Unclaimed money issue needs attention, Solano County grand jury says

By Kimberly K. Fu/ KFu@TheReporter.com
Posted: 05/17/2011 01:04:53 AM PDT
Updated: 05/17/2011 01:04:54 AM PDT

Improvements are needed in the way Solano cities deal with unclaimed money and related issues, according to a Solano County grand jury report released Monday.

The document, titled "Unclaimed Funds and Escheatment Process Review," delved into the handling of various types of unclaimed finds, including that of deceased residents with no known heir and "stale-dated" warrants and checks.

Following public notification, the state government code dictates that the money revert to county or city general fund accounts after a period of three years has elapsed. Dixon, Rio Vista and Suisun City all have not published prior notification in several years, the report found.

Grand jurors also noted that, in Vacaville, public notification of items under $50 are handled improperly, with money reverting back to the city before the required three-year period. The notice, according to the report, also fails to list where the money is being held.

Fairfield, meanwhile, apparently has no policy of transferring unclaimed funds.

"It would be in the best interest of the city to follow the government code requirements to take advantage of the process that would allow them to revert the funds back to the city," the report stated. It advised city staff to review the government code "and incorporate processes and oversight to ensure compliance with legal requirements and evaluate whether current practices are in the best interest of their city."

As of Feb. 22, according to the report, Benicia, Dixon, Rio Vista, Suisun City and Vallejo had no written policies and procedures regarding unclaimed money held by those cities. That needs to be rectified, grand jurors said.

Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City and Vallejo all have not posted a list of unclaimed checks to their respective websites, the report found, and all seven Solano cities had not crafted written policies and procedures regarding claiming items listed on the state's unclaimed property website.

Officials pointed out that, following the report, several cities subsequently initiated corrective measures.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_18078350