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City briefing: free tax-preparation program returned millions to residents; contracts and procurement in transition

2107782 · January 13, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

City staff reported to the Workforce Education and Equity Committee on Jan. 16 that the free tax-preparation program prepared more than 11,000 returns last year, returning over $10 million to residents and delivering about $2.7 million in Earned Income Tax Credit payments; staff said procurement changes mean contractors and funding must be retooled.

The Office of Community Care and Empowerment briefed the Workforce Education and Equity Committee on the city’s free tax-preparation program (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA) and Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) contracting status.

Program results: Jessica Galsha said the program’s most recent reporting year included more than 11,000 tax returns prepared, bringing more than $10,000,000 in refunds back to community members and saving participants an estimated $4,000,000 in paid tax-preparation fees. Staff said about $2,700,000 of the refunds came from the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). "This program really is doing what it aims to do, which is making sure…

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