The Board officially adopted the Paso Robles Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan dated June 13, 2022, fulfilling a remaining requirement tied to its GSA role. They committed $90,000 to help fund the JPA through June, leaving about $100,000 after payment, and requested budget milestones by January 7. The Board supported planning a joint education workshop with Shandon-San Juan, potentially in February.
The board approved major changes to the Miller fallowing program, extending the look-back period from 2 to 5 years and eliminating future deadlines for returning land to production. Zach Merkel was appointed to fill a vacant director position through 2027, while the board explored contracting for treasurer duties due to the significant time commitment. Public comments raised concerns that core Groundwater Sustainability Plan components remain unimplemented years later, questioning whether basin-wide management is appropriate given localized groundwater issues.
A longtime board member resigned and proposed major reforms to the joint powers authority agreement, including unanimous voting requirements and revised funding structures. The authority faces a critical funding deadline of June 2025 with no permanent solution in place, requiring continued direct funding from member agencies. The water district must formally adopt its groundwater sustainability plan by December after discovering it was never officially adopted despite years of operation as...
The groundwater agency is facing a severe financial crisis while voting to pay their share of emergency funding to keep the joint powers authority operational through January. Board members are seriously considering withdrawing from the JPA due to governance issues, particularly the voting structure that allows other agencies to commit them to expenses without their consent. Operations have been scaled back to essential functions only, with expensive consulting contracts suspended until a...
