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HomeMy WebLinkAboutH. J. Umbaugh & Associates (2) H..J.Umbaugi, l\ssociatBs 8365 Keystone Ul Suite 300 P. O. Box 40458 Phone: Fax: 317-465-1550 Wnbsite: w\'<Jw.hju.com 1t\ all {jhOllt experience, January 19, 2007 City of Jeffersonville Board of Public Works c/o Mr. Leslie D. Merkley, Esq. 500 Quartermaster Court Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130 Re: Gaming Related Studies Dear Mr. Merkley: You have requested that H.J. Umbaugh & Associates, Certified Public Accountants, LLP (the "Firm" or "Umbaugh") provide to the City of Jeffersonville Board of Public Works (the "'Client" or the "City") those services more fully set forth in Exhibit A hereto (the "Services"). Fees and Costs. Fees charged for work performed are generally based on hourly rates for the time expended, a fixed amount or other arrangement as mutually agreed upon as more appropriate for a particular matter. Hourly rates for work performed by our professionals vary by individual and reflect the complexity of the engagement. In addition to fees, we also charge for various ancillary services, for which you will be invoiced. Such charges may include long distance telephone charges, photocopying, facsimile transmission, computer research, mileage, travel expenses and other similar charges specifically applicable to the engagement. Billing Procedures. Normally, you will receive a monthly statement showing fees and costs incurred in the prior month. Occasionally, we may bill on a less frequent basis if the time involved in the prior month was minimal or if arrangements are made for the payment of fees from bond proceeds. The account balance is due and payable on receipt of the statement and we reserve the right to charge 1 % interest per month for outstanding unpaid balances over thirty (30) days from the date of billing. Once our representation has been concluded or terminated, a final billing will be sent to you. If requested to provide an estimate of our fees for a given matter, we will endeavor in good faith to provide our best estimate, but unless there is a mutual agreement to a fixed fee, the actual fees incurred on any project may be less than or exceed the estimate. Any questions or errors in any fee statement should be brought to our attention in writing within sixty (60) days of the billing date. City of Jeffersonville Board of Public Works c/o Mr. Leslie D. Merkley, Esq. Re: Gaming Related Studies January 19, 2007 Page Two Termination. Both the Client and the Firm have the right to terminate the engagement at any time after reasonable advance written notice. On termination, all fees and charges incurred prior to termination shall be paid promptly. Accountants' Opinion. In performing our engagement, we will be relying on the accuracy and reliability of information provided by Client personnel. We will not audit, review, or examine the information. Please also note that our engagement cannot be relied on to disclose errors, fraud, or other illegal acts that may exist. However, we will inform you of any material errors and any evidence or information that comes to our attention during the performance of our procedures, that fraud may have occurred. In addition, we will report to you any evidence or information that comes to our attention during the performance of our procedures regarding illegal acts that may have occurred, unless they are clearly inconsequential. We have no responsibility to identify and communicate significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in your internal control as part of this engagement. The procedures we perform in our engagement will be heavily influenced by the representations that we receive from Client personnel. Accordingly, false representations could cause material errors to go undetected. The Client, therefore, agrees to indemnify and hold us harmless for any liability and all reasonable costs (including legal fees) that we may incur in connection with claims based upon our failure to detect material errors resulting from false representations made to us by any Client personnel and our failure to provide an acceptable level of service due to those false representations. The responsibility for auditing the records of Client rests with the Indiana State Board of Accounts and the work performed by the Firm shall not include an audit or review of the records or the expression of an opinion on financial data. Client Responsibilities. It is understood that the Firm will serve in an advisory capacity with the Client. The Client is responsible for management decisions and functions, and for designating an individual with suitable skill, knowledge or experience to oversee the services we provide. The Client is responsible for evaluating adequacy and results of the services performed and accepting responsibility for such services. The Client is responsible for establishing. and maintaining internal controls, including monitoring ongoing activities. City of Jeffersonville Board of Public Works c/o Mr. Leslie D. Merkley, Esq. Re: Gaming Related Studies January 19, 2007 Page Three Additional Services. Exhibit A sets forth the scope of the Services to be provided by the Firm. From time-to- time, additional services may be requested by the Client beyond the scope of Exhibit A. The Firm may provide these additional services and be paid at the Firm's customary fees and costs for such services. In the alternative, the Firm and the Client may complete a revised and supplemented Exhibit A to set forth the additional services (including revised fees and costs, as needed) to be provided. In either event, the terms and conditions of this letter shall remain in effect. If the foregoing accurately represents the basis upon which we may provide Services to the Client, we ask that you execute this letter, in the space provided below setting forth your agreement. Execution of this letter can be performed in counterparts each of which will be deemed an original and all of which together will constitute the same document. If you have any questions, please let us know. By: The undersigned hereby acknowledges and agrees to the for Date: \. d.~r D1 By: t .. r EXHIBIT A Scope of Services and Fees Scope of Services BACKGROUND The Scope of Work outlined below includes services that will be provided both by R.I. Umbaugh & Associates, LLP, and Meridian Business Advisors ("MBA"), as our subcontractor, (together, the "Consultants"). It is our understanding that the City is interested in hosting a riverboat casino either by moving an existing Indiana casino or by effecting legislation that will authorize an additional license, bringing the number of statewide licenses to 12. The analyses includes the following components: . A market analysis to estimate the level of gaming demand in the City, . A financial analysis to estimate the Adjusted Gaming Revenue (AGR), . A competitive analysis to estimate the impact of a Jeffersonville casino on the AGR of the existing casinos in the vicinity, and . A fiscal impact analysis to estimate the financial impact of the development on the City, School District and State. The fiscal impact study is represented as "Phase II" of the Scope of Services and would be separately authorized by the Client or Client's counsel at or near the conclusion of Phase I ofthe Services. The following listed serVIces describe III detail the above analyses and the roles of the Consultants. I: Casino Market and Financial Analyses MBA will develop estimates of adjusted gross gaming revenue (AGR) for a three-year period. The estimate will be based on a marketing analysis that takes into consideration the socio- economic demographics of the area, the population, competition, potential physical constraints of the site and infrastructure. The projections will include the underlying assumptions dealing with number of daily visitors, number of electronic devices and table games, and win/unit/day for devices and table games. A pro forma income statement can be developed if deemed necessary but is excluded in the professional fees presented below. A competitive analysis to estimate the impact of a Jeffersonville casino on the AGR of the existing casinos in the vicinity-Caesar's in Elizabeth, Grand Victoria in Rising Sun, and the French Lick Resort Casino in French Lick. The analysis will estimate the impact on the existing casinos given probable changes in their number of visitors, win/unit/day and the resulting change in AGR and gaming-related taxes paid to the State and local jurisdictions. -~ " This information will be summarized in a written report, including an executive summary. Any presentation materials, including Power Point presentations and other exhibits can be created upon your request. II: Fiscal Impact Analysis Umbaugh will estimate the fiscal impact of the development on the City, Greater Clark School District, Clark County, and the State. Discussions also will be held with representatives of the Town of Clarksville and other surrounding communities to ascertain fiscal impacts on those communities. Incremental revenue and cost estimates will be developed for both Jeffersonville and Clarksville, as well as the school district. For the State, the fiscal impact analysis will be limited to gaming tax revenue estimates only. It is noted that the City of Jeffersonville has an annexation in progress. The fiscal impact analysis would measure the impact assuming (a) the annexation is successfully completed, and (b) the annexation is not completed. Data upon which the analyses will be based will be collected and developed through discussions with representatives of the local jurisdictions and with the Client relative to assumptions on the casino project and its associated amenities-hotel, retail shopping, restaurants, etc. Specific data needs will include, but are not limited to: From the Local Jurisdictions: . Revenue sources and associated rates/schedules and distribution formulas to other public jurisdictions (Discussions may include optional distribution formulas.) . Service costs and existing service levels . Outstanding debt, annual principal and interest payments, terms of outstanding notes or bonds. . Budget and financial audits for last three-five years. From the Client: The build-out assumptions upon which the fiscal impact analysis will be based are a critical component of the analyses and will require the time of the Client. Assumptions will include, but are not limited to: Gaming Facility: . Amount of land for casino only including parking . Improved land cost/sq. ft. including overhead Other Commercial Development: . Total square feet constructed by use type (retail, hotel, etc.) . Construction time frame . Improved land cost/sq. ft., including overhead . Construction cost/sq. ft., including overhead for each use type . Estimated annual retail sales per square foot 11 The analyses will estimate the project's impact on the cities' and School District's revenues over a multi-year period. The estimates will be developed on an annual basis and will distinguish between ongoing revenues and new revenue that is generated each year due to additional construction. Similar to the revenue estimate methodology, estimated cities' and School District's expenditures will be developed on a multi-year basis. Both capital and operating costs will be included, with capital costs generally defined as one-time expenditures, and operating as ongoing costs. The report will include suggested revenue sharing formulae that will be flexible depending on the ultimate site location of a casino. . This information will presented in a report summarizing the revenue and cost estimates, to determine the annual and cumulative revenue surplus or deficit generated by the project. Summary pages and graphics will be included for presentations to local government and the community if desired. Drafts of all the reports outlined above will be presented to the Client for prior review and input. Fees The professional fees will be billed based upon hourly rates of the personnel assigned to the various aspects of the analyses. The fees listed below are "not to exceed" amounts, therefore the total fee may be less than that quoted. Any material change in the scope of work or Fees must be approved in writing with reference to this Agreement. Phase I: Market/Financial Analysis - $33,000 Phase II: Fiscal Impact Analysis - $31,000 In addition to Fees, we also charge for various ancillary services, for which you will be invoiced. Such charges may include long distance telephone charges, photocopying, facsimile transmission, computer research, mileage, travel expenses and other similar charges specifically applicable to the engagement. It is estimated that one on-site visit by an MBA analyst will be required for the casino market/financial analysis to gather data and four on-site visits by an Umbaugh representative to gather data relative to both Phase I and II of the project. The fees listed above are for the market, financial and fiscal analyses only and do not include any time required to present the findings to the City Planning Commission, City Council, School Corporations or to other public bodies. Fees for such services, if required, will be billed on the basis of current, standard, hourly rates, plus travel-related costs. I