Sonoma County poised to raise fees on airport parking, camping and other services

Sonoma County supervisors today are poised to raise fees for a broad range of government services, including airport parking, memberships for regional parks and building inspections for new development, while backing off a more controversial set of fee proposals for farmers market vendors and food trucks.

The majority of the increases range from 3 to 6 percent. Camping fees during the peak summer season at Spring Lake Regional Park would increase by 9 percent. Short-term parking fees at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport would go up 11 percent, to $14 a day, with long-term rates set to increase by 16 percent, to $10 a day. The cost for picking up a lost or stolen animal at the county animal shelter would more than double, for a total of $120.

County officials said the slate of fee hikes before the Board of Supervisors today is expected to raise $7.8 million next fiscal year and is aimed at helping departments cover increases in expenses, including a rise in county employee salaries and benefits.

“It’s just the cost of doing business,” said Christina Rivera, the county’s budget manager. “The fees also help prevent us from reducing services.”

Parks memberships for seniors are rising by 26 percent, to $49 per year, while memberships for the disabled are set to rise by 26 percent, to ?$29. Rates were last increased in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

A number of new fees are also slated for approval, including $275 for county assistance in capturing an escaped farm animal, $152 for fire re-inspection services and up to $99 per night to rent out newly planned micro-cabins for camping at Spring Lake.

The Board of Supervisors last week shelved a contentious initiative to raise permitting and inspection fees for farmers markets, food trucks and other artisan vendors who produce packaged foods such as jams and mustards.

County health officials initially proposed doubling fees for farmers market booths to $507. Food truck operators would have seen charges rise 120 to 170 percent, topping out at $1,183, and cottage food producers would have seen fees grow 50 to 150 percent, to a maximum of $507. Officials delayed their plan to hike fees after an online petition circulated by Petaluma Grange workers netted more than ?300 signatures in two days.

Organizers argued that the fee increases would have disproportionately affected small-scale food producers in Sonoma County and threatened their business.

“We’re hearing this is to cover staffing, but it could really damage smaller farmers markets,” said Tiffany Renee, a former Petaluma councilwoman and president of the Petaluma Grange, speaking on behalf of petition organizers. “Unfortunately our county officials are still of the mind that the fees need to be increased, and we don’t feel it’s appropriate. In fact, we’d argue they need to be subsidized because they’re already too high.”

Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Susan Gorin said the item was put off to gather more public input.

“We’re asking for more information about what the fees would cover, since it is such a significant increase,” Gorin said. “We want to be sure we are promoting locally grown food and easier access to healthy food for our community, so we asked for more time to figure this out.”

Gorin said supervisors will take up the issue again in June.

Rivera, the county budget manager, attributed the fee increases, in part, to a 2 percent pay increase for county employees, rising contributions to employee health retirement accounts, new computers and financial software upgrades. Officials are also proposing fee increases after re-evaluating the amount of staff time spent on their programs, such as code enforcement and parks maintenance.

“Departments can use their fees to recover some of those costs,” Rivera said.

The largest share of revenue expected from the increases - $6.5 million - would come from fees assessed at the state and federal level. Revenue is used to administer local programs, including prison realignment, psychiatric treatment and Medi-Cal, the state’s low-income health program.

If approved, new and existing fire inspection fees would generate roughly $230,000 annually. Permit and Resource Management Development fee increases would generate $342,000 per year and parks fees would bring in more than $36,000. The new fees would go into effect July 1.

Reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.

Editor’s note: The Regional Parks membership for disabled visitors is set to rise by 26 percent to $29. A previous version of this story included an incorrect figure, citing a county report that contained inaccurate information.