This item presents the proposed Master Fee Resolution for fiscal year 2019-20, incorporating fee changes for the Community Services, General Services and Library departments.
The Master Fee Resolution, first adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 1991, includes an estimated 1,300 fees and charges for services provided by County departments. The use of a single resolution and integrated fee schedule provides for a systematic review of County fees, and allows for necessary adjustments to reflect changing service delivery costs. The Master Fee Schedule was last updated on December 11, 2018. The sections below describe in further detail the proposed fee changes in the 2019-20 Master Fee Resolution.
Community Services
Cannabis
On February 26, 2019, the Board of Supervisors adopted revisions to the Interim Cannabis Ordinance to allow distribution licenses for existing County licensed cultivators. The proposed cannabis fees provide for cost recovery to process initial applications for a distribution license and annual renewals. There is also a proposed fee for application modification. Distribution licenses have robust state requirements for security and product tracking, therefore the proposed fees reflect the estimated volume of time required to assure compliance with the state requirements. It is anticipated that the applications will be reviewed by the Sheriff, Cannabis Task Force, and other Department of Community Services personnel. It is estimated that the proposed fee increase will generate an additional $4,000 in Cannabis Regulatory Fund revenue.
Environmental Health
The Environmental Health Division is requesting a change to three water sampling related fees. These fees are all pass-through fees from the Napa-Solano-Yolo-Marin Regional Public Health Laboratory. These fees are charged to customers when they drop off water samples at the Environmental Health counter which are then couriered to the lab for testing.
Planning/Building
In 2017, the Department of Community Services contracted with MGT Consulting LLC to complete a comprehensive cost and user fee study for the services provided in the Planning and Building division. Many of the fees reflected a large percentage increase. To minimize the impact on residents, a three year cost increase plan was proposed. On June 26, 2018, the Board of Supervisors approved the three-year increase, and the first year levels were implemented. The proposed fee changes related to the Planning and Building Division reflect the second year of increases from last year’s three-year plan.
In total, the department estimates that the proposed fee changes will result in an annual revenue increase of $14,000 which will be attributable to the General Fund for the purpose of funding building activities.
Landfill
The Integrated Waste Management Division operates as a self-supporting enterprise fund and depends on revenue from disposal and recycling services and permit fees to fund most of its programs, including operation of the Yolo County Central Landfill (landfill) and the Esparto Convenience Center (transfer station). Due to increased operating costs, the fees for the following materials are insufficient to cover the costs of services provided:
- Municipal solid waste (MSW)
- Bulky waste materials such as Styrofoam and tree stumps
- Food waste and mixed green waste/food waste
- Green waste and wood waste
- Construction and Demolition material
- Tires
- Appliances and furniture
- Some materials requiring special handling (cannery waste, grits, rags, sewage, sludge, mud, etc.).
Generally, most recommended fee increases are necessary to cover additional operating costs and are at a rate consistent with the annual Consumer Price Index increases for our area (approx. 4%).
The division proposes to increase fees for commercial loads of municipal solid waste (trash) from the current $60 per ton to $62.5 per ton (4.2% increase). This increased revenue will help offset increased operating costs.
In addition, the division proposes to increase the construction and demolition (C&D) rate from $57 per ton to $62.50 per ton (9.7% increase) and establish a low quality C&D rate of $72.50 per ton and a rejected C&D rate of $98.00 per ton. The low quality rate represents the increased cost to sort loads with minimal recyclable content and the rejection rate represents the increased cost to remove and dispose of a C&D load that does not meet the acceptance criteria. Similar to loads of commercial waste, the division is proposing increases in other fees associated with disposal items, including bulky waste, Styrofoam and cannery waste (approx. 4% increase).
The disposal fees for food waste and mixed green waste/food waste (for those cities offering residents the option to place food waste in their green waste carts) are proposed to increase from the current $62 per ton to $64 per ton, a 3.2% increase. Clean green and wood waste is proposed to increase from $54 per ton to $56 per ton, a 3.7% increase.
Regulations prevent whole tires from being disposed in the landfill and the cost for recycling them has again increased significantly this past year. The bulk tire rate is proposed to increase from $150 per ton to $225 per ton (50% increase). Individual auto tires are increasing by $0.50 to a rate of $3.50 per tire and truck tires are increasing by $1 to a rate of $6 per tire. Large tractor tires are increasing from $15 each to $20 each. The additional revenue associated with these increases are necessary to cover the increased cost of tire recycling through the county’s contract recycler. The fees for tires accepted at the Esparto Convenience Center are being raised to match the landfill fees.
Over the last year, scrap metal value has decreased which necessitates a small increase in the appliance recycling fee. The recycling fees for appliances (washers, refrigerators, dryers, ovens, etc.) are proposed to increase from the current $5 each to $6 each (a 20% increase). The fees at the Esparto Convenience Center are also being lowered to match the landfill fees.
Overall, the proposed landfill fees will increase revenue this next fiscal year by approximately $393,000 and represents approximately 1 percent of the overall sanitation enterprise budget. Adoption of the proposed fees will allow the division to increase the tip fees as appropriate to fully recover costs for these services.
General Services
The General Services Department, Parks Division is proposing revisions to eighteen (18) existing fees. In the Parks Sustainability Study, approved by the Board in June 2016, it was recommended that an outside consultant complete a Fee Study for the division, with the intention of identifying opportunities for increases in fees, increasing division revenue and reducing the annual General Fund contribution. In early 2017, a fee study was conducted by Fiscal Choice Consulting. A conclusion of that report was that the Parks Division was under collecting fees in the amount of $239,000. In order to increase revenue, fee revisions were taken up for the 2017-2018 fiscal year, increasing all fees by moderate amounts to begin closing the revenue gap as identified in the fee study.
The proposed fiscal year 2019-2020 revisions have again moderately increased fees in order to continue closing the shortfall identified by Fiscal Choice Consulting. The division continues to work with partner agencies to increase enforcement of day use fees at all sites but opts to be conservative when projecting increases to annual revenue for those two particular fees. It is estimated that the proposed fee increase will generate an additional $30,000 in General Fund revenue.
Library
The Library is proposing the addition of two new fees for the replacement of 3D printers and accompanying laptops that are available for use by the public. The fees include the cost of repair if damaged, or the cost of the equipment if stolen or damaged beyond repair, as well as staff time to replace the equipment. Additionally, the Library is proposing a change to the fee to send a fax. The proposed fee will charge for each 10 pages rather than per fax, as this reflects the cost of staff time needed to send lengthy faxes. Lastly, the Library is proposing the deletion of a fee to sell lanyards at library branches as it is no longer used.
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