San Benito County residents may soon be paying more for county
services.
Hollister – San Benito County residents may soon be paying more for county services.
County supervisors voted Tuesday to contract with Temecula, Calif.-based MuniFinancial for a study of the county’s user fees. Many of the fees the county charges residents for services – such as planning department and agricultural commission services – have not been increased for more than a decade, according to county Management Analyst Susan Lyons.
While some county departments have updated their fees on a regular basis, others have not. The result has been an “inconsistent fee structure countywide,” according to a report that Lyons submitted to the board. The study will not include impact fees, which are charges developers pay to offset the cost of their projects in government services.
“This will be a full countywide user-fee study,” Lyons told the board on Tuesday.
Lyons said that MuniFinancial’s report will likely be ready for supervisors in less than two months, at which time the board will vote on whether to approve the updated fee schedule.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho said it’s a good idea to see if the fees charged for county services cover the cost of those services.
“I think it makes good business sense to review the fee schedule just to make sure you have your revenue up with your costs,” he said.
MuniFinancial representatives will have a “kick-off” meeting next week, Lyons said, during which they will meet with the various county department heads.
“We expect to have something back in your hands in six weeks,” she told supervisors.
In addition to suggestions for raising current user fees, MuniFinancial’s report will include a master schedule for raising fees annually to keep them in line with the cost to the county for performing services, according to Lyons. MuniFinancial will train county staff to use the fee schedule.
“We’ll end up with a model, so we can update as time goes on,” she said.
MuniFinancial may also recommend new fees, according to Lyons.
In June supervisors asked county administrators to start taking bids for a fee study. MuniFinancial’s proposal of $28,000 was the lowest – $6,000 below the highest bid – of the three firms that entered bids.
Luke Roney covers politics and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at
lr****@fr***********.com
