COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

SHERIFF’S OFFICE

 

DATE:

March 10, 2005

BOARD MEETING DATE:

April 26, 2005 - 9:15 a.m.

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

45-days advance written notice.

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

 

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Sheriff Don Horsley

SUBJECT:

FY 2005-06 Booking Fee.

 
 

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a Resolution setting the FY 2005-06 Booking Fees at $104.

   

VISION ALIGNMENT:

This action aligns with Vision 2010 Objective No.7, related to ensuring basic public safety for all citizens, and to Objective No.22, related to responsive, effective and collaborative government.

 

BACKGROUND:

Pursuant to Government Code 29550, arresting agencies are required to pay a fee to book a prisoner into the San Mateo County Maguire Correctional Facility and any ancillary detention facilities. The fee was imposed eleven years ago as the result of State legislation that allowed the Board to impose a booking fee in response to reduced State funding in other program areas (i.e. State Realignment). Booking fees are based on the actual cost to book an inmate into the jail, and are billable for certain specified agency bookings.

In San Mateo County, the booking fee has historically been finalized through a process of negotiation with the cities, and annual increases in the fee have been tied to the percentage adjustment in jail staff salaries, as negotiated under the Memorandum of Understanding with the Deputy Sheriff’s Association. The booking fee rate has thus been adjusted periodically starting from $159 for FY 1994-95, to the current fee of $202.00. In FY 1999-00, state legislation was enacted to reimburse cities for booking fees, based on prior year actual costs. The current fee structure is supported by a March 2003 booking cost analysis and fee computation for FY 2003-04 performed by Maximus, an independent outside accounting firm.

 

DISCUSSION:

For FY 2004-05, the booking fee was held flat at the 2003-04 rate ($202) and not increased, in view of financial hardships experienced by all local governments in the County, and the continuing uncertainty at that time, of the statutory future of the booking fee itself. The current booking fee was last set on May 6th, 2003 by Board Resolution No. 65957. The Governor’s 2004-05 budget, enacted through SB1106, provides for the elimination of State reimbursement to cities for the booking fee beginning in 2005-06, and also caps the maximum booking fee chargeable to agencies for 2005-06 at 50% of the actual cost of booking at Sheriff’s jail facilities.

Prior to calculating the 50% rate, counties are allowed to make an adjustment to bring the total booking fee up to current year costs. A recent cost study performed by Maximum supports a projected actual cost of $214 per booking for FY 2005-06. However, using the long-established formula already in place with the San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sheriff’s Association, a 3% adjustment, reflecting the January 2005 negotiated increase for DSA employees would bring the unadjusted 2005-06 fee to $208. Thus, the 2005-06 recommended booking fee is calculated as follows:

$202 x 103% = $208 x 50% = $104

This is a public hearing pursuant to Government Code sections 29550 and 54952.2, and pursuant to statute, all affected agencies were notified of the decrease, in writing, during the week of February 14-18, 2005, in accordance with statutory 45-day noticing requirements. The letter from me to all police chiefs included a summary of the Maximus study supporting a slightly higher base rate, as well as advising them that I would instead be recommending the $208 base rate using the long-established formula, for application of the 50% statutory reduction. County Counsel has reviewed and approved the Resolution as to legal form.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

It is anticipated that approximately $740,000 in revenue will be generated from booking fees next year, which represents a reduction of approximately $725,000 over anticipated 2004-05 actual revenues, due to the 50% cap. This total revenue projection will be included in the Sheriff’s recommended FY 2005-06 budget.