Sometimes a fee is collected to cover the cost of a regulatory function, such as the issuance of a permit or license, and sometimes the fee is imposed in exchange for a desired service such as beach access or County pier admission. Another category of user fees include charges from the County Internal Service Funds to County departments that use the services of the Fund. The largest source of charges for services are the County Enterprise funds, primarily Solid Waste Management, Utility Services, and the County Golf Course. These internal service programs are funded from the budgets of the County departments that utilize them. Some County revenue is raised through regulatory fines and penalties.
Several departments charge fines to promote adherence to regulations.
The County has four other sources of revenue which do not fit into the categories already mentioned. These sources include interest income, miscellaneous revenue, interfund transfers, and fund balances. This income mainly arises from the temporary investment of cash not required for immediate use. For example, property taxes are basically received and collected in a four month period from November through March, but are expended over the entire twelve months of the fiscal year. Interfund transfers arise due to the nature of government financial accounting systems.