DATE: June 2, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: Amendment to Master Schedule of Fees Ordinance -
County Administrative Office
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Conduct first hearing to amend the Master Schedule of Fees, Charges and Recovered Costs Ordinance by amending Section 4400 - County Administrative Office, Subsection 4401, and waive reading of the Ordinance in its entirety and set the second hearing for June 16, 2026;
2. Designate County Counsel to prepare a fair and adequate summary of the proposed Ordinance; and
3. Direct the Clerk of the Board to post and publish the required summary in accordance with Government Code, Section 25124(b)(1).
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of recommended actions will amend the Master Schedule of Fees, Charges, and Recovered Costs Ordinance, Subsection 4401 - CAO Hourly Rates. The proposed amendment to Subsection 4401 reflects the FY 2026-27 County Administrative Office (CAO) costs of providing services to third-party funded County departments and external agencies. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may direct staff not to change the rates, change a portion of the rates or propose alternative rates; however, these alternatives may not recover the full cost of services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. If approved by your Board, it is anticipated the proposed fee increases will allow the Department to recover the full cost of providing CAO services to third-party funded departments and to all other non-County public agencies.
DISCUSSION:
In accordance with the Ordinance Code of Fresno County, Section 4.44.020, fees charged to the public must be included in the County’s Master Schedule of Fees, Charges and Recovered Costs (Ordinance), and any revision or modification to the schedule requires approval by the Board of Supervisors.
On March 24, 2020, the Board adopted an Amendment to the Ordinance, Subsection 4401 - CAO Hourly Rates, and since then the rates have not been changed.
Recommended updates to the Subsection 4401-CAO Hourly Rates are detailed in Attachment A of the Ordinance. The recommended rates consist of applicable direct and indirect salary and benefits, services and supplies, and include departmental overhead.
Exhibit A illustrates a comparison between the proposed rates and the current corresponding rates, which were last updated on March 24, 2020. The highest increase is 8.8% and is primarily due to increases in salary and benefits and operational costs. Additionally, the rates include new positions that have been added to the CAO since the last cost study completed in FY 2019-20.
The proposed labor billing rates ensure transparency and compliance with accounting practices. General Fund departments that operate with Net County Cost are not charged for these services. The recommended hourly rates, including their calculation, and the methodology applied for cost recovery, have been reviewed and approved by the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector. If approved, the recommended rates will be effective July 16, 2026.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #28, March 24, 2020
BAI #12, March 10, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Ordinance
Exhibit A
On file with Clerk - Summary of Ordinance
CAO ANALYST:
Jocelynn Cruz