REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 29, 2022
FROM
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
Introduction of the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Proposed Annual San Bernardino County Fire Protection District Fee Ordinance
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District:
1. Conduct a public hearing on the proposed ordinance repealing Ordinance No. FPD 21-01 and establishing fees for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District as shown on the attached Fiscal Year 2022-23 Fee Schedule (Attachment A).
2. Make alterations, if necessary, to the proposed ordinance.
3. Approve introduction of proposed ordinance.
• An ordinance of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District to repeal Ordinance No. FPD 21-01 and to establish fire service fees, fire suppression, emergency response and cost recovery fees, ambulance service and subscription fees.
4. SCHEDULE ORDINANCE FOR FINAL ADOPTION ON TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022 on the Consent Calendar.
(Presenter: Dan Munsey, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, 387-5779)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of these actions will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD) fees, as listed on the attached fee schedule (Attachment A), are projected to generate approximately $15.4 million in revenue for 2022-23 to recover the cost of providing services. This amount does not include revenue from ambulance operations as the fees for those services are established and approved by the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency (ICEMA). Appropriation and revenue related to the fees will be included in the 2022-23 recommended budget for SBCFPD. Net impact on revenue from the various recommended changes included in the proposed fee ordinance is expected to be negligible.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The SBCFPD fee ordinance is submitted annually to the Board of Directors (Board) for approval. The proposed fee ordinance for 2022-23 includes several recommended changes. The following is a summary of the recommended fee changes for 2022-23:
Community Safety:
• All Annual Operational Permit fees are being revised and are increasing by an average of approximately 31%. The increase is due to negotiated Memoranda of Understanding increases over the past four years and is necessary to provide full cost recovery.
• A majority of the Special Event/Temporary Use Permit fees are increasing by an average of approximately 25%. SBCFPD is also recommending that a small number of the Special Event/Temporary Use Permit fees be decreased by an average of 16% due to updated time studies.
• One new fee is added per Assembly Bill 38, which mandates defensible space inspections. Occupancy Inspections are mandated by the State Fire Marshal to ensure that certain facilities (schools, detention, healthcare, multi-family) maintain compliance with all fire code and fire protection requirements.
• Miscellaneous fees for various administrative charges are mostly decreasing based on updated time studies of applicable staff.
Employee Classification Hourly Rate (ECHR):
• Addition of two new ECHR fees for the classifications of Media Specialist and Special Projects Leader that were inadvertently omitted from the previous Fee Ordinance.
• Revisions in this fee section include 70 ECHR fees that are increasing by an average of 17%. Most of the ECHR fees were last reviewed/revised in 2019-20. Although SBCFPD uses the average cost per classification when calculating the ECHR fees, the amount of salaries and benefits can fluctuate annually depending on the budgeted employees within each classification. As a result, the ECHR fees include significant variances in percentage changes among the various classifications.
• Thirty-six ECHR fees are recommended for deletion because the classification is no longer applicable to SBCFPD or the differential amount is already included in the ECHR fee.
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW):
• Addition of six Very Small Quantity Generator (VSQG) Disposal Fees to provide cost recovery for the disposal of certain waste where no specific fee is currently established.
• The Contaminated Waste Oil Gallon fee is recommended for deletion as the related disposal costs will be recovered through the Flammable Liquids or Flammable Solids fee.
SBCFPD ensures that the recommended fee amounts comply with Proposition 26. Proposition 26 generally requires fees not to be higher than the cost of the activity and/or service provided unless an exception applies as indicated in the proposition.
The proposed ordinance will take effect 30 days from adoption; however, repeal of Ordinance No. FPD 21-01 and the establishment of the 2022-23 fees will be effective July 1, 2022.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Scott Runyan, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 3, 2022; Finance (Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on March 9, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on March 14, 2022.