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 FY23 Operating Budget for the Office of Consumer Protection is $2,477,443, an increase of $24,106 or 0.98 percent from the FY22 Approved Budget of $2,453,337. Personnel Costs comprise 94.67 percent of the budget for 19 full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 18.00 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 5.33 percent of the FY23 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

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

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

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable). The FY22 estimates reflect funding based on the FY22 approved budget. The FY23 and FY24 figures are performance targets based on the FY23 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY24.

Initiatives

• In December 2021, the OCP celebrated its 50th anniversary and engaged in a week-long program that consisted of consumer education presentations, an anniversary open house, and recognition from the County Executive and members of the County Council.

• OCP has built out the Public Election Fund Liaison function as assigned by the County Executive and has created a useful FAQ for members of the public, media, and candidates to consult on public election fund-related questions.

• OCP received media coverage from NBC-4 for its investigations that uncovered forced arbitration clauses in local auto repair shops' service contracts.

• OCP expanded its language access program, establishing an in-house roster of volunteers that speak five different languages to assist residents and merchants with limited English proficiency.

Program Descriptions

  Consumer Protection

The Consumer Protection program is a law enforcement function established in 1971 responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws to prohibit 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...