Title
HEARING - Sheriff’s Office recommending the Board:
1) Waive full reading of Ordinance 5120 and read by title only; and
2) Approve Final Passage (Second Reading) of Ordinance 5120 to establish a Coroner fee schedule to become effective 30 days from the adoption of the amendment of Title 8, Chapter 20.100 Coroner Fees El Dorado County Code of Ordinances. (Cont. 4/7/20, Item 20) (Est. Time: 5 Min.)
FUNDING: General Fund Revenue.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
At their meeting of April 7, 2020 (Item 20) the Board approve Ordinance 5120 and set Final Passage (Second Reading) for April 14, 2020.
Government Code Section 54985 authorizes the Board of Supervisors to adopt new fees, fee levels and charges.
The Sheriff’s Office began providing on-site morgue services in January 2020 leading to a need to adopt fees related to the Coroner services being provided by the Sheriff’s Office as there are currently no fees associated with these services.
The Sheriff’s Office is recommending the Board implement a transportation fee of $300.00 pursuant to Government Code Section 27472 and increased pursuant to Government Code Section 54985, for removing the body from place of death and keeping the body until its release to the person responsible for its internment. The proposed charge directly correlates to what the Sheriff's Office is charged for transportation by Green Valley Mortuary, the current contractor for these services. Therefore, this charge does not exceed the reasonable cost for providing the associated service.
In setting the Storage Fee, the Sheriff looked at what other Counties are charging and is recommending a twenty dollar ($20) a day storage fee after the body has been held for forty-eight hours. The Sheriff's Office conducted a fee study comparing Amador ($50 a day), Placer (no fee), Sacramento ($15 a day), Marin (no fee), Yolo (no fee) and San Mateo ($50 a day). The Sheriff's Office pays roughly sixteen cents ($.16) per square foot for utility costs, per month. The Sheriff's Office Morgue's electricity costs are an estimated twenty-two dollars ($22) a day. Sheriff's Office Morgue electricity costs exceed the fee we are charging the public for storing decedents. Per California Law, Chapter 12.5, County Fees, government fees charged to the public cannot exceed the cost of providing the service. The Sheriff believes the twenty dollar ($20) a day storage fee is reasonable.
The estimated revenue increase per fiscal year will be roughly $150,000 based on previous annual caseload for the Sheriff's Coroners. As stated, these revenues would merely off-set the costs billed to the Sheriff's Office for transportation services and apply to the limited number of instances in which the Sheriff's Office stores a body for an extended period of time.
ALTERNATIVES
N/A
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel has reviewed and approved the ordinance.
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The estimated increase in revenues will be roughly $150,000 based on previous Coroner caseload.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Ordinance to be signed by the Chair; One (1) certified copy to be returned to the Sheriff’s Office.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
In order to promote public safety, the Sheriff's Office is able to leverage resources to provide the highest quality of service to the community.
CONTACT
Randy Peshon, Undersheriff