Police Services User Fee Increases
The proposed fee increases as presented in Exhibit A were evaluated by staff and were not included in the City's User Fee Study as provided by NBS Consulting. Typically user fees are evaluated annually by departments as part of the budget process. The Police Services department followed this process and evaluated their user fees based upon an analysis of the cost of providing the service, date of last review and/or update, and demand for the service relative to resources necessary to provide said program or services. Staff have evaluated the Police Services user fees and is recommending to adopt the fees identified within Exhibit A in a future public hearing meeting.
OC Animal Care Fee Increases
The City of Brea contracts with OC Animal Care to provide animal care services in our community and the City currently pays the net cost of animal care services, meaning total service costs less revenues from user fees. The net cost to the City is paid from the City's General Fund and has increased by 112% in the last five years.
Recently, the Orange County Auditor Controller's Office completed a comprehensive review of all OC Animal Care (OCAC) user fees charged to the public. The purpose of the Fee Study is to: (i) calculate the full cost of all fee-related services provided to the public (including residents of contract cities and unincorporated County areas); (ii) determine the percentage of cost recovery using current fees; and (iii) evaluate changes to current fees to improve cost recovery. Exhibit B outlines the County's memo to the City that details the Fee Study and the proposed fee increases. The County Fee Study identifies that, overall, the current fees recover 50.3% of the costs. The cost recovery levels on the proposed fees vary, resulting in an overall proposed cost recovery level of 64.4%. Based on the same frequency of services and permits, adoption of the recommended fees would result in an annualized cost savings for Brea of $60,000.
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