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Conduct a noticed public hearing on proposed revisions to FY2026/27 user fee schedules in the Agriculture Department as a result of Assembly Bill 2380 and in the Assessor/Recorder’s Office as a result of Assembly Bill 2224; Adopt resolutions amending Exhibits I and II of the fee schedules in Chapter 11 sections 110.2 and 110.3 of the Solano County Code, respectively, effective January 4, 2027
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Published Notice Required? Yes _X__ No __ _
Public Hearing Required? Yes _X__ No __ _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The County Administrator’s Office recommends that the Board of Supervisors conduct a noticed public hearing on proposed revisions to FY2026/27 user fee schedules in the Agriculture Department as a result of Assembly Bill (AB) 2380 and in the Assessor/Recorder’s Office as a result of AB 2224; and Adopt resolutions amending Exhibits I and II of the fee schedules in Chapter 11 sections 110.2 and 110.3 of the Solano County Code, respectively, effective January 4, 2027.
SUMMARY:
The Agriculture Department and the Assessor/Recorder's Office are proposing revisions to their FY2026/27 user fee schedules to reflect changes authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 2380 and AB 2224, respectively, effective January 1, 2027.
AB 2380 increases the maximum registration fees counties may charge for certain pest control activities and establishes separate fee limits for registrations in a home county and additional counties. The Agriculture Department proposes revisions to its fee schedule to reflect these changes, including the addition of three fees and deletion of one fee that is no longer supported by legislation.
AB 2224 revises statutory recording fees, including increases to the fees for recording the first and additional pages of documents and elimination of certain supplemental fees. The Assessor/Recorder's Office proposes to amend its fee schedule to reflect these statutory changes.
The proposed revisions to the Agriculture Department and Assessor/Recorder's Office fee schedules are included in Attachments B and D, respectively.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The proposed fee revisions are anticipated to increase revenue for both departments. The Agriculture Department estimates additional revenue of approximately $6,625 in FY2026/27, while the Assessor/Recorder’s Office projects approximately $335,000 in additional revenue. The increased revenue will help offset departmental operating costs and improve cost recovery.
Any adjustments to the FY2026/27 Working Budget resulting from the proposed fee revisions will be addressed during the FY2026/27 Midyear budget process.
DISCUSSION:
Agriculture
Assembly Bill (AB) 2380 (Chapter 397, Statutes of 2026), effective January 1, 2027, amends the Food and Agricultural Code to increase the maximum registration fees that counties may establish for pest control businesses, pest control aircraft pilots, pest control advisers, and structural pest control companies. The legislation increases the maximum annual registration fee for pest control businesses to $75 in their home county and $50 in each additional county. The legislation provides counties with greater flexibility to recover the costs associated with processing and administering pest control registrations, subject to the applicable statutory fee limits.
The Agriculture Department proposes revisions to its pest control registration fees to reflect the new statutory limits, including the establishment of separate fees for home-county and additional-county registrations in three categories. The Department also proposes to eliminate one fee that is no longer authorized by statute. The proposed revisions are intended to improve cost recovery for registration services.
The resolution for adopting the revised fee exhibit is included in Attachment A. The proposed fee revisions (Exhibit I) are included in Attachment B.
Assessor/Recorder’s Office
County recorder offices statewide have experienced rising operational costs while recording fees have remained unchanged since 2011, contributing to declining cost recovery. AB 2224 establishes a simplified fee structure for consumers and supports the financial sustainability of county recording operations while requiring counties to offer digital recording services. Revenues from the increased fees will better support actual operational costs and help offset declining recording activity due to a soft real estate market. In addition, AB 2224 restricts the use of revenues collected under the applicable recording fee provisions to authorized Recorder’s Office purposes.
The Assessor/Recorder’s Office proposes increasing five fees, including one fee that will be divided into two separate fees, resulting in one additional fee, in Exhibit II of Chapter 11, section 110.3 of the Solano County Code to increase cost recovery for departmental costs and lessen the impact on the General Fund. Four fees are proposed for deletion. The fee increases range from $1 to $5 per fee as permitted under AB 2224. The Assessor/Recorder’s Office projects an increase of approximately $335,000 in fee revenue to help offset operational costs in FY2026/27.
The resolution for adopting the revised fee exhibit is included in Attachment C. The proposed fee revisions (Exhibit II) are included in Attachment D.
AB 2224 requires county recorders collecting the revised fees under Government Code section 27361 to implement an electronic recording delivery system by January 1, 2028. The Assessor/Recorder’s Office is in the process of implementing this requirement.
A notice of the public hearing was published twice in the Daily Republic, the Vacaville Reporter, and the Vallejo Times Herald on October 21, 2026, and October 28, 2026, and notification was sent to individuals who have requested notification of such hearings in compliance with State law.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose to adopt fees below the maximum amounts authorized by applicable law where permitted; however, this is not recommended because doing so would reduce revenues available to offset County costs. Fee changes mandated by legislation must be implemented to be compliant with State law.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Agriculture Department and the Assessor/Recorder’s Office contributed to this item.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION