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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda Bill 05.A 01/06/2003a JAN � 2003 CITY OF "PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA AGIENDA BILL Ay*nda,Title Meetine Date: Resolution Approving the Reduction of Police Department Fees 1/6/03 Associated with Courtesy Accident Reports and Courtesy Towing Administration. Department Director Contact Pers n: Phone Number Police mas Simm Steve Hood ` 778 -4530 Cost of Proposal Account Number $0 N/A Name of Fund: Amount Budgeted N/A $0 Attachments to Agenda Packet Item -� 1. Council Resolution 2. 'Courtesy Accident Report Summary 3. Courtesy Tow Administration Summary Summary Statement `.On 7/15/02, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2002 -114. This resolution authorized a variety of fees city wide, including several involving the Police Department. The Police Department has had the opportunity to further study these fees and requests modification of two fees. Courtesy Tow Administration fees should be abolished. Courtesy Accident Report fees should be reduced from $80 to $20. Council Priority THIS AGENDA ITEM IS CONSIDERED TO BE PART OF, OR NECESSARY TO, ONE OR MORE OF THE 1999 -2000 PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED BY THE CITY COUNCIL ON J ANUARY 30, 1999 AND MARCH 18; 2000. Priority(s): N/A Recommended City Council Action/S'fitgested Motion The Police Department' recommends the City - Council approve the reduction in these two fees, and authorize the,Police Department to administer the lesser amount. Reviewed by Finance Director: Reviewed by City Attorney Date: A pr ov d by City Manage Date: M, , 'Today's Date Revision # and Date Revised: File Code: # 12/4/02 H:council /AB Fee Reduction G .I CITY OF PE TALUMA, CALIFORNIA • JANUARY 6, 2003 AGE'NDA FOR Resolution Approving g 'the. Reduction of Police Department Fees Associated with Courtesy Accident Reports and Courtesy 'Towing Administration. E XECUTIVE SUMMARY On 7/15/02, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2002 -114. This resolution authorized a variety � of fees city wide, including several involving the Police Department. The Police Department has had the opportunity to further study these fees and requests modification of two fees. Courtesy Tow Administration fees should be abolished. Courtesy Accident Report fees should be reduced from $80 to $20. 2. BACKGROUND • On January 11, 2002, Revenue and Cost Specialists LLC completed a Cost of Services Study for the City of Petaluma. This study was intended to provide effective policy and management control of all City services. The Report indicated the City was subsidizing a number of City services and attempted to determine the true "cost" of these services. The Report indicated many of these services could be more equitably supported by fees, rather than general taxes. Several services were identified within the Police Department that could support new fees, or an increase'in existing fees. Two services, Courtesy Towing, Administration and Courtesy Accident Reports were identified as subsidized services and assigned new or increased fees. These fees were adopted in Resolution No. 2002 -114 on 7/15/02, and became effective on 9/15/02. Courtesy Tow Administration requires the Police Department -to charge the towing company $15 anytime a police officer identifies a stranded /disabled motorist and requests a local tow. There is currently no fee for this service. Implementation of this fee would require substantial negotiation with tow vendors, and involve considerable staff time to process the fee, hold fee hearings, and return some contested fees. The Police Department requests to have this fee abolished. • Courtesy Accident Reports require the Police Department to charge $80 for police traffic collision reports that are not required by law, such as private property collisions and collisions with under MO damage. The Department currently charges $10 for all traffic • collision. reports. Implementation. of this fee would ;require considerable staff time to evaluate each traffic collision-,report individually, by hand, to ensure compliance and to segregate them. for proper billing with no guarantee any of these reports will be requested. The Police Department requests the cost of all traffic collisions be set at $20 per report. ALTERNATIVES: The preferred alternative is to abolish the Courtesy Tow Administration fee and modify the Traffic Collision Report fee to $20. 2. Reject the fee reductions and leave the .fees gas adopted. 3. Reconvene Police. Department, Staff to further evaluate and recommend modified fees for these two services. 4. r+INANCIAL IMPACTS 'The financial impact -of these "two modifications is negligible. Abolishment of the Courtesy Tow: Administration Fee is estimated` to result in a revenue loss of $1,500. Estimates of staff time to implement this fee exceed the revenue The financial 'impact of a modification of the Courtesy Accident Report fee to ; a single Traffic. Collision Report fee of $20 is difficult to-quantify. It is anticipated that most..of the $80 reports williiot'be.requested for purchase although they will have been completed, so the increase from ;$10 to $20 for all traffic .reports is .likely to offset the anticipated revenue from the small number of Courtesy Accident Reports actually ,purchased. 5. CONCLUSION Courtesy AccidentReport and Courtesy Tow Administration fees bring very ,little revenue to the City and require an equal or greater amount of staff time to implement. OUTCOMES OR PERFORMANCE MEASUREVIEN:TS THAT WILL IDENTIFY SUCCESS OR COMPLETION! The expected outcome is: an increase in Traffic Collision Report fees to'$20 per - report, and a reduction.in staff time to process these requests. RECOMMENDATION It:is recommended the City Council.eliminatethe Courtesy Tow Administration fee acid • Courtesy Accident Report fee, and modify all Traffic Collision Report fees to. $20. RESOLUTION APPROVING THE REDUCTION OF POLICE DEPARTMENT FEES ASSOCIATED WITH COURTESY ACCIDENT REPORTS AND COURTESY TOWING ADMINISTRATION WHEREAS, the Police Department identified a need to reduce fees associated with two services, and WHEREAS, the reduction in fees is offset by a saving in staff time, and WHEREAS, staff developed a modified fee schedule to supplement the reduction, and WHEREAS, after staff 'review, staff is recommending the elimination of the Courtesy Towing Administration fee of $15, and WHEREAS, staff is recommending a consolidation of the.Traffic Collision .0 Report fee of $10 and Courtesy Accident Report fee of $80 into a single Traffic Collision Report fee of $20; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby authorizes the elimination of the Courtesy Towing Administration fee of $15, elimination of the Courtesy Accident Report fee of $80, and implementation of a Traffic Collision Report fee of $20. 0 �a • 9 0 CITY OF PETALUIMA, CALIFORNIA REVENUE AND COST SUMMARY WORKSHEET FISCAL YEAR 2001 -2002 SERVICE REFERENCE NO. :COURTESY ACCIDENT REPORT S -04300 PRIMARY'DEPARTMENT UNIT OF SERVICE SERVICE RECIPIENT POLICE REPORT DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE To prepare an accident report at the request of one of the parties for insurance purposes when there is no legal or public safety reason to prepare the report. CURRENT FEE STRUCTURE None REVENUE AND COST COMPARISON UNIT REVENUE: $0.00 TOTAL REVENUE: $0 UNIT COST:' $79.18 TOTAL COST: $59,385 UNIT PROFIT (SUBSIDY): .. $(79.18) TOTAL PROFIT (SUBSIDY): $(59,385) ' TOTAL UNITS: 750 PCT. COST RECOVERY: 0.00% SUGGESTED FEE'FOR COST RECOVERY OF: 100°/. $80 A -120 January 4, 2002 p CITY OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA COST DETAIL WORKSHEET FISCAL YEAR .2001. -2002 ;7 • • January 3, zuue REFERENCE NO. SERVICE. COURTESY ACCIDE1 T REPORT S -04300 NOTE TOTAL!UNITS Unit Costs are an Average of Total Units 750 DEPARTMENT POSITION TYPE UNIT TIME UNIT COST ANN: UNITS TOTAL CO Police - Patrol POLICE SERGEANT 0.25 $21.69 750 $16,268 Polic.L- Traffic Safety COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER 1.25 $57.49 750 $43,118 TYPE SUBTOTAL 1.50 $79.18 $58,385 TOTALS 1.50 $79.18 •$59 ;7 • • January 3, zuue CITY OF PETALU.MA, CALIFORNIA REVENUE, AND COST SUMMARY WORKSHEET FISCAL YEAR 2001-2002 REFERENCE NO. SERVICE COURTESY TOWING ADMINISTRATION S -04200 PRIMARY DEPARTMENT UNIT OF SERVICE SERVICE RECIPIENT POLICE TOW 'DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE To call for a tow at the request of a stranded . motorist. CURRENT FEE STRUCTURE $1'6 (charged to towing company) UNIT REVENUE: $15.00 TOTAL REVENUE: $1,500 UNIT COST: $21.79 TOTAL COST: $2,179 UNIT PROFIT (SUBSIDY): $(6.79) TOTAL PROFIT (SUBSIDY): $(679) TOTAL UNITS: 100 PCT. COST RECOVERY: 88.84% JGGESTED FEE FOR COST RECOVERY OF: 100% $20 (charged to.towing company) _ Innuary 4.2002 A - 118 CITY OF PETALUMA,, CALIFORNIA COST DETAIL WORKSHEET FISCAL YEAR 2001 -2002 • REFERENCE NO;, SERVICE. COURTIESYTOWING ADMINISTRATION S-04200 . NOTE TOTAL UNITS Unit Costs are an,Average:offotal Units 100, -DEPARTMENT POSITION TYPE UNIT _ TIME UNMCOST ANN. UMITS TOT CO Police-patrol POLICE OFFICER 0.17 $12.09 - 10 0 $11,209 -Police- Communications PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER 0.17 .$9.70 '160 $970 TYPE SUBTOTAL 0.34 $lug $2,179 TOTALS 0.34 $2119 $2,179 . A- 119 January 3, 2002