HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 05-6837 - Request L.A. Co. Supervisors to audit Sheriff’s Cost Charged to Contract CitiesRESOLUTION NO. 05-6837
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY
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 Sheriffs 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 Sheriffs 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 inter-jurisdictional cooperation has been highlighted
since the September 1 1, 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;
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
Sheriffs 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
Sheriffs 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
RESOLUTION NO. 05-6837
PAGE TWO
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 Sheriffs 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 Sherife 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 DOWNEY DOES
HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of Downey 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 Sheriffs 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 and including time for the affected parties to review and verify such conclusions, as your
Board directed in May of 2004.
RESOLUTION NO. 05-6837
PAGE THREE
SECTION 2 . The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 22nd day of February, 2005 .
ANNEmYm7
ATTEST:
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I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was adopted by the City Council of
the City of Downey at a regular meeting held on the 22nd day of February, 2005, by the following
vote, to wlt:
AYES :
NOES :
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
5 Council Members: Cartozian, Gafin, Perkins, Trejo, Mayor Bayer
0 Council Member: None
0 Council Member: None
0 Council Member: None
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KATHLEEN L. MIDSTOKKE, City Clerk