DATE: March 3, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: John Zanoni, Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator
SUBJECT: Retroactive Agreement with City of Huron for Law Enforcement Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a retroactive revenue Agreement with the City of Huron to provide four Deputy Sheriffs and one Sergeant for general law enforcement services, effective January 1, 2026, not to exceed one year, which includes a six-month base term and the option to extend for one six -month period, total not to exceed $1,680,291; and
2. Adopt Budget Resolution increasing FY 2025-26 appropriations and estimated revenues for the Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator Org 3111 in the amount of $832,225 to provide law enforcement services to the City of Huron (4/5 vote).
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the first recommended action will allow the Sheriff’s Office to continue providing patrol services and coverage for the City of Huron. The City of Huron has established a partnership with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office to ensure uninterrupted public safety while it recruits and trains new officers to resolve critical staffing shortages. The second recommended action will increase appropriations and estimated revenues in the FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget for the Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator Org 3111 in the amount of $832,225. This item pertains to a location in District One.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board does not approve the recommended actions, the Sheriff’s Office will have a loss in revenues and if they no longer provide these services for the City of Huron, there will be a potential reduction in police services.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
This recommended agreement is retroactive due to the length of time required for negotiation and approval of the agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions, which will provide revenue and appropriations in the amount of $832,225 for FY 2025-26 from the City of Huron for law enforcement services. The fees under this agreement for the Deputy Sheriff III are based on the MSF rates for this position. This agreement is effective as of January 1st; however, the new MSF rates as of January 8th will apply to all services rendered from that date forward. The MSF rates in the recommended agreement starting January 1st through January 7th is $78.03 per hour and starting January 8th the new MSF rate of $80.55 per hour. The difference between the old and new MSF rates is negligible and has no significant impact on the Net County Cost. The fees under this agreement for the Sheriff’s Sergeant overtime rate is based on actuals plus OASDI. Term and rates under this agreement were negotiated and approved by the City of Huron and Sheriff’s Office. The recommended revenue agreement will be for a term of one year.
Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues for the Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator’s Org 3111 will also be included in future budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
The County of Fresno, through its Sheriff’s Office provides contracted law enforcement services to unincorporated cities throughout the county. The Sheriff’s Office has provided patrol services and coverage for the City of Huron under a short-term agreement effective October 1, 2025, which expired on December 31, 2025 due to lack of resources to serve its residents and recent staff turnover. To address police staffing shortages caused by budget constraints and high turnover, the City of Huron entered a short-term agreement with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office to ensure continuous public safety and service response times while new local officers could be recruited and trained. The City of Huron is satisfied with these services and is requesting to have these services extended with this agreement.
While no position is assigned to the City of Huron, the City has agreed to pay the Sheriff’s Office a flat rate every month for shifts to be worked in the area. The shifts will be assigned at the discretion of the Sheriff, to help promote public safety.
This agreement differs from the County’s model contract in that it contains a mutual indemnification clause. The mutual indemnification clause has been reviewed by Risk Management and deemed to be acceptable for this agreement between public entities. The Sheriff’s Office believes that the benefits of the recommended agreement outweigh any potential risks and recommends approval of the agreement as a prudent business decision.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #45, December 9, 2025
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with City of Huron
On file with Clerk - Budget Resolution Org 3111
CAO ANALYST:
Fine Nai