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Yolo County adopts semi-annual master fee update amid debate over food vendor fees
Summary
The board approved changes to the county master fee schedule that add 86 new fees, revise 264 and delete 71. The largest financial changes affect community services and environmental health; mobile food operator and plan-check fees drew focused public comment and requests for subsidies or benchmarking to nearby counties.
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved its semi-annual master fee resolution on Dec. 9, adopting changes proposed by departments that aim to recover more of program costs while phasing increases to reduce burden on users.
CFO Tom Haines and financial-services analyst Kao Siew Thao said the update covers fees across multiple departments, adding 86 new fees, 264 revisions and 71 deletions, and is expected to generate roughly $436,410 annually to various county funds. Community services and environmental health account for a large share of the proposed increases; planning and public-works fees continue a multi-year step up toward full cost recovery, while environmental health proposed adjustments in retail-food permit categories to align inspections and staff time with facility risk and volume.
Environmental Health explained it had completed a comprehensive fee study and proposed a new risk- and volume-based retail food permit structure to match inspection effort with establishment complexity. Michelle Biladu, an environmental health program coordinator, described the new structure as aligning permit categories with work required for different establishments and noted a workflow for operators to contest categorizations.
Public testimony focused on compact mobile food operations (CMFOs). Gustavo Landeros Mireles and other vendors urged lower plan-check and permit fees and proposed a subsidy for low-income or immigrant vendors modeled on Los Angeles County programs. Environmental Health staff said plan-check charges reflect staff time and iterations required for custom-built carts and noted operators may be eligible for refunds if plan-check hours are less than billed; they also cited economies of scale differences among counties.
Supervisor questions prompted staff to promise follow-up benchmarking to compare neighboring jurisdictions and to report back on vendor outreach and the pilot fee-waiver program that previously helped integrate mobile vendors into the permitted system.
The board approved the updated master fee resolution on a motion that included direction for staff to return with comparative fee structures and additional information for the board's consideration.
Provenance: Presentation and department summaries (SEG 1246-1255, SEG 1256-1276); public comment and board discussion on CMFO fees (SEG 1446-1596).
