Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) is to enforce consumer protection laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business acts or practices to ensure a fair marketplace for consumers and businesses. Activities include complaint resolution, business registration, law enforcement, education, legislation, advocacy, and outreach to vulnerable consumers.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Office of Consumer Protection is $3,294,480, an increase of $97,005 or 3.03 percent from the FY26 Approved Budget of $3,197,475. Personnel Costs comprise 96.79 percent of the budget for 21 full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 20.00 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 3.21 percent of the FY27 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• Effective, Sustainable Government
• A Growing Economy
• Thriving Youth and Families

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable). The FY26 estimates reflect funding based on the FY26 approved budget. The FY27 and FY28 figures are performance targets based on the FY27 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY28.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Established community forums to gather consumer feedback and inform the development of educational initiatives, public-facing campaigns, and future policy decisions.

• Reestablished the volunteer program to strengthen community involvement and expand support services for consumers.

• Revamped OCP's website to modernize, streamline, and improve access to educational and outreach materials.

• Developed a video production process for OCP's YouTube channel, delivering regular content through short-form videos and other educational formats.

• Expanded podcast production by increasing episode frequency to a monthly release schedule and introducing filmed video segments that are also published on YouTube.

Program Descriptions

  Consumer Protection

The Consumer Protection program is a law enforcement function established in 1971 responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business acts to ensure fairness and integrity in the marketplace for consumers and businesses. The program is responsible for receiving, investigating, and resolving complaints; educating consumers and...