This item presents the proposed update to the Master Fee Resolution for fiscal year 2025-26, incorporating fee changes for the Assessor/Clerk Recorder/Elections (ACE), Board of Supervisors, Community Services, Financial Services, General Services, Health and Human Services and Sheriff departments.  The Master Fee Resolution, first adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 1991, includes an estimated 1,350 fees and charges for services provided by County departments.  The use of a single resolution and integrated fee schedule provides for a systematic review of County fees and allows for necessary adjustments to reflect changing service delivery costs.  The Master Fee Schedule was last updated on February 25, 2025.  The sections below describe in further detail the proposed fee changes in the 2025-26 Master Fee Resolution. 

Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Elections (ACE):

Clerk Recorder

The ACE Clerk-Recorder branch has conducted a comprehensive review of all departmental fees currently included in the Master Fee Resolution. This review identified 33 fees eligible for update through time studies, along with others that include both time study and statutory components. In collaboration with County Counsel, the department developed appropriate methodologies to calculate fees incorporating both components.  The proposes fee changes result in anticipated additional revenues of approximately $88,900.

The department partnered with MGT Consulting to complete time studies and cost allocations for the 33 identified fees included in this Master Fee updated, detailed below:

New Fees:

Fee Title Changes:

Fee Increases:

The department is requesting two fees with significant proposed increases: the Official Record Image Copy Fee and the FTP Transfer Fee. These fees are interrelated, as both apply when customers request bulk transfers of recorded documents via FTP—incurring a per-image fee and a one-time transfer fee.

The fee study determined the actual cost to prepare a single image for transfer is $2.57, compared to the current fee of just $0.11 per image. However, after reviewing peer county rates the department is proposing to increase the Official Record Image Copy Fee to $0.50 per image, which is at the higher end of comparable jurisdictions but still competitive. This adjustment balances cost recovery with market sensitivity, ensuring continued service demand while generating appropriate revenue.

The FTP Transfer Fee, originally established in 2023 as part of a transition from CD-based delivery, was initially set at $2 due to limited cost data. A full review now supports increasing the fee to $20 per transfer, better reflecting the true costs associated with this method of delivery.


Elections

New Fees:

In coordination with MGT as part of the department's fee analysis, the Elections division proposes the addition of the fees tabled below:

 

Fee Revisions:

The Elections division is also proposing a fee increase for the Precinct Map Fee in the Elections Division. The proposed adjustment—from $6 to $55 per map—reflects the cost of map preparation, printing, and the significant GIS work required to produce and maintain accurate precinct boundaries. 

Board of Supervisors
Fee Deletions	Fee Amount
Compact Disc	$9.00 each
Compact Disc- Annual Board of Supervisors minutes 1980-Current	$30.00 each
Compact Disc- Board of Supervisors Records (Annual)	$30.00 each
General Research-Assessment Appeals and General Plan Amendments-Per hour after 15 minutes	$15.00 per first 15 minutes
General Research-Assessment Appeals and General Plan Amendments-First 15 minutes	$60.00 per hour thereafter

Community Services:

Planning

The Planning Division is requesting a 10% increase to nine existing hourly rate fees. These fee increases were erroneously included in the published June 2024 Master Fee schedule due to system error but were not approved by the Board of Supervisors. The accompanying Schedule of Proposed Fee Changes report indicates that some of these fees remain unchanged due to the inadvertent inclusion in the June 2024 Master Fee schedule, but the proposed fees reflect a 10% increase from the prior approved rates. 

The proposed hourly rate adjustments are intended to move the Planning Division closer to full cost recovery. A comprehensive fee study completed in 2021 established the current hourly rate structure. Since that time, County costs have increased due to annual cost-of-living adjustments, the adoption of a 100% market compensation philosophy in January 2023 (resulting in a minimum 5% increase across all positions), and additional compensation increases of 8–12% for general unit positions phased in over three years beginning in 2024. The proposed 10% increase represents a standard interim adjustment in line with rising personnel costs until a new comprehensive fee study can be undertaken, anticipated within the next fiscal year, as the previous study approaches the five-year mark.  The table below reflects the proposed fee increases from the current rates.
 

	Current Fee Amount	Proposed Fee with 10% increase
Standard Planner (blended) hourly rate	216.00	238.00
Assistant/Associate Planner hourly rate	195.00	215.00
Senior Planner hourly rate	243.00	267.00
Principal Planner hourly rate	279.00	307.00
Office Support Specialist hourly rate	147.00	162.00
Chief Director of Community Services hourly rate	308.00	339.00
Secretary hourly rate	164.00	180.00
Community Services Analyst hourly rate	186.00	205.00
Accounting Technician hourly rate	145.00	160.00

Building

The Building Division is proposing the addition of two fireworks-related fees to the County’s Master Fee Schedule: the Firework Booth Fee and the Firework Permit Issuance Fee. These fees are currently authorized under the Yolo County Code and have historically been charged to the public. However, they have not previously been incorporated into the Master Fee Schedule.

Following recent updates to the County’s Fireworks Ordinance, and in the interest of transparency and consistency, the department proposes formally adding these fees to the schedule. The updated fee listing will include a detailed breakdown, consistent with the ordinance, identifying the allocation of funds between the County (Building Division) and the applicable Fire Protection District.

The Building Division is also requesting an increase to the Technology Cost Recovery Fee, from the current rate of 6% to 10%. This fee is applied in addition to various Planning, Building, and Public Works fees and is deposited into a separate, restricted account. The primary purpose of this fee is to accumulate sufficient funds over the next 10+ years to support the eventual replacement of the County’s permitting system. Although the department recently implemented a new permitting system at a significantly discounted cost, available funding was still insufficient to fully cover the system’s replacement. To ensure the County is financially prepared for the next system upgrade or replacement, an increase in the Technology Cost Recovery Fee is necessary.

Animal Services

Most Animal Services fees have not been updated since 2012 or earlier. In 2024, Animal Services participated in a comprehensive fee study conducted by MGT for all fees under its purview. Based on the results of this study, the department is proposing the following fee deletions, additions, and revisions.

Fee Deletions:

Fee Additions (All are currently being charged but are not reflected on the Master Fee Schedule):
 

Fee Revisions:

New Fees:

Community Services is proposing the addition of two new fees under the Animal Services Division for the provision of crime reports. These reports were previously administered by Animal Services under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Office. With the transition of Animal Services to the Department of Community Services, it is necessary to formally establish and recalibrate these fees to reflect their appropriate placement under the new departmental structure.

These fees are intended to recover the costs associated with processing and producing the requested documentation and ensure consistency with standard public records practices.
The proposed fees are as follows:

These updates reflect a balance between fiscal responsibility and operational goals, including public accessibility to services, animal welfare, and cost recovery objectives.  The proposed fee changes are anticipated to result in additional revenues of $28,106 for the division.

Integrated Waste Management (Central Landfill)

The Integrated Waste Management Division operates as a self-supporting enterprise fund and depends on revenue from disposal and recycling services and permit fees to fund most of its programs, including operation of the Yolo County Central Landfill (referenced as “Landfill”) and the Esparto Convenience Center (referenced as “Esparto Transfer Station”).

New Fees:

A new fee proposed with the Master Fee Update is the Appliances-Miscellaneous fee for both the Landfill and the Esparto Transfer Station locations. This fee will cover appliances such as microwaves, oil-filled space heaters, lawn mowers, and propane BBQs. This fee distinguishes those appliances from the Appliances-All Other fee, which covers trash compactors, dishwashers, furnaces, water heaters, washers, dryers, ovens, and others, excluding refrigeration units.

The other new fee under the Landfill is Appliances – Oversized, which includes commercial AC/HVAC units, commercial sized refrigerator/freezer, vending machines, etc. that only the Landfill can receive.

Fee Revisions:

The division is requesting to revise specific Landfill and Esparto Transfer Station fees on the master fee schedule. The majority of these fees are regularly updated with the June Master Fee process as inflation and other factors cause increased costs to dispose of certain items.

The table below highlights the most significant increases, of which all are designed to ensure full cost recovery as required by the Enterprise Fund:
 

Fee Deletions:

The division is proposing deletion of the Soil - Mud Require Special Handling fee due to recommendations from the Water Board as well as deletion of the fee for Agricultural Drip Tape as this fee is no longer utilized by the department.

The total expected revenue from these revisions is $929,203.

Department of Financial Services

The changes brought forth by the Department of Financial Services includes new fees, fee revisions and fee deletions outlined below.  These changes are estimated to increase revenues by $1,660 for the department. 

New Fees:

The Tax Collector is proposing to add a returned check fee of $30.00 per returned check under Government Code Section 6157(b). If any personal check, corporate check, cashier's check, money order, or other draft method offered in payment pursuant to this section is returned without payment, for any reason, a reasonable charge for the returned check, not to exceed the actual costs incurred by the public agency, may be imposed to recover the public agency's processing and collection costs.

The County is charged $7.50 by the bank for returned physical checks and $5.00 for returned e-checks. Staff salary and benefits (S&B) average $1.21 per minute, and it typically takes 18 minutes to process a returned check, resulting in a labor cost of $21.78. All entries must then be reviewed by a supervisor or manager, which takes an average of 2 minutes. The supervisor’s S&B is $1.59 per minute, resulting in a labor cost of $3.18.  This time includes updating the roll change in Megabyte, creating the entry in Infor, and printing and mailing a new statement to the taxpayer. Additionally, there is a $0.73 cost for postage and miscellaneous supplies such as paper, printing, and envelopes.

Fee Revisions:

The Department of Financial Services is recommending a revision to the justification for the “Accounting and General Research” fee. The Master Fee Schedule currently lists Government Code § 6253(b) as the basis for this fee on the Auditor/Controller side. This section—now codified as Government Code § 7922.530(a)—is part of the Public Records Act and only authorizes agencies to charge for the direct costs of duplication, or a statutory fee if specifically provided elsewhere (see also Gov. Code § 7922.575). It does not allow recovery of staff time or overhead costs associated with research, retrieval, or processing.

To clarify that the “Accounting and General Research” fee is not tied to public records requests but instead reflects broader research and accounting services, staff recommend updating the statutory justification to Government Code § 54985(a), which authorizes local agencies to establish reasonable fees for services provided.  Additionally, staff is recommending relocating this fee from the “Auditor/Controller” section of the Master Fee Schedule to the “Miscellaneous Auditor and Tax Collector Fees” section to more accurately reflect its applicability to both departments.

Lastly, the Department of Financial Services is requesting a revision to the fee titled 'Magnetic Tape of Secured Tax File,' as the Tax Collector no longer provides records on magnetic tape. The fee title is proposed to be changed to 'Copy of Secured Tax File.'

Fee Deletions:

The Department of Financial Services is requesting the removal of the Microfiche of Tax Roll Records and Microfiche of Bill Status Report fees from the Master Fee Schedule, as the Tax Collector no longer provides microfiche versions of documents.

General Services Department:

The General Services Department is proposing the addition of new fees, fee revisions, and fee deletions which include changes to the Parks, Airport, and Facilities divisions.  The department's proposed fee changes are anticipated to provide an additional $23,600 in revenue for the divisions described below:

New Fees:

Parks and Airport

Fee Increases:

General Services has not adjusted Airport fee rates and fees related to Parks usage since 2009 and 2019 respectively. Staff recommends updating the fees below to ensure they remain competitive with current market rates in the region, to keep pace with inflationary trends, and to account for increased departmental costs associated with maintenance and staffing.
 

Fee Deletions:

Parks and Airport

General Services has identified that Annual Pass Boat Launch Card Replacement Fee should be removed as there is already a $5 card issuance fee. Additionally, the department has identified that Compact Discs, Reprographics (Copies), and Fire Wood Bundles fees should be removed as the department no longer offers these services.

General Services has identified that Airport Tie Down Fee Weekly Fee should be removed as there is already the Airport Tie Down Fee Night or more than 8 hours fee that will be used to calculate the weekly fee to remain competitive with current market rates. Additionally, the department has identified that Crop Duster Operations at Yolo County Airport- Annual, and Crop Duster Operations at Yolo County Airport-Application fee should be removed as these services are offered through lease agreements and are not set fees.

 

Health and Human Services:

Public Guardian

The Yolo County Public Guardian division proposes an increase of the hourly rate for Public Guardian services from $102 to $117 as it has been approximately five years since this hourly rate was last increased. The proposed new fee rate was calculated using staff time study, direct costs, and operational costs. California Probate Code Sections 2623 and 2640(c) allow a guardian or conservator to be compensated for services rendered. The Public Guardian tracks time for services provided to each conservatee in five-minute increments, and these calculated fees for each conservatee are reviewed and approved by the Superior Court of Yolo County at the time of each conservatee’s Account & Report to the Court.  These changes are estimated to increase revenues by $25,700.

Sheriff:

The Sheriff’s Office is proposing fee revisions to align with mandated costs for administering a Probate Estate.  Pursuant to the fee increase set by the Judicial Council under provision 2(b), the value of the formal estate has been adjusted from $184,500 to $208,850. This revision reflects the updated fee schedule established to account for changes in court administrative costs and statutory requirements. The new estate value ensures compliance with the current fee structure as mandated and the changes are outlined in the table below: