Consider and take appropriate action on proposed County fee changes for Fiscal Year 2027 or Calendar Year 2027, including:

Staff Report & Agenda Item Details

<ol id="isPasted" style="list-style-type: upper-alpha;"><li>Section 118.131 of the Texas Local Government Code requires the Commissioners Court to set the fees charged for services provided by the offices of the Sheriff and Constables before October 1 of each year to be effective January 1 of the following year. The Orders setting the fees charged by County law enforcement offices for Calendar Year 2027 are attached as Attachments 2A (Fee Order) and 2B (Fee Schedule) for Commissioners Court approval. The civil fees for Constables are unchanged for Calendar Year 2027 after last being updated in 2026. PBO believes the current fees remain appropriate based on a market analysis performed as part of the FY 2027 budget process. <br><br></li><li>The Planning and Budget Office has worked with the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office and is proposing to increase the fees for out-of-County autopsies, out-of-County external examinations, and chart review with medical opinion by seven percent to reflect higher costs to provide these services. As part of their FY 2027 budget submission, the Office proposed a ten percent increase (outlined in their memo), but analysis from PBO has determined a seven percent increase to be more appropriate given cost growth in FY 2026. More information on these adjustments can be found in the attached memo from the Medical Examiner’s Office. The proposed fee adjustments are included in Attachment 1. The original memo from the Office is included as Attachment 3..<br><br></li><li>Travis County Parks (TC Parks) operates and maintains 33 parks, including seven properties on Lake Travis leased from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). The County is authorized to collect park fees under two Texas laws developed separately for County parks and LCRA/County parks. <br><br>Travis County Parks collect a general use fee for “basic services,” which are, services used by all park visitors, such as restroom and facility maintenance, utilities, landscape maintenance, and law enforcement in all the LCRA/County Parks and in four of the 26 County Parks. An additional fee is collected for “enhanced services,” such as the reservation of pavilions and shelters, use of athletic fields, and camping. Contractually, Travis County Parks is obligated to set aside 15% of fee revenues from LCRA Parks for future capital improvements in LCRA-owned parks.<br><br>The attached information outlines the proposed Travis County Parks fee adjustments for 2027 and contains additional information on the proposed adjustments. The proposed adjustments include consolidation of several fees, elimination of fees that are no longer collected, and slight increases to reflect higher costs of service. The proposed adjustments to the fee schedule are included in Attachment 1 and a fee schedule with additional information is included as Attachment 4.<br><br></li><li>The Facilities Management Department (FMD) is requesting approval to modify and codify the fees related to