To: County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Department of Health Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Nolan Sullivan, 707-565-4774
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Consolidated Fee Hearing - FY26-27 Fees for Department of Health Services
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Resolution reading the title and waiving further reading of a proposed ordinance titled “An Ordinance of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, State of California, adopting new fees and adjusting fees effective July 1, 2026, for Sonoma County Animal Services,” pursuant to Sonoma County Code Chapter 5, Section 5-4. (First Reading)
B) Adopt a Resolution establishing new and amended fees to recover the reasonable cost of providing services associated with Environmental Health and Safety for the Department of Health Services, effective July 1, 2026, pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 101325.
C) Adopt a Resolution reading the title and waiving further reading of a proposed ordinance titled “An Ordinance of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, State of California, adopting new fees and adjusting fees effective July 1, 2026, for the Sonoma County Department of Health Services Public Health Laboratory,” pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 101325. (First Reading)
D) Adopt a Resolution establishing new and amended fees to recover the projected costs of providing Driving Under the Influence Program services for the Department of Health Services, effective July 1, 2026, pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 101325.
end
Executive Summary:
The Department of Health Services requests adoption of new and amended fees for Sonoma County Animal Services, Environmental Health and Safety, Public Health Laboratory, and Driving Under the Influence programs effective July 1, 2026.
Proposed changes primarily reflect modest cost-of-living adjustments aligned with negotiated salary and benefit increases, targeted corrections where fees significantly trail actual service costs, and the establishment of limited new fees where services are currently provided without a corresponding charge.
The recommended actions balance fiscal sustainability, legal requirements that fees not exceed the reasonable cost of providing services, and programmatic goals to maintain access to essential public health and safety services. Even with these adjustments, several programs, particularly Animal Services, will continue to rely on General Fund support.
Collectively, the fee adjustments are estimated to generate $342,793 in additional annual revenue.
Discussion:
Sonoma County Animal Services - Attachments 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Sonoma County Animal Services (SCAS) provides sheltering and field services to areas within their jurisdiction, including unincorporated areas of the County, the City of Santa Rosa, and the City of Healdsburg. SCAS is also responsible for rabies control for the entire County. SCAS services a geographic area of approximately 1,575 square miles and includes an animal shelter that serves nearly 2,800 animals annually.
Program Fees
The Department is proposing targeted revisions to several Sonoma County Animal Services (SCAS) fees, along with the addition of two fees to the recommended fees and charges schedule to better recover service costs and support deposit processing.
Most Animal Services fees are intentionally set below full cost recovery to encourage adoptions, prevent overcrowding at the shelter, and encourage compliance with regulations. Most fees are proposed to increase by approximately 3%, in line with cost-of-living adjustments in approved bargaining agreements. Some fees are increasing by higher amounts as discussed below. If approved, the fees are anticipated to increase revenues by $52,767. This will still leave the department short of full cost recovery on services, the balance of which are subsidized by the General Fund. The proposed fee revision is a necessary step to strengthen cost recovery, align fees more closely with the actual cost of services, and ensure the Department can continue meeting its mandated animal care and public safety responsibilities.
Fee Increases over 3% and New Fees
Proposed Fee increases above 3% are due to the following cost drivers:
• Veterinary pharmaceuticals and vaccines have increased by approximately 25%
• Medical and animal care supplies have increased by 4%
• Many fees are materially below cost and are being incrementally adjusted to align with actual service costs
Two new fee categories are proposed to address pet disposal services and outside livestock transport. These fees are proposed to support cost recovery for services already being provided, improve transparency around officer-initiated versus walk-in disposal services, and establish a mechanism to bill owners for third-party livestock transport costs.
The proposed Animal Control Officer (ACO) Pet Disposal Pickup fee ($210) would apply when an Animal Control Officer picks up a deceased animal for disposal at the animal owner’s request. This fee reflects officer time, vehicle use, and disposal costs associated with field response. The fee amount aligns with the combined cost of the underlying disposal and officer response components.
The proposed Outside Livestock Transport (at cost) would apply when SCAS must utilize external vendors to transport large animals. Charges vary based on factors such as animal size, number of animals, transport distance, and level of care required. These costs are invoiced to SCAS by external providers (e.g., Sonoma Community Animal Response Team), and SCAS subsequently invoices the animal owner to recover the associated costs. Historically, recovery of these costs from owners has been challenging.
This structure clarifies the distinction between walk-in disposal services and officer-initiated field response, improves administrative efficiency, simplifies fee tracking, and reduces confusion for both staff and the public.
|
Description |
New Fee |
|
ACO Pet Disposal Pickup |
$210.00 |
|
Outside Livestock Transport |
Varies |
Environmental Health and Safety - Attachments 6 and 7
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) programs safeguard community health by preventing or mitigating environmental hazards through education, inspections, surveillance, sampling, and enforcement. Fees are charged to permit holders to recover the reasonable cost of services provided.
EHS maintains a fee stabilization fund projected at $4,881,057 as of July 1, 2025. The fund is used to moderate fee volatility over time and prevent sudden fee increases to permit holders while remaining compliant with Proposition 26 and Health and Safety Code requirements.
Program Fees
Most EHS fees are proposed to remain at FY 2025-26 levels, except for the soft serve increase and new fees details below. Future phased use of the stabilization fund may continue to moderate fee increases.
Increases over 3% and New Fees
The soft serve fee increased by 6% to align with the state allowable amount. 12 new fees were added to recover operational costs:
|
Description |
New Fee |
|
Soft Serve - Semi-Frozen State Fee |
$55.80 |
|
Cannabis Dispensary - Non Storefront Retailer Plan Review - New Construction or Major Remodel (5 hour (hr) min + hourly (hrly)) |
$1305.00 |
|
Cannabis Dispensary - Non Storefront Retailer Plan Review - Minor Remodel (3 hr min + hrly) |
$783.00 |
|
Cannabis Dispensary - Non Storefront Retailer Site Review (2 hr min + hrly) |
$522.00 |
|
Cannabis Dispensary - Non Storefront Retailer Plan/Site Review Additional Hours |
$261.00 |
|
Cannabis Dispensary - Non Storefront Retailer (Delivery Only) |
$1566.00 |
|
Certified Mobile Farmers Market |
$490.00 |
|
Certified Mobile Farmers Market (with waiver) |
$178.00 |
|
Local Catering w/ Temporary Food Facility (TFF) |
$1175.00 |
|
Local Farmers Market w/ Event (Organizer) 2-5 Vendors |
$522.00 |
|
Local Farmers Market w/ Event (Organizer) 6-19 Vendors |
$783.00 |
|
Local Farmers Market w/ Event (Organizer) 20+ Vendors |
$1044.00 |
Cannabis Program
Environmental Health combined the Cannabis Microbusiness and Dispensary Plan Review and Site Review fees because they were duplicative. A reevaluation of the Cannabis Dispensary Storefront/Retailer and Cannabis Microbusiness fees found that a reduction was reasonable based on actual staff time required. In addition, the Department of Cannabis Control created a new permit category for non-storefront (delivery-only) dispensaries, separate from storefront retail. New fees are being established to support the permitting, inspection, and oversight needs associated with these operations.
Soft Serve Program
The Department is the Approved Milk Inspection Service agency for the Soft Serve Program and recently assumed responsibility for soft serve licensing from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to improve program oversight, efficiency, and timeliness of service. The soft serve fee is proposed to increase to align with CDFA’s maximum allowable fee to recover program administration costs. In addition, the cost of the 15% state oversight fee, required by CDFA, will be passed through to the operator.
Community Event and Farmers Market Organizers
An internal time task analysis found that local farmers markets with community-based events require less staff time than events primarily composed of non-local vendors. A new fee structure is proposed to support local market organizers while aligning fees with the actual cost of service and community needs.
Mobile Farmers Markets
Recent updates to the Health and Safety Code recognize certified mobile farmers markets. To support this emerging model and ensure appropriate oversight, a new fee is being added to cover permitting, inspection, and compliance activities. This fee will be eligible for the Environmental Health reduced fee waiver program to help expand opportunities for small, local farms.
Catering and Temporary Food Facilities
The Local Catering with Temporary Food Facility fee consolidates two previously required permits into a single fee. This change streamlines the permitting process, reduces administrative workload, and lowers overall costs for operators.
The Department will continue to monitor fiscal impacts due to the new Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation program including the local waiver process allowing a reduced fee to qualifying small businesses and consider any adjustments that may be needed in the future.
For Environmental Health, the fee schedule for FY 2026-2027 (Attachment 7) recommends minimal fee adjustments due to recommending use of the fee stabilization fund balance.
Public Health Laboratory - Attachments 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
The Public Health Laboratory provides clinical, environmental, and rabies testing. These fee-based testing services aid doctors, hospitals, acute care facilities, environmental health agencies, and Sonoma County Animal Services in diagnosing infectious diseases and performing enforcement duties.
Program Fees
Fees support cost recovery for Public Health Lab services, supplemented by grants and 1991 Health Realignment funds. The fee schedule was last updated for FY 2025-2026 with an 8% increase. Laboratory fees were subsidized by Realignment funding $1,678,411 in FY 2024-2025 to offset overall operating costs and maintain public-benefit services. Realignment included in the FY 2025-2026 budget totals $1,146,530.
Fee Increases over 3% and New Fees
Most Public Health laboratory fees to increase by 3% to keep pace with increased operational costs associated with personnel. The Frozen Yogurt Panel (includes both Yeast & Mold Count and Coliform for soft serve) is proposed to increase from $38.50 to $79.2 (105%). This increase corrects an error in the preparation of the FY 2025-2026 fee schedule, which understated the actual cost of providing the service.
The overall increase in revenue for FY 2026-2027 Public Health Laboratory services is estimated at $16,085.
|
Description |
New Fee |
|
Shiga toxin-positive fecal broths (for Title 17 - fee applies to Local Health Jurisdiction of submitting facility) |
$119.48 |
Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Program - Attachments 13 and 14
The Department’s DUI program is a state mandated program which includes court-referred programs for individuals convicted of DUI offenses. Each year the DUI program serves approximately 3,300 distinct clients. The goal of the DUI program is to reduce the likelihood a client will experience further DUI violations. Program components are designed to provide structured education, prevention, and monitoring to assist in identifying and resolving alcohol or other drug related problems.
The Department’s DUI program includes a 3-month, 6-month, and 9-month First Offender programs, an 18-month Multiple Offender program, and a 6-week Wet-and-Reckless program (a lesser charge usually applied in the case of reckless driving with a measurable amount of alcohol in the system).
Program Fees
The DUI Program is requesting approval to increase all program fees by 3% due to increased salary and benefit costs. This adjustment ensures the program can maintain operational stability, cover rising personnel and service delivery costs, and continue providing high-quality, compliant DUI services without interruption.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
On August 26, 2025, the Board adopted an ordinance titled “An Ordinance of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, State of California, adopting new fees and adjusting fees effective October 1, 2025, for the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Sonoma County Animal Services.” and adopted an ordinance titled “An Ordinance of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, State of California, adopting new fees and adjusting fees effective October 1, 2025, for the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Sonoma County Public Health Laboratory.”
On August 12, 2025, the Board adopted a Resolution rescinding Resolutions 25-0330, 25-0331, 25-0332 and 25-0333 establishing new and amended fees to recover the reasonable costs of providing services associated with Animal Services, Environmental Health, Public Health Laboratory, and Driving Under the Influence Program services; adopted a Resolution reading the title and waiving further reading of a proposed ordinance titled “An Ordinance of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, State of California, adopting new fees and adjusting fees effective October 1, 2025, for Sonoma County Animal Services,” pursuant to Sonoma County Code Chapter 5, Section 5-4; adopted a Resolution establishing new and amended fees to recover the reasonable cost of providing services associated with Environmental Health and Safety for the Department of Health Services, effective September 1, 2025, pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 101325; adopted a Resolution reading the title and waiving further reading of a proposed ordinance titled “An Ordinance of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, State of California, adopting new fees and adjusting fees effective October 1, 2025, for the Sonoma County Department of Health Services Public Health Laboratory,” pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 101325; and adopted a Resolution establishing new and amended fees to recover the projected costs of providing Driving Under the Influence Program services for the Department of Health Services, effective September 1, 2025, pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 101325.
On July 8, 2025, the Board adopted Resolutions 25-0330, 25-0331, 25-0332 and 25-0333 establishing new and amended fees to recover the reasonable cost of providing services associated with Sonoma County Animal Services, Environmental Health, Public Health Laboratory, and Driving Under the Influence Program services for the Department of Health Services.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 25-26 Adopted |
FY 26-27 Projected |
FY 27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
342,793 |
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
|
342,793 |
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
342,793 |
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
|
342,793 |
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The fee adjustments included in this item are estimated to net to $342,793 in additional revenue. Total forecasted revenues for Sonoma County Animal Services are $431,587, Environmental Health is $7,874,049, Clinical Laboratory is $291,886, and Driving Under the Influence is $2,951,465, for a total of $11,548,987.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Sonoma County Animal Services
Attachment 1 - Animal Services Resolution
Attachment 2 - Animal Services Ordinance - Clean
Attachment 3 - Animal Services Ordinance - Redlined
Attachment 4 - Animal Services Pre-Adoption Summary
Attachment 5 - Animal Services Fee Chart
Environmental Health
Attachment 6 - Environmental Health Resolution
Attachment 7 - Environmental Health Fee Chart
Public Health Laboratory
Attachment 8 - Public Health Laboratory Resolution
Attachment 9 - Public Health Laboratory Ordinance - Clean
Attachment 10 - Public Health Laboratory Ordinance - Redlined
Attachment 11 - Public Health Laboratory Pre-Adoption Summary
Attachment 12 - Public Health Laboratory Fee Chart
Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Program
Attachment 13 - DUI Resolution
Attachment 14 - DUI Program Fee Chart
Attachment 15 - Public Notice
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None