DATE: June 10, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Daniel C. Cederborg, County Counsel
SUBJECT: Amendment to Master Schedule of Fees - Section 600 (County Counsel)
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Conduct second hearing to amend the Master Schedule of Fees, Charges and Recovered Costs Ordinance by amending Section 600 - County Counsel, Subsection 601 - Attorney Services, by increasing the fee rate for such services to $182 per hour for each attorney; and waive reading of the Ordinance in its entirety; and adopt the proposed Ordinance.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will amend the Master Schedule of Fees, Charges and Recovered Costs Ordinance (Ordinance), Subsection 601 - Attorney Services by increasing the existing attorney service fee rate (from $169 per hour to $182 per hour for each attorney) based on FY 2023-24 actual County Counsel Office costs for such services. If approved by your Board, the increased attorney service fee rate would be charged by the County Counsel's Office to third-party funded departments and to all other non-County public agencies to which County Counsel provides legal services.
The first hearing was conducted by your Board on May 20, 2025. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may direct County Counsel not to change the rate, change a portion of the rate or propose alternatives rates; however, these alternatives will not recover the full cost of services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. It is anticipated that the proposed attorney service fee rate increase of $13 per hour, from $169 per hour to $182 per hour, is a 7.7% (rounded up to 8%) rate increase for each attorney. If approved by your Board, this rate adjustment would allow the County Counsel's Office to recover the full cost of providing attorney services to third-party funded d...
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