To: Board of Supervisors
From: Kristin Connelly, Clerk-Recorder
Report Title: Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department Cost Recovery and Fee Evaluation
?Recommendation of the County Administrator ? Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. FIX August 13, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. for a public hearing on the determination of a fee study and recommendations for changes to the Department's fee schedule.
2. DIRECT the Clerk of the Board to notify affected local jurisdictions of the public hearing; and
3. DIRECT the Clerk of the Board to prepare and publish the required legal notice and make supporting documentation available for public inspection.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed hearing would detail recommended changes to the fee schedule of services offered by the Clerk-Recorder and Elections offices, methodology of billing jurisdictions for the administration of elections, comparison of fees charged compared to similar counties, cost recovery justification for recommended fee changes, and review of the Department's Election Capital Replacement account. The recommended changes stand to increase the Department's revenues by an estimated $230,000 annually, affecting both General Fund and Dedicated Recorder Fund monies. This estimate excludes increases to election fees, which vary year-to-year depending on the election type.
BACKGROUND:
The Department contracted with NBS Government Finance Group in October of 2023, to perform time studies of tasks related to specific services rendered by the Clerk-Recorder/Elections Department, and to evaluate election billing methodologies for cost recovery and capital replacement. The fees charged by the Department have not been formally evaluated in over 10 years, the recommended changes are based on efficiencies gained in specific processes and inflationary costs borne by the Department.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the hearing is not set to consider the report's recommended changes, the Department would be unable to upda...
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