Catch up on the latest GSA board meeting recaps anytime—at home, on the road, or on your tractor.
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EKI identified calibration weaknesses in the Tulare Lake groundwater model and will await its 2026 update. Staff said overdue GEARS reports from either reporting period face 25% monthly penalties beginning February 1, 2027. Staff plans to seek a county bridge loan pending Prop 218 revenue and bring budgets to the next board meeting. A Prop 26 extraction fee would follow a separate agenda process; no fee or loan was approved. The November and December meetings are planned to be combined on a date to be determined.
The board approved SGMA fee corrections for disputed parcel boundaries, classifications, water providers or calculations. Requests are due April 30 of the fee year; staff has up to 30 days to seek more information and reviews complete requests within 30 days. Fee payers may appeal to the board. The board also set a $50 minimum for direct bills to non-taxable properties, authorized work on a remaining budget adjustment and approved a Davids Engineering agreement for potential SGMA support.
State officials intend to make $10 million in budgeted grant funds available for MAGSA’s expansion project; an agreement amendment is still planned, and lower financing costs are possible, not assured. The board approved the form of a W.M. Lyles construction contract and authorized its execution, with two members recused. It also set a November 4 hearing on a proposed Resolution of Necessity for project easements.
The Executive Committee opposed adding DWR and Riverside County LAFCO meetings as standing compensable events and did not support adding a ticketed Desert Hot Springs wellness retreat. The October 20 board agenda includes an already-budgeted Environmental Compliance Coordinator position that must be added to the salary chart before it is filled, plus a proposed sale of part of a Whitewater Mutual easement.
The board approved Resolution 046: FY28 fees use estimated pumping, while 2027 meter data inform FY29 fees. Unmetered pumping after January 1, 2027 faces FY29 fees based on estimated pumping and the highest crop factor. Meters bought after October 14 must have encoder output. Owners must read meters monthly and report quarterly until AMI data is verified. The tampering fee rises from $180 to $300 and covers pulse settings.
