CC RES 2005-020RESOLUTION NO. 2005-20
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
RANCHO PALOS VERDES REQUESTING THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY BOARD
OF SUPERVISORS TO UNDERTAKE A FAIR AND NON - ARBITRARY AUDIT OF
SHERIFF'S COSTS CHARGED TO THE TAXPAYERS OF THE CONTRACT CITIES.
WHEREAS, the contract cities of Los Angeles County provide significant support
to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department through the reimbursement of
additional costs incurred by the Sheriff in providing extra services to the residents of
contract cities; and
WHEREAS, the County, through the Board of Supervisors, has established a
policy concerning which of the Sheriff's services will be provided on a county -wide basis
and thus are not legally chargeable to the contract cities and has implemented a cost
model designed to determine the amount of the costs appropriately charged to the
contract cities; and
WHEREAS, the provision of specified public safety services on a county -wide
basis for both contract and independent cities promotes a coordinated and seamless
approach to public safety; and
WHEREAS, the importance of interjursidictional cooperation has been
highlighted since the September 11, 2001 attacks; and
WHEREAS, should the Board adopt the Auditor - Controller's recommendations
which could lead to a reduction in current county -wide public safety services; and
WHEREAS, any such reduction in county -wide public safety services should be
subject to careful and deliberative debate and consideration and not considered hastily;
and
WHEREAS, the Auditor - Controller of the County of Los Angeles has for decades
annually reviewed those rates that are properly charged to the contract cities; and
WHEREAS, the Auditor - Controller has not undertaken a complete audit of all
areas of Sheriff's costs but rather has confined his audit to those areas which he
considered most likely to result in increases in charges to contract cities in accordance
with his predetermined goal; and
WHEREAS, the Auditor- Controller has undertaken to date only a partial review of
Sheriff's Department costs and the various interim reports show numerous revisions
and changes in approach; and
WHEREAS, the Auditor - Controller's approach to date has provided the
appearance of bias and has resulted in a loss of confidence in the process by many
contract cities and their residents; and
WHEREAS, the Auditor - Controller is rushing its selective audit in order to attempt
to propose changes for the 2005 -2006 fiscal year, we believe a complete and careful
review including areas where contract cities have been potentially overcharged for
Sheriff's services, should at least require 18 -24 months; and
WHEREAS, after the Auditor - Controller completes his present work, fairness
dictates that the contract cities be provided a reasonable opportunity to review and
comment on that work, but if the audit is only partial and if the contract cities do not
have a reasonable opportunity to review and verify the findings and recommendations
of the Auditor - Controller study, those results will be contested through litigation if they
result in questionable cost allocations, thereby increasing County and municipal legal
expenses at a time when revenues are strained for all local governments; and
WHEREAS, contract cities earnestly seek to prevent city- county conflict over
Sheriff cost allocations through negotiation; and
WHEREAS, the contract cities fully support the annual review of contract cost
under existing policies but are opposed to a drastic change in current procedures,
methodology and policy; and
WHEREAS, the current partial audit results (not including any changes in the
cost of county -wide services), combined with other potential increases in Sheriff
department costs which are properly billable to contract cities, may result in a double
digit percentage increase; and
WHEREAS, a significant increase in the cost of Sheriff services due to an
incomplete and rushed audit and /or a change in underlying County policy regarding the
scope of county -wide services will result in cities either contracting with other police
agencies or reducing their contract level of services with the Sheriff; and
WHEREAS, a reduction in public safety services provided to the residents of
contract cities by the Sheriff will result in a corresponding reduction in revenue to the
County with the result being a probable decrease in total revenue to the County and a
reduction in public safety services to the citizens of the County; and
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes does
hereby request that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors direct the Auditor -
Controller to undertake a complete and thorough review, not a partial, selective and
rushed audit of all aspects of costs and expenses relating to the Sheriff's delivery of
services to contract cities, including areas of potential current overcharging, and also
address the unintended consequences of reduced public safety services to all of Los
Angeles County residents with due deliberation and consultation with all affected parties
Resolution No. 2005 -20
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and including time for the affected parties to review and verify such conclusions, as your
Board directed in May of 2004.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 1ST DAY OF MARCH, 2005.
Attest::
Citytlerk
State of California )
County of Los Angeles )ss
City of Rancho Palos Verdes )
I, Carolynn Petru, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the
above Resolution No. 2005 -20 was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said
City Council at a regular meeting held on March 1, 2005.
Resolution No. 2005 -20
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