The Environmental Health division is requesting to make some adjustments to the current applicable fee schedules. Most fees have been increased by approximately 2% to fund the COLA approved by the Board of Health for 2022. This represents a $5 to $15 increase in most fees. Late fees were not adjusted and remain at $317. Other specific changes include:

Food Safety

• Food Safety fees will take effect 11/9/22 in order to capture the largest billing cycle of the year for permits expiring 12/31/22.
• Add vending machines to the lowest level fee for plan reviews.
• Increase HACCP fees by $400. A cost analysis in 2021 showed that staff were spending significantly more time on these reviews than the fee was covering. It was proposed at that time to incrementally increase this fee annually to bridge the gap to cost recovery. In 2021, the fee was increased from $395 to $1,00 and this year staff propose to increase to $2,000. The cost for District staff to perform one of these reviews is around $8,000 and the average number of reviews per year is around five to eight.
• Clarify language around recurring temporary events.
• Copy Health Officer's order fees to the miscellaneous section so that it applies to all closures.

Land Use

• Effective 1/1/23.
• Report submittal fees increased by more than 2% but these fees were not raised in 2022.

Safe Environments

• Effective 1/1/23.
• Copy Health Officer's order fees to the miscellaneous section so that it applies to all closures.
• Added a no-cost Site Review fee to School Plan Review.

Solid Waste

• Effective 1/1/23.
• Copy Health Officer's order fees to the miscellaneous section so that it applies to all closures.

Vital Records

• Most of these fees are set by the State and will not be adjusted.
• Increase EDRS fee from $10 to $15. This is a fee that is charged to funeral homes to review their records in EDRS.
• Increase the Vital Records data-sharing annual fee.

Environmental Health is currently undergoing a cost of service study to determine if fees are currently covering our actual cost of service. Very preliminary data was utilized to inform some of these increases; however, data is not finalized enough to utilize more comprehensively. Information gathered from the report will be utilized for future fee adjustments.

These changes are currently included in the 2023 Preliminary Budget.

Consistent with Resolution 19-20 and the revised Division of Responsibilities (10/8/19), the Board of Health has authority over the Health District budget.

MOVE TO adopt Resolution 22-28 approving the proposed Environmental Health fee schedule as shown in Exhibit A.