To: Charles Winfrey, Human Services Committee Chairperson
From: Michelle Estell, RS, MSA, Interim Health Officer
title
RE: Approval to increase Environmental Health license fees
recommendation
BOARD ACTION REQUESTED:
Approval to increase food service license fees.
BACKGROUND:
STFUs (Special Transitory Food Unit - food truck) are a restaurant on wheels. They are allowed to operate in any county in the State of Michigan once they are licensed. Two, paid inspections a year are required. STFUs are required to submit an “intent to serve” to the County they will be operating in and for how many days they will be operating, at a specific location. Every time they relocate to another location, an intent must be submitted. Many times, STFUs ignore this requirement and sanitarians discover them operating, while performing inspections at an event; this causes longer inspections and additional time, usually overtime. The amount of licensed STFUs has increased from 56 in 2022, to 94 in 2023; EH projects adding approximately five to ten more in 2024
DISCUSSION:
EH would like to increase the license fee and enforcement fee for STFUs. Two bills (2023-HEBH-4989 and 2023-SEBS-0506) passed in the House and Senate, September 19, 2023, allowing local health in the State of Michigan, to set their own STFU annual license fees; this flat fee of $160.00 was the same for the entire State previously. In addition to the annual license fee, two paid inspections of $90.00 are also required. The two $90.00 paid inspections still exist in law; currently, there is a proposed bill to have the paid inspection fees to be set by local health, not law; the bill has not yet reached legislature. EH would like to increase and create the following fees: Annual license fee $160.00 increased to $300.00 STFUs found operating without submitting an intent to serve - $80.00 (we currently charge an $80.00 late fee for temporaries for obtaining a license under the five day requirement) These units would not be allowed to operate in Genesee County until the $80.00 fee is paid Increasing these fees will help to cover the wages of the sanitarians that are increased with inspection requests and the overtime spent on enforcement. In addition, this new fee will be comparable with the Mobile Food Service license fee (a license that allows a truck to sell foods prepared in a restaurant and held hot and cold in holding cabinets on the truck). Increased fees would impact budget 2210-626.01 revenue line.
IMPACT ON HUMAN RESOURCES:
There would be no impact on Human Resources.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
This increase in fees will increase our budget.
IMPACT ON FACILITIES:
There would be no impact on facilities.
IMPACT ON TECHNOLOGY:
There would be no impact on technology.
CONFORMITY TO COUNTY PRIORITIES:
The purpose of the Environmental Health Division is to promote a safe environment for the county and to enhance our relationships with community partners across the State of Michigan. Collaboration with other agencies and entities is to create economic growth.
resolution
TO THE HONORABLE CHAIRPERSON AND MEMBERS OF THE GENESEE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
BE IT RESOLVED, by this Board of County Commissioners of Genesee County, Michigan, that the request by the Interim Health Officer to authorize increasing the STFU (special transitory food unit) annual license fee from $160.00 to $300.00, and to establish a penalty fee of $80.00 for not submitting required intent-to-serve paperwork to Environmental Health before operating in Genesee County, is approved (a copy of the memorandum request dated, April 1, 2024, being on file with the official records of the April 17, 2024 meeting of the Human Service Committee of this Board).