To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Connie Newton, 565-8884
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Sheriff’s Office Part Time Fiscal Analyst
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a Resolution to amend the Sheriff’s Position Allocation List, adding one half time (0.5 FTE) Department Analyst position to address increased workload associated with Special Revenue Fund management. This request does not impact the General Fund.
end
Executive Summary:
The Sheriff is requesting approval of the proposed amendment to the Sheriff’s Office Position Allocation List, with the addition of one part-time (.50 FTE) Department Analyst allocation to perform the fiscal and administrative workload associated with two special revenue vehicle code funds, the Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force (SONCATT) and the Cal-ID Program (Cal-ID). The fiscal and administrative workload associated with these two programs exceeds the capacity of existing Sheriff’s resources. The full cost of this request, one-time and on-going, for the part-time position will be fully offset by the Special Revenue Funds and have zero impact on the County General Fund.
Discussion:
The Sheriff’s Office is the designated fiscal agent for SONCATT and the Cal-ID special funds and as such manages both Special Revenue Funds. Both of these funds hold well over a million dollars and are governed by various government officials as designated by legislation. While the SONCATT Council and Cal-ID’s Remote Access Network (RAN) Board make decisions as to how the special funds are spent, these decisions must be presented to the County Board of Supervisors as recommendations for final approval and fund appropriations. All revenues and expenditures flow through the County’s financial system and are subject to County policies and procedures (procurement and contracting requirements, budgeting and reporting, auditing, and accounting). In addition, the State requires several quarterly and annual reports for both programs.
SONCATT
In 1991, The California State Legislature passed SB 2139, later codified as California Vehicle Code, section 9250.14: Fee: Vehicle Theft Deterrence, Investigation, and Prosecution. This Vehicle Code section established a process to collect money from vehicle registration fees in order to fund programs which enhance the capacity of local police and prosecutors to deter, investigate, and prosecute vehicle theft crimes. Funding is generated from a two-dollar assessment on vehicle license fees and a four-dollar assessment on commercial vehicle license fees. In 1998, the Sonoma County District Attorney and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) established a Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force (SONCATT) as a collaborative multi-agency effort to reduce the incidence of vehicle theft-related crimes in Sonoma County. Funding for the County’s share of costs is allocated from the revenues generated by the vehicle license fees authorized by Section 9250.14 of the Vehicle Code, and adopted by the Board of Supervisors Resolution 92-1040 on June 23, 1992. These fees are to be used only for county-wide auto theft investigation and prosecution.
SONCATT is comprised of participating agencies who will enforce California laws as they relate to vehicle theft in order to reduce the incidences of vehicle theft-relate crimes in Sonoma County. The mission of SONCATT is to address incidents of vehicle theft through investigations, focused prosecutions, proactive enforcement efforts, training, and public awareness. The current membership of SONCATT is: California Highway Patrol, Santa Rosa Police Department, Sonoma County Law Enforcement Chief’s Association, and Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, Probation, and the Sheriff’s Office. SONCATT is governed by a Task Force Council which consists of the heads of all the participating agencies. The Sheriff’s Office recently took on the fiscal and administrative responsibilities for the Task Force and acts as the fiscal agent for the Task Force.
Cal-ID
The Cal-ID Program was established in 1998 when the Board of Supervisors adopted a Resolution authorizing the collection of a $1.00 fee on vehicle registrations to fund fingerprint identification equipment as authorized by SB 720. The funds raised by the fee are to be used exclusively for programs that enhance the capacity of local law enforcement to provide automated mobile and fixed location fingerprint identification. The Remote Access Network (RAN) Board, composed of one member of the Board of Supervisors, the Sheriff, the District Attorney, one Mayor, the Chief of Police of the Largest city, one Chief of Police appointed by the Chief’s Association, and one member at large, is charged with developing procedures necessary to regulate the on-going use and maintenance of equipment purchased through SB 720 funds. The RAN Board makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors annually on the expenditure of these funds. The Sheriff’s Office provides the Programs fiscal and administrative support.
REQUEST
The fiscal and administrative workload associated with these two programs exceeds the capacity of existing Sheriff’s resources. The Sheriff’s inability to appropriately allocate administrative resources not only puts the Sheriff at risk as the fiscal agent for SONCATT and Cal-ID, but it also negatively impacts the Sheriff’s Office and the County organization. Staff is needed to: prepare budget documents, enter information into the County’s systems, prepare projections and financial analysis, submit financial reports to the State, support fiscal audits, prepare and manage requisitions and service agreements, prepare Board items, participate in and provide fiscal and administrative support during Council and RAN Board meetings, and provide general budget and administrative support and legislative review to the two programs throughout the year.
The workload associated with these tasks is estimated to be 20 hours per week. County Human Resources has identified the tasks as appropriate work for the County’s Department Analyst job class. The addition of a .50 FTE Department Analyst will provide sufficient resources to properly administer the SONCATT and Cal-ID programs without pulling resources away from the administration and management of core, mandated Sheriff’s Office services. The proposed addition of .50 FTE Department Analyst will improve cost avoidance by providing an appropriate level of dedicated fiscal and administrative oversight to the two programs the Sheriff has fiscal responsibility for. Both the SONCAT Board and RAN Board have approved the use of their respective fund balances to support this new .5 FTE allocation. The addition will also allow the Office to refocus current staff back to their primary work assignments and better align job duties with the responsibilities designed for their respective allocations.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
6/23/92 - Funding for the County’s share of costs is allocated from the revenues generated by the vehicle license fees authorized by Section 9250.14 of the Vehicle Code was adopted by the Board of Supervisors, Resolution 92-1040
6/2/98 The Board of Supervisors adopted a Resolution authorizing the collection of a $1.00 fee on vehicle registrations to fund fingerprint identification equipment as authorized by SB 720
03/24/20, the Board of Supervisors adopted a Resolution, authorizing the Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Probation Department to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for participation in the Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force through June 30, 2022 (a new multi-year MOU is in progress). This resolution authorized the Sheriff’s Office to act as the fiduciary agent for the Task Force.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 21-22 Adopted |
FY22-23 Projected |
FY 23-24 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$0 |
$90,500 |
$90,500 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$0 |
$90,500 |
$90,500 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
$0 |
$90,500 |
$90,500 |
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$0 |
$90,500 |
$90,500 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The SONCAT/Cal-ID program change request will not impact the County General Fund. If approved, in FY 21-22 the Sheriff’s Office will begin recruitment for the position. Given the lengthy hiring and background process the position will not be filled until FY 22-23. For FY 22-23, the SONCATT and Cal-ID special fund budgets currently include appropriations for staff support and are sufficient to fully fund the one-time and on-going costs associated with the addition of .50 FTE Department Analyst. Use of these special funds do not require any local match or leveraged resources. The 0.5 FTE Department Analyst is estimated to cost $85,500 is FY 22-23. County Interfund charges are estimated to be $5,000. All costs will be paid for with the special revenue funding.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Department Analyst (0826) |
$6,084-$7,397 |
0.5 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Allocation changes add appropriate staff to address workload requirements.
Attachments:
Position Allocation List Amendment Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A