HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 2005-13RES
UTION NO.3
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
REQUESTING T E LOS ANGELES COUNTY
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
TO UNDERTAKE A FAIR AND NON -ARBITRARY AUDIT
OF SHERIFF'S COSTE 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 Sherif 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 sp cified public safety services on a county -wide
basis for both contract and independe t cities promotes a coordinated and seamless
approach to public safety; and
WHEREAS, the importance
highlighted since the September 11, 2
WHEREAS, should the Board
which could lead to a reduction in carr
interjursidictional cooperation has been
attacks; and
opt the Auditor -Controller's recommendations
county -wide public safety services;
WHEREAS, any such reduction i county -wide public safety services should be
subject to careful and deliberative debat and consideration and not considered hastily;
and
WHEREAS, the Auditor-Controlfer 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-Controfler 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 increa es in charges to contract cities in accordance
with his predetermined goal; and
WHEREAS, the Auditor -Controller
Sheriff's Department costs and the varic
and changes in approach; and
undertaken to date only a partial review of
interim reports show numerous revisions
2005•-13
WHEREAS, the Auditor -Cont oiler's approach to date has provided the
appearance of bias and has resulted n a loss of confidence in the process by many
contract cities and their residents; and
WHEREAS, the Auditor-Controfl r is rushing its selective audit in order to attempt
to propose changes for the 2006-2006 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,hereby increasing County and municipal legal
expenses at a time when revenues ares rained for all local governments; and
WHEREAS, contract cities earnestly seek to prevent city -county conflict over
Sheriff cost allocations through negotiate n; and
WHEREAS, the contract citiesfu fy support the annual review of contract cost
under existing policies but are oppose 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 Count
Policy
scope of county -wide services will result in cities either contracting h
with regarding otherpolice
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 Diamond Bar does hereby
request that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors direct the Auditor -Controller
to undertake a complete and thorough rev ew, 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 and
including time for the affected parties to review and verify such conclusions, as your
Board directed in May of 2004.
2005--I3
ADOPTED AND APPROVED 'HISS DAY OF MARCH, 2005.
Mayor Wen Chang
1�
1, Linda C. Lowry, City Cleric of the City of Diamond Bar, California do hereby certify that
the foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the City
Council of the City of Diamond Bar, Ca ifornia, at its regular meeting held on the
1 day of hasch , 2005, by the following vote:
ES: COUNCIL MEMB RS: e3-rera, Z -i bes r iM T/O' Cormor s,
H/Cham
NOES: COUNCIL MEMB RS:�one
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBE S: ozone
ABSTAINED: COUNCIL MEMBE S: Nene
LINIJA C. LOWRY, CITY'�RK
C! OF DIAMOND BAR
9
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