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Board approves consolidated fee packet; jail access fee and airport parking among notable changes
Summary
The Board adopted the fiscal‑year consolidated fee packet covering roughly 1,000 line items, with an estimated $2.6 million in revenue if approved. Staff highlighted an average ~3% fee increase overall, significant increases for some state‑mandated jail access fees and airport parking, and department‑specific adjustments tied to cost recovery.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved the county’s consolidated fee schedule for the upcoming fiscal year, a package that bundles departmental fee changes across roughly 1,000 line items and is intended to increase transparency and allow departments to include projected revenues in next year’s budget.
Peter Brueland of the CEO’s operations and budget team said the packet is designed to move many fees toward cost recovery while preserving existing board‑set subsidies. He estimated total revenue of about $2,600,000 if all items are approved, and said most fee increases are modest — more than 80% of fees would rise by less than 4%.
“Fees are utilized to offset costs in areas where a specific service is received by a member of the public,” Brueland said. He noted larger increases in some areas caused by prior years’ delays in updates and by state mandates.
The board discussed several department‑level items in detail. Staff said Permit Sonoma fees generally rise about 3% with some small de minimis increases and new fees tied to state law (e.g., defensible‑space inspections under TB38). Permit Sonoma Director Tennis Wick confirmed video inspections remain in use for some building inspections to reduce travel time, while code enforcement work still often requires in‑person visits.
The Sheriff’s Office described a separate cost study that resulted in a substantial raise to the jail access fee — a state‑mandated fee charged to arresting agencies when misdemeanor bookings exceed a three‑year average — which staff said increased by about $730 in the package. Sheriff Eddie Ingram also used his remarks to summarize 2024 enforcement results and urged making a narcotics pilot unit permanent after a series of seizures.
Supervisors pressed staff to clearly identify which fees are effectively subsidized by the general fund and to weigh equity concerns, such as travel‑time burdens on rural residents. Several supervisors asked staff to prepare a fall update and to work with a code‑enforcement ad hoc committee on potential fee‑amnesty or tiered approaches.
The consolidated fee packet (items 35–44) was adopted after public hearing; no public speakers addressed these items during the consolidated hearing. Multiple items required separate roll‑call votes, which the board conducted as part of the packet approval process.
