DATE: October 20, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Douglas T. Sloan, County Counsel
SUBJECT: Amendment to Fresno County Ordinance Code Related to Delegated Authority of County Counsel
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Conduct first hearing to amend Fresno County Ordinance Code, Subsection 2.28.010 – County Counsel; waive the reading of the Ordinance in its entirety; and set a second hearing for November 3, 2026;
Designate County Counsel to prepare a fair and adequate summary of the proposed Ordinance; and
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 (NCC) associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the recommended actions will allow your Board to conduct the first hearing to amend Subsection 2.28.010 of the Fresno County Ordinance Code (Ordinance) to delegate authority to the County Counsel to expeditiously make certain time-sensitive decisions in legal matters in the interest of public safety and welfare. All decisions made under this delegated authority will be reported to the Board, who may subsequently provide additional or different direction, ratify, or withdraw approval of a particular action. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended actions are not approved by your Board, Subsection 2.28.010 of the Ordinance would remain unchanged, and all decisions proposed to be delegated would continue to require approval of a quorum of the Board at a noticed public meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional NCC associated with the recommended actions, which allow your Board to conduct the first hearing on the proposed Ordinance.
DISCUSSION:
From time to time, it is necessary to expeditiously make decisions to preserve the County’s rights, and often those decisions need to be made before the Board’s next regularly scheduled meeting. Delegating authority to the County Counsel to make ...
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