DATE: October 24, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: John Zanoni, Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator
SUBJECT: Amendment to Master Schedule of Fees - Sheriff
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Conduct first hearing to amend the Fresno County Master Schedule of Fees (MSF), Charges and Recovered Costs Ordinance by amending Subsection 2609 of Section 2600 - Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator, waive reading of the Ordinance in its entirety; and set second hearing for November 28, 2023;
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
Approval of the recommended actions would revise the existing Master Schedule of Fees (MSF), Charges, and Recovered Costs based on the Department’s costs for FY 2023-24. The recommended amendments to Subsection 2609-Contract Service Fees will update current rates and will allow the Sheriff’s Office to recover the salary and benefits costs, operating costs, and an indirect cost rate for a full time Deputy Sheriff, Community Service Officer, Correctional Officer, Dispatcher, and Reserve Officer. The recommended actions also include a Prisoner Processing Service Fee that is utilized with other law enforcement agencies. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may direct staff to use current fees or propose alternative fees, which may not recover 100% of costs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. It is anticipated that with the proposed fees, the Sheriff’s Office will ensure full cost recovery for salary and benefits costs, mileage costs, radio usage, vehicle replacement recovery, and an indirect cost rate proposal (ICRP) of 9.74%, a less than 0.13% increase for FY 2023-24.
DISCUSSION:
On September 26, 2017, the Board directed that the Deputy Sheriff rates for FY 2017-18 be limited to a 10% increase; the regular hourly rate was recommended at $110.77 (a 14% increase over the prior year) and the overtime hourly rate was recommended at $61.29 (a 12% increase over the prior year). Therefore, on October 17, 2017, the Deputy Sheriff regular and hourly rates were approved at $106.46 per hour and $60.43 per hour, respectively, with all other rates approved as recommended.
On September 25, 2018, your Board conducted the first hearing for the FY 2018-19 recommended updates to the MSF for Subsection 2609 - Contract Service Fees and directed that the Deputy Sheriff regular hourly and overtime rates remain at the MSF FY 2017-18 rates, and on October 9, 2018, the Deputy Sheriff regular and hourly rates were approved at $106.46 per hour and $60.43 per hour, respectively, with all other rates approved as recommended.
On October 8, 2019, your Board conducted the first hearing for the FY 2019-20 recommended updates to the MSF for Subsection 2609 - Contract Service Fees and directed that the Deputy Sheriff regular hourly and overtime rates remain at the MSF FY 2017-18 rates. Therefore, on October 22, 2019, the Deputy Sheriff regular and hourly rates were approved at $106.46 per hour and $60.43 per hour, respectively, with all other rates approved as recommended.
On September 22, 2020, the Board conducted the first hearing for the FY 2020-21 recommended updates to the MSF for Subsection 2609 - Contract Service Fees, and on October 20, 2020, the Board conducted the second hearing and adopted the ordinance, which provided that the Deputy Sheriff III regular hourly and overtime rates should be increased by 8% from the prior year to $114.98 and $65.26.
For FY 2021-22, the Sheriff’s Office did not conduct any cost studies for Deputy Sheriff, Community Service Officer, Correctional Officer, Dispatcher, Reserve Officer positions and the Prisoner Processing Service Fee, and kept the same rates as approved on October 20, 2020.
On July 12, 2022, your Board approved to consolidate the correctional Officer classification series from four levels to three levels, Correctional Officer I/II/Senior. This better aligns the Correctional Officer classification structure with comparable government agencies in the local market and facilitates advancement through the classification series in an effort to enhance retention. Accordingly, the Sheriff’s Office cost study is for Correctional Officer II not for Correctional Officer III.
On October 25, 2022, your Board conducted the first hearing for the FY 2022-23 recommended updates to the MSF for Subsection 2604, 2606 and 2609 - IT labor rate, Notary Fee and Contract Service Fees and directed that all FY2022-23 MSF Rates are approved, and on November 29, 2022, all rates were approved as recommended.
Recommended updates for FY 2023-24 to the Master Schedule of Fees for Subsection 2609 -Contract Service Fees are detailed in Attachment A. The updated fees recover the salary and benefits costs that will be incurred for Deputy Sheriff, Community Service Officer, Correctional Officer, Dispatcher, and Reserve Officer positions, and the Prisoner Processing Service Fee used in developing agreements with cities and other organizations that request additional law enforcement services, as well as for grants, in FY 2023-24.
The recommended actions, which reflect full cost recovery, adjust the regular hourly rate for FY 2023-24 due to increased salary and benefits costs and supervisory costs and due to the decrease in the retirement tiers for the positions listed as follows: -1% for a Deputy Sheriff, 7% for a Community Service Officer, and -7% for Correctional Officer.
The Dispatcher per capita rate reflects a 3% increase in FY 2023-24, primarily due to the increase in population served and the increase in the salary and benefits costs and supervisory costs. The Reserve Officer hourly rate is recommended at a 47% increase, as the hourly rate for FY 2023-24 has been increased from $15 per hour to $25 per hour, and also due to the increase in the ICRP from 9.61% to 9.74%. The Prisoner Processing regular hourly rate is recommended at a 7% increase due to salary and benefits adjustments.
The overtime rates for the Deputy Sheriff, Community Service Officer, and Correctional Officer positions are recommended at 5%, 15%, and 3% increases, respectively, for FY 2023-24, due to the adjustments in salary described above.
The recommended fees ensure proper cost recovery and have been reviewed by the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector. Following Board approval of the second hearing, which is scheduled to take place on November 28, 2023, the Sheriff’s Office will return with any existing agreements with cities or other entities that may require modification to reflect the updated rates.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #29, November 29, 2022
BAI #5, October 25, 2022
BAI #44, July 12, 2022
BAI #25, October 20, 2020
BAI #4, September 22, 2020
BAI #27, October 22, 2019
BAI #7, October 8, 2019
BAI #26, October 9, 2018
BAI #8, September 25, 2018
BAI #30, October 17, 2017
BAI #9, September 26, 2017
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
MSF FY 2022-23 Attachment A
MSF FY 2022-23 Ordinance
MSF FY 2022-23 Exhibit A
On file with Clerk - Summary of Ordinance
CAO ANALYST:
Fine Nai