DATE: June 16, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Agreement with the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno, to maintain an existing Office Assistant position from the Probation Department to provide Probation functions in the After Criminal, Traffic, Infraction One-Stop Network Center, effective July 1, 2026, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract with two automatic one-year extensions, unless notice of renewal is provide 30 days prior to the close of the term.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will continue the ongoing collaboration between the Court and the Probation Department in the operation of the After Criminal, Traffic, Infraction One-Stop Network (ACTION) Center, to provide assistance and information to court users. The County employee in the Office Assistant (OA) position from the Probation Department assigned to the ACTION Center will assist court users by explaining their probation instructions, answering probation-related questions, and connecting them to the correct programs and units within the Probation Department. There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. This item is countywide
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the Board does not approve the recommended action, the existing OA position assigned to the ACTION center would be reassigned within the Probation Department to provide similar services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. No compensation is exchanged between the County or the Court under the recommended agreement. The Probation Department will continue to assign one existing OA position to the ACTION Center. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues for this position are included in the FY 2026-27 Recommended Budget for Org 3430.
DISCUSSION:
In 2000, the Court collaborated with the Probation Department and Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector Office to develop and establish the ACTION Center. The ACTION Center was designed to improve delivery of court services and increase public access to the courts in a centralized location.
On May 11, 2021, the Board approved Agreement No. 21-163 with the Court for the continued service of the ACTION Center under a new five-year agreement. The current agreement is set to expire on June 30, 2026. Approval of the recommended action will allow for the continued collaboration between the Court and Probation to maintain operation of the ACTION Center. Currently, the Court provides two Judicial Assistant positions, and the Probation Department provides one OA position in the ACTION Center.
When a judge orders a court user to complete a program or pay a fine, the court user can seek further information from the ACTION Center regarding their sentencing, probation, fees, community service, and programs. The Probation OA staff member assigned to work at the ACTION Center assists court users who are ordered to complete certain programs through the Probation Department, such as the Adult Offender Work Program, anger management, batterer’s treatment programs, and electronic monitoring among others. In addition, the OA staff member assists court users by reiterating their probation instructions, answering probation-related questions, and connecting them to the correct programs and units within the Department.
Staff from both agencies provide information and assistance to the public, including the collection and acceptance of monies for the payment of Court fees and various fines. The Court provides workspace at the ACTION Center for Probation’s OA staff member, and each agency provides direction to their respective employees in the provision of program information.
The recommended agreement differs from the County’s standard contract requirements, in that it contains a mutual hold harmless clause, which is typical in the County’s agreements with other governmental agencies. This has the effect of making each party responsible for losses arising from their own negligence or wrongful performance, or failure to perform. The mutual hold harmless clause has been reviewed by Risk Management as the provisions differ from the County standard provisions, but the Department believes that benefits of entering into the recommended agreement outweigh any associated risks.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #36 - May 11, 2021
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Superior Court of California, County of Fresno
CAO ANALYST:
Fine Nai