - CITY OF SAN BERNOmINO - REQUEST F<O. COUNCIL ACTION STAFF REPORT In January of 1990, Ordinance No. MC-703 was adopted by the Mayor and Common Council to increase the charge for returned checks to $10.00. At that time, section 6157 of the California Government Code limited the charge that pUblic agencies could charge for returned checks to $10.00. Assembly Bill No. 2274, which became effective January 1, 1993, amends section 6157 of the California Government code, deleting the $10.00 maximum limitation on the amount a public agency may charge for a returned check. with the passage of this new legislation, a public agency may charge an amount not to exceed the actual cost incurred in the processing and collection of a returned check. The City of San Bernardino has experienced an increase in returned checks and continues to lose money in the processing and collection of dishonored checks. Staff completed an analysis to determine the actual cost incurred while processing and collecting a returned check. According to the analysis, the actual cost incurred by the City to process and collect a returned check is $26.00. To compare the proposed increase to the amount other organizations charge for a returned check, a survey of local organizations was conducted. Five of the organizations were municipal governments, and the remaining five were local retail or grocery stores. The returned check charges ranged from $10.00 to $40.00. Amending the existing ordinance will benefit the city in the following ways: 1. Allows the City to recover the cost of handling a returned check. 2. will serve as a deterrent to potential makers of bad checks. 3. Minimizes costs incurred from habitual offenders. Staff recommends the existing ordinance be amended to defray the cost of handling returned checks and to serve as a deterrent to habitual offenders. - .-'---.------.:). .~ .\ , . ' AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 3,1992 .\ CAIJFORNIA LECISLATURE-I991-92 RECULAR SESSION , , ASSEMBLY BILL No. 2274 Introduced I)y Assembly Member Alpert January 6,1992 . ., An act to amend Section 6157 of the Government Code, relating to public agencies. . ; LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DICEST I AB 2274, as amended, Alpert. Public agencies: returned ; checks. . . . .Existing law provides that the state, and each city, whether - general law or chartered, county, and district, each . 'subdivision, department, board, commission, body, or agency of the foregoing entities, shall accept personal checks drawn in its favor or in favor of a'designated official, in payment for any license, permit, or fee, or in payment of any obligation owing:to the public agency or trust deposit, if the person issuing the check furnishes to the person authorized to receive payment satisfactory proof of residence in this state and if the personal check is drawn on a banking institution . . located in this state. . . Existing law further provides that if any personal check . . offered in payment. pursuant. to these provisions is returned without payment, for any reason, a reasonable charge for the returned check not to exceed $10 may be imposed, as . specified. t . This bill would delete the $10 maximum limitation on the amount that a public agency may charge for a returned chec;k .'.,. and, instead, would permit a public agency. to charge an . "".: . amount not to exceed the actual costs incurred by the public '~ .(i' agency to recover the public agency's processing and ..~.. :. ,.. " j.. i.' I'. t; .. " ., . " '! , ., . : '; ,', '"l \ '-j 98 80 , " i !II I, [' ! , . : '..#'" -'.', AB 2274 -2- collection costs. . '. _ Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. The people of the State of California do enact as follows: .. . , 1. (COmme 2 Division \ 1 SECI'ION 1. Section 6157 of the Government Code is 2 amended to read: 3 6157. (a) The state, and each city, whether general 4 law or chartered, county, and disbict, each subdivision, 5 department, board, COIl1I1';-1on, body, or agency of the 6 foregOing, shall accept personal checks drawn in its favor 7 or in favor of a designated olBcial thereof, in payment for 8 any license,. pennit, or fee, or in payment of any 9 obligation owing to the public agency or trust deposit, if 10 the person issuing the check furnishes to the person 11 authorized to receive payment satisfactory proof of 12 residence in this state and if the personal check is drawn . 13 on a banking institution located in this state. 14 (b) If any personal check offered in payment pursuant 15 to this section is returned without payment, for any . 16 reason, a reasonable charge for the returned check mil)' 17 ge imIleses, v:lUeh , not to exceed the actual costs 18 incurred by the public agency, may be imposed to 19 recover the public agency's p~ and collection 20 costs. This charge may be added to, and become part of, 21 any underlying obligation other than an obligation which 22 constitutes a lien on real property, and a different 23 method of payment for that payment and future 24 payments\ by this person may be prescribed. , ' 25 (c) The acceptance of a personal check pursuant to 26 this section constitutes payment of the obligation owed to 27 the payee public agency to the extent of the amount of 28 the check as of the date of acceptance when, but nof 29 before, the check is duly paid. , 30 (d) The provisions in subdivision (I>) prohibiting a 31 returned check charge being added to, and becoming a 32' part of, an obligation which constitutes a lien on real 33 property do not apply to obligations under the Veterans' 34 Farm and Home PurcIiase Act of 1974 . (~cle 3.1 I: .. , " ,; f:, If," '., ....., .. t7.... 98,' 1m - o 0 C I T Y 0 F SAN B ERN A R DIN 0 INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Fred Wilson, Acting Finance Director David Kennedy, City Treasurer FROM: Dennis A. Barlow, Sr. Asst. City Attorney . DATE: September 3, 1992 RE: Recent Legislation - Returned Check Charges COPY TO: W.R. Holcomb, Mayor Shauna Clark, City Administrator Existing law provides that the State and each city, whether general law or chartered, and each subdivision, department, board, commission, body, or agency thereof, shall accept personal checks drawn in its favor or in favor of a designated official, in payment for any license, permit, or fee, or in payment of any obligation owing to the public agency or trust deposit, if the person issuing the check furnishes to the person authorized to receive payment, satisfactory proof of residence in this state and if the personal check is drawn on a banking institution located in this state. Existing law further provides that if any personal check offered in payment pursuant to these provisions is returned without payment, for any reason, a reasonable charge for the returned check not to exceed $10.00 may be imposed, as specified. AB No. 2274 approved by the Legislature and the Governor and chaptered as Chapter 233 of the statutes of 1992 deletes the $10.00 maximam limitation on the amount that a public agency may charge for a returned check and, instead, permits a public agency to charge an amount not to exceed the actual costs incurred by the public agency to recover the public agency's processing and collection costs. This legislation becomes effective on January 1, 1993. any questions concerning the legislation or wish to please contact this office. If you have review it, ~4 DENNIS A. RLOW Sr. Asst. City Attorney SEP 4 1992 FINANCE DEPT. "'TV OF SAN BERNA'RDINO DAB:js(Rtl~Chek.Mem) o o ~ ... N 1 0\ '" .... '" .... V> ~ flI Illl ~ Z tl 0 w ...:l .. = ~ VI .... 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"'0'" JJ - o o 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO AMENDING SECTION 3.10.010 BY INCREASING THE CHARGE FOR THE COLLECTION OF RETURNED CHECKS. THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. section 3.10.010 of the San Bernardino Municipal Code is amended as follows: "A charge of TWENTY-SIX DOLLARS ($26.00) is imposed for the cost of collection of each check payable to the City of San Bernardino in payment of any tax, fee, fine or charge and which is returned by the City'S depository as being uncollectible for insufficient funds or for other reasons. The charge of TWENTY-SIX DOLLARS ($26.00) shall be added to all sums due for the tax, fee, fine or charge. From the time the City is notified of the return of the check until payment in full is made, including the charge imposed pursuant to this ordinance, the City shall not be obligated to provide or grant to the maker of the check any services or to permit approval to which the payment relates." I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance was duly adopted by the Mayor and Common Council of the City of San regular meeting thereof, held on the , 1994, by the following vote, to wit: Bernardino at a day of / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / 3/29/94 1 - ...l. ~ - o o 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO AMENDING SECTION 3.10.010 BY INCREASING THE CHARGE FOR THE COLLECTION OF RETURNED CHECKS. ABSTAIN ABSENT AYES NAYS COUNCIL MEMBERS: NEGRETE CURLIN HERNANDEZ OBERHELMAN DEVLIN POPE-LUDLAM MILLER RACHEL CLARK, city Clerk The foregoing ordinance is hereby approved this day of 1994. TOM MINOR, Mayor city of San Bernardino Approved as to form and legal content: JAMES PENMAN City Attorney By: 2