County staff and a consultant presented a countywide user‑fee study on Nov. 18 that examined fees across animal services, planning, environmental health, public works, building and fire safety and a proposed general‑plan maintenance fee. The consultant reported the county currently recovers about 58% of the studied service costs and that, at legislatively justifiable maximums, fee revenue across the analyzed services could rise from roughly $7.6 million to about $13.2 million.

Lauren Guido of NBS explained the two‑step approach used in the study: calculate fully burdened costs and then translate time estimates to fee amounts under Proposition 26 constraints. Staff emphasized that some departments (for example, development services) naturally recover closer to full costs, while others such as animal services are typically subsidized to encourage use and adoptions.

Board members pressed staff on implementation details including CPI indexing, phasing approaches, and the possibility of staging smaller fee packages (animal services as a first batch). Staff said adoption hearings and further public workshops will be scheduled before any fee changes take effect.

Separately, the board adopted a fleet‑services policy and approved a resolution authorizing an agreement with Unified Fleet Services LLC to provide sourcing, procurement and liquidation support for county vehicles and equipment. County administrative staff described the policy as guidance on purchase vs. lease decisions; the resolution to add Unified Fleet Services to county contracting options passed unanimously (5–0).

Public‑works staff introduced an ordinance to update Madera County's noise regulations to allow the Public Works Director to approve off‑hour work where beneficial (for safety and reduced traffic impacts). The board waived the first reading and scheduled the second reading for Dec. 9, 2025.

Why it matters: the user‑fee study frames an ongoing county conversation about revenue adequacy, general‑fund subsidies, and how to balance cost recovery with public‑policy goals such as encouraging pet adoptions. The fleet agreement is intended to modernize procurement and manage total cost of ownership for county vehicles.

What’s next: staff will return with fee adoption hearings, CPI and phasing scenarios, and recommended fee packages. The noise‑ordinance second reading is set for Dec. 9.