Board preliminarily adopted a ~$1.1M FY 2026-27 budget using a 3% fee assumption of $46.04/acre-foot; revenues are projected flat due to lower pumping after three wet years. WY2025 precipitation was well above average and groundwater levels were above minimum thresholds at all representative monitoring points with available data. Model v2.1 shows ~37,000 AF decline since 1975; 50-year scenarios are next.
The Board approved a contract extension for administrative services through 2027 and adopted a legislative policy platform. Staff provided updates on the Russian River Watershed Resilience Plan, a state pilot due in April 2026 that will guide future climate funding applications. Multiple conservation pilots are showing promising results.
Board reviewed potential governance changes to address quorum challenges, including allowing staff alternates or proxy voting when elected officials cannot attend meetings. Multiple grant-funded projects are making progress, including monitoring well construction, aquifer storage pilots, and recharge studies on fallow vineyard lands. A comprehensive five-year evaluation of Groundwater Sustainability Plan is due to the state by January 2027 to assess progress toward sustainability goals.
