49ers submit documents for Levi’s Stadium audit

The San Francisco 49ers submitted documents Monday requested by an independent auditor hired by Santa Clara and the team asserts general fund money wasn’t used for Levi’s Stadium operational costs, despite the review’s preliminary findings.

The 49ers also sent a memo by chief financial officer Scott Sabatino to city-hired auditor Harvey Rose Associates LLC, calling the group a consultant to Mayor Lisa Gillmor that is looking to support:

“…her unfounded allegations. … All funds for Stadium Authority expenses have come from Stadium Authority revenues.”

The ongoing audit comes after many city staff members reported in the past year or so that general fund money was used for stadium operations and the Stadium Authority was sending bills back to the city, Mayor Lisa Gillmor said.

A Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report released in June also showed there weren’t available financial reports or audits to show stadium expenses lined up with the terms under Measure J, a 2010 proposal passed by voters to fund the venue located off of Tasman Drive.

In July, Harvey Rose Associates was hired by the city to conduct an audit and came back with a preliminary report on Oct. 12 that showed general fund money was used for public safety, which violates the measure, Gillmor said.

Last week, the city was told by the auditors that the team hasn’t given documents needed to compile the stadium budget in the past two and a half years since the publicly owned arena opened, according to Gillmor.

The documents are also needed to help complete the audit, which is expected to be finalized in January, the mayor said.

The auditor has also asked for various documents needed under the management agreement, including a shared expense budget, but the team in its memo said the record is already part of the annual budget.

The Stadium Parking Plan was also sent to the city’s planning director as required under the agreements and hasn’t needed any updates outside of a notice that an agreement to use a neighboring golf club’s parking spaces was terminated, according to the memo.

The team has maintained its offer for the auditor to look at non-NFL event documents on site, the memo said.

The City Council is expected to discuss whether the team breached its contract and issue a 30-day notice to cure the violation under Measure J at its next public meeting on Nov. 15.

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