COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
Inter-Departmental Correspondence

SHERIFF’S OFFICE

DATE:

May 9, 2006

BOARD MEETING DATE:

June 20, 2006 - 9:15am

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

45-days advance written notice.

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Sheriff Don Horsley

SUBJECT:

FY 2006-07 Booking Fee.

RECOMMENDATION

Adopt a Resolution setting the FY 2006-07 Booking Fees at $107.

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 $202.00 for FY 2003-04. This rate was held flat for FY 2004-05.

In 2005, §29550 was amended to cap the maximum booking fee at 50% of the actual cost of booking at Sheriff’s jail facilities. The total booking fee was determined to be $208, and but city agencies were charged $104. The $208 reflected a 3% COLA over the previous year’s total booking fee, which was then cut in half, resulting in a fee of $104 per booking.

DISCUSSION

The current booking fee of $208 ($104 capitated city rate) was set on April 26, 2005, by Board Resolution 067259.

The current fee structure is based on this FY 2005-06 rate plus a 3% COLA adjustment. The annual adjustment to the rate of pay for Deputy Sheriffs has historically been used as the benchmark for setting the annual fee. This year, the negotiated DSA increase for January, 2006, was also 3%.

The existing 2005-06 booking fee is $208, of which the cities pay one half, or $104 per booking. Therefore, for FY 2006-07, the new booking fee will be computed as follows:

$208 x 103% = $214 x 50% (SB1106 cap) = $107

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 increase, in writing, during the week of April 17-21, 2006, in accordance with statutory 45-day noticing requirements. The letter to all police chiefs advises them that our office would be recommending the $214 base rate using the long-established formula, which would be adjusted by the 50% statutory maximum. County Counsel has reviewed and approved the Resolution as to legal form.

If there are any future legislative changes on booking fees, then we will bring a new proposal back to this board for ratification.

FISCAL IMPACT

It is anticipated that approximately $800,704 in revenue will be generated from booking fees next year, which represents an increase of $60,704 over anticipated 2005-06 booking fee revenues. This total revenue projection will be included in the Sheriff’s recommended FY 2006-07 budget.

cc. D. Penny Bennett, Deputy County Counsel

San Mateo County Police Chief’s Association