Board formalizes FY 2025'26 jail booking fee calculation at $204 per booking

Kings County on June 17 formally recorded a calculated jail booking fee rate of $204 per booking for fiscal year 2025'26 and introduced an ordinance to adopt that figure if state funding authority changes.

Assistant Finance Director Rob Knutson told the Board of Supervisors the rate must be calculated and set annually under California law even though the state currently provides a statutory allocation that supplanted local fee authority in 2011. Knutson said the $204 figure is an increase of $19 from last year's $185 rate, driven by higher employee salaries and benefits and rising utilities and information technology costs.

"The fee calculated for fiscal year 2526 is $204 per booking," Knutson said during the introduction. He also noted that Assembly Bill 1869 removed the county's ability to add the charge directly to a convicted defendant's fines and fees and that the county has received a statutory annual allocation instead.

Knutson asked the board to consider introducing an ordinance establishing the rate and to waive the reading. The board opened the public hearing, heard no public comment and voted to close the hearing and direct staff to return with the ordinance for further action. The motion passed on a 5'0 vote.

Knutson said that if the state'provided statutory allocation were to be eliminated in the future, the county could charge the cities half of the established booking fee for bookings they deliver to the county jail, per state law.

Action taken: the board introduced the jail booking fee ordinance for FY 2025'26 at $204 per booking and directed staff to return for final action; vote 5'0.