Board adopts revisions to Tuolumne County fire prevention fee schedule, adds short‑term‑rental inspection fee

The Board of Supervisors voted to adopt an updated fire prevention fee schedule and to add a fee category for short‑term rental safety inspections after reviewing a consultant study that recommended moving fees toward full cost recovery.

Lede: Supervisors approved the ordinance change on staff recommendation following a presentation by MGT, a consulting firm, and Tuolumne County Fire, which presented per‑service cost calculations and proposed adjustments that in many categories either lowered fees (where current fees exceeded calculated cost) or raised fees (where current fees did not cover full cost).

Nut graf: The MGT study calculated fully burdened hourly rates for fire prevention staff, applied average inspection and review times, and annualized costs using historic volumes. The study recommended raising or lowering 95 fee line items such that each fee better matched the calculated cost to provide the service. The board adopted the ordinance; Supervisors voted unanimously on the main package, and Supervisor Kirk recused from the subsequent short‑term rental fee vote.

Key details

- Consultant findings: MGT’s analysis used FY24 budget figures and time estimates provided by staff. The firm calculated 45 fees that should be reduced to comply with state user‑fee law (fees cannot exceed the cost to provide the service), 20 fees that would remain unchanged, and 30 fees that would increase to recover an estimated share of cost.

- Short‑term rental inspections: Staff and the consultant modeled a fee for short‑term rental (STR) inspections and found the county was subsidizing roughly $91,000 annually for STR inspection activity under current volumes. The adopted ordinance adds a short‑term rental inspection fee schedule designed to recover a higher share of cost; Supervisor Kirk recused from the STR vote because of a personal STR interest.

- Vote and next steps: The board adopted the consultant’s recommended fee ordinance and the STR fee amendment. The county will update the master fee schedule and implement the fee changes through regular billing and permitting processes.

Context and constraints

The consultant emphasized compliance with California user‑fee law (fees must not exceed the full cost of providing an individual service). The county’s fire prevention function covers plan review, inspections, code enforcement and specialized inspections (e.g., LP tank and school inspections); each line was modeled to reflect staff hourly rates, overhead and annualized volumes. Staff noted the ordinance does not change state‑mandated inspections required under the California Fire Code but resets local fees to better reflect actual county costs for discretionary services.

Ending: County staff will publish a revised master fee schedule and implement billing; supervisors directed staff to notify affected businesses and to return with administrative changes if implementation raises issues.

Sections:{"lede":"The Board of Supervisors voted to adopt an updated fire prevention fee schedule and to add a fee category for short‑term rental safety inspections after reviewing a consultant study that recommended moving fees toward full cost recovery.","nut_graf":"The MGT study calculated fully burdened hourly rates and average service times to set fees that reflect the county’s estimated cost of providing fire prevention services; the board adopted the revisions, and Supervisor Kirk recused from the short‑term rental vote.","ending":"Staff will publish the revised master fee schedule and implement the changes through permitting and billing procedures; the board asked staff to monitor implementation and return if administrative amendments are needed."},