(a) To pass the local government financial test, and to demonstrate financial responsibility for postclosure maintenance and/or corrective action costs, an operator or a guarantor shall be a local government agency and shall meet the criteria of (e), (f), (i) and (j) based on financial statements prepared in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for governments and have its financial statements audited by an independent certified public accountant.
(b) A local government is not eligible to assure its obligations under § 22249 if it:
(1) Is currently in default on any outstanding general obligation bonds, or
(2) Has any outstanding general obligation bonds rated lower than Baa as issued by Moody's or BBB as issued by Standard and Poor's, or
(3) Has operated at a deficit equal to five percent or more of total annual revenue in each of the past two fiscal years, or
(4) Receives an adverse opinion, disclaimer of opinion, or other qualified opinion from the independent certified public accountant auditing its financial statement as required by (a).
(c) The phrase “current postclosure maintenance cost estimates covered by the test” refers to the current postclosure maintenance cost estimate required by (j)(1) to be shown in paragraphs 1 and 2 of the letter from the chief financial officer.
(d) The phrase “current corrective action cost estimates covered by the test” refers to the current corrective action cost estimate required by (j)(1) to be shown in paragraphs 1 and 2 of the letter from the chief financial officer.
(e) The total amount of postclosure maintenance costs and corrective action costs which can be assured under this local government financial test is determined as follows:
(1) If the local government operator or guarantor does not assure other environmental obligations through a financial test, it may assure postclosure maintenance costs and/or corrective action costs that equal up to 43 percent of the local government's total annual revenue.
(2) If the local government operator or guarantor assures other environmental obligations through a financial test, including but not limited to those associated with underground injection control wells, petroleum underground storage tank facilities, PCB storage facilities, and hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, it must add those costs to the postclosure maintenance costs and/or corrective action costs it seeks to assure. The total that may be assured must not exceed 43 percent of the local government's or guarantor's total annual revenue.
(3) The operator or guarantor must obtain an alternate financial assurance instrument for those costs that exceed the limits set in (1) and (2).
(f) The operator or guarantor shall meet the criteria of either (g) or (h) based on the operator's or guarantor's most recent audited annual financial statements prepared in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for governments.
(g) The operator or guarantor shall satisfy each of the following financial ratios based on the operator's or guarantor's most recent audited annual financial statements prepared in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for governments:
(1) Liquidity ratio: a ratio of cash plus marketable securities to total expenditures greater than or equal to 0.05; and
(2) Debt service ratio: a ratio of annual debt service to total expenditures less than or equal to 0.20; or
(h) An operator or guarantor with outstanding, rated, general obligation bonds that are not secured by insurance, a letter of credit, or other collateral or guarantee must have such bonds with current investment grade rating as follows:
(1) Aaa, Aa, A or Baa, as issued by Moody's on all such general obligation bonds; or
(2) AAA, AA, A, or BBB, as issued by Standard and Poor's on all such general obligation bonds.
(i) The operator or guarantor shall provide public notice of the local government's assured obligations by placing a reference to the postclosure maintenance costs and/or corrective action costs assured through the financial test into its next comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). If timing does not permit the reference to be incorporated into the most recently issued CAFR or budget prior to the first year the financial test is used to assure local government solid waste facility obligations, the reference may instead by placed in the operating record until issuance of the next available CAFR. The operator shall certify that the reference to the postclosure maintenance costs and/or corrective action costs assured through the financial test is provided. The operator's certification shall be submitted with the chief financial officer letter as specified in (j)(2).
(1) For postclosure maintenance costs, conformance with Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement 18 assures compliance with this public notice requirement.
(2) The following, including the GASB requirements, shall be disclosed:
(A) The nature and source of requirements for those obligations assured by the local government financial test including postclosure maintenance costs and/or corrective action costs; and
(B) Postclosure maintenance costs recognized at the balance sheet date; and
(C) Estimated postclosure maintenance costs remaining to be recognized; and
(D) Percentage of landfill capacity used to date, as of the end of the latest completed fiscal year; and
(E) Remaining landfill capacity reported in cubic yards or tons as of the end of the latest completed fiscal year; and
(F) Estimated remaining useful landfill life in years; and
(G) Corrective action costs. The reference shall be placed in the CAFR not later than 120 days after the corrective action remedy has been selected as required under Article 1, Subchapter 3, Chapter 3 (§ 20380 et seq.).
(j) Within 180 days after the close of each financial reporting year, the operator or guarantor shall submit the following items to CalRecycle and, in the case of a guarantor also, to the operator;
(1) A letter on the local government's letterhead stationary that is worded and completed as specified in Form CalRecycle 112 (03/17), which is incorporated by reference, which contains an original signature of the local government's chief financial officer. An operator or guarantor shall use Form CalRecycle 112 (03/17) to demonstrate or guarantee financial responsibility for postclosure maintenance costs and/or corrective action costs.
(A) If the operator or guarantor is using a similar financial test to demonstrate postclosure maintenance costs and/or corrective action costs for other environmental obligations including but not limited to those associated with underground injection control wells, petroleum underground storage tank facilities, PCB storage facilities, and hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, the operator or guarantor shall list those facilities, as well as the solid waste facility obligations it seeks to assure.
(2) A letter from the local government's treasurer or auditor-controller certifying the relative size (43%) threshold as specified in (e), and the public notice requirement as specified in (i) have been satisfied.
(3) A copy of an independent certified public accountant's report on examination of the operator's or guarantor's financial statements for the latest completed fiscal year, with a copy of the operator's or guarantor's financial statements for the latest completed fiscal year.
(A) An unqualified opinion of the independent certified public accountant is required.
(B) Local governments that have audits conducted only once every two years due to state law, may use the latest annual statement, audited or unaudited, provided that the most recent audit resulted in an unqualified opinion from the auditor.
(4) A letter from an independent certified public accountant that performed the audit:
(A) Stating that he or she has reviewed the letter required by (j)(1) from the chief financial officer including data derived from the financial statements for the latest completed fiscal year of the operator or the guarantor, and compared the data with the amounts in the financial statements; and
(B) Describing the procedures performed and related findings, including whether or not there were discrepancies found in the comparison, based on an agreed-upon procedures engagement performed in accordance with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Inc.'s (AICPA's) Statement on Auditing Standards No. 75, Engagements to Apply Agreed-Upon Procedures to Specified Elements, Accounts or Items of a Financial Statement.
(5) A copy of the comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) used to comply with (i) or certification by the local government's treasurer or auditor-controller that the requirements of General Accounting Standards Board Statement 18 have been met.
(6) A copy of the bond rating on the bond rating service's letterhead stationary.
(k) CalRecycle may require updated financial statements at any time from the operator or guarantor. If CalRecycle finds that the operator or guarantor no longer meets the local government financial test requirements of (g) or (h), the operator shall obtain alternate coverage within 60 days after receiving the notification of such a finding.
(l) If, when preparing its annual update, an operator using the local government financial test fails to meet the requirements of the financial test under (g) or (h), the operator shall obtain alternate coverage within 210 days after the close of the financial reporting year.
(m) If the operator fails to obtain alternate coverage within the times specified in (k) or (l), the operator shall notify CalRecycle by certified mail within 10 business days of such failure.
(n) A local government financial test may be combined with another payment mechanism to assure the amount of required coverage specified in §§ 22211 and 22221 of Subchapter 2.
Credits
Note: Authority cited: Sections 40502 and 43601.5, Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections 43500-43610.1, Public Resources Code; Part 258.74(f) and (h), Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations.
2. Amendment filed 2-25-2008; operative 2-25-2008 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2008, No. 9).
3. Change without regulatory effect amending section heading and subsections (j)-(j)(1), (k) and (m) and amending form CalRecycle (formerly CIWMB) 112 (incorporated by reference) filed 12-11-2017 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2017, No. 50).
This database is current through 4/26/24 Register 2024, No. 17.
