To: Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County
Department or Agency Name(s): Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Melissa MacDonald, 565-3922
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Specialized Forensic Services Agreement with Sacramento County Coroner
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute an Agreement with the County of Sacramento to provide Specialized Forensic Services to the County of Sonoma for a three-year term, expiring on June 30, 2024, with a total not-to-exceed amount of $400,000.
end
Executive Summary:
The Sheriff’s Office’s Coroner’s Bureau completes forensic investigations of all deaths occurring within the County of Sonoma that meet criteria as defined in Section 27491 of the California Government Code. Forensic Pathology services are provided by contracted vendors who are all licensed Forensic Pathologists, authorized to operate in the State of California. This Agreement for Specialized Forensic Services submitted to the Board for approval will provide secondary services to ensure uninterrupted service provision.
Discussion:
As the Sheriff-Coroner for Sonoma County, the Sheriff’s Office is responsible for performing investigations to determine cause of death on certain deceased persons in Sonoma County. As part of this investigative process, the Sheriff contracts for forensic pathology services. Forensic pathology services consist of medical examinations performed on deceased persons to determine the cause of death. Such exams may include medical record evaluations, external exams, autopsies, on scene examinations, and/or postmortem examination of sudden infant death syndrome cases.
Although the County has an active, non-exclusive agreement with Dr. Kimi Verilhac, this secondary agreement is necessary to ensure uninterrupted service provision in the event that Dr. Verilhac is unable to perform these services or keep up with caseload demands.
In April of 2018, the Board authorized a three-year agreement for Specialized Forensic Services with Sacramento County. That Agreement will expire on June 30, 2021. During the term of the current Agreement, the Sheriff’s Office has utilized Sacramento’s services twice. The County of Sacramento has again indicated its willingness and capacity to provide secondary pathology services to Sonoma County. The Sheriff’s Office requests authorization for the Board Chair to execute Sacramento County’s standard Specialized Forensic Services Agreement through June 20, 2024. All services under the Agreement will be provided at Sacramento County’s facilities. Sonoma County will be responsible for arranging transport and all transportation costs. The Sheriff’s Office intends to request services from Sacramento only as absolutely necessary to maintain continuity of death investigations.
Prior Board Actions:
4/10/18 - Board authorized a three-year Agreement for Specialized Forensic Services with Sacramento County.
10/14/14 - Board authorized a three-year Agreement for Specialized Forensic Services with Sacramento County.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 20-21 Adopted |
FY21-22 Projected |
FY 22-23 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$628,017 |
$691,769 |
$712,522 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
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|
Total Expenditures |
$628,017 |
$691,769 |
$712,522 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
$628,017 |
$691,769 |
$712,522 |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$628,017 |
$691,769 |
$712,522 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The FY 21-22 Adopted amount of $628,017 includes appropriations for all pathology services for the fiscal year. The Sheriff’s Office FY 21-22 Recommended budget includes $691,769 for all pathology services. The total not-to-exceed amount of the three-year agreement with Sacramento County is $400,000.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
There are no staffing impacts associated with this Agreement.
Attachments:
Specialized Forensic Services Agreement with Sacramento County
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A