Groundwater sustainability fees were approved for FY 2026-27 placement on the county secured property tax roll, with earliest collections potentially in October but most likely in December and April. The Fallowed Land Registry has surpassed 4,000 enrolled acres, with discussion of a potential 8,000+. The Board approved staff recommendations on a refund path available for landowners still documenting their water source within one year.
The board approved a $22.90/AF FY 2026-27 groundwater sustainability fee (Resolution 2026-001) for collection on the county tax roll; the vote was 4-0 (unanimous). Appeals of LandIQ consumptive-use data are due June 8; staff plans to return in June with appeal recommendations. A Fallowed Land Registry demo was presented; a virtual training is set for June 3.
A groundwater extraction fee of ~$22.28 per acre-foot is moving toward potential adoption for FY 2026-2027. The fee report must be published by May 7, and adoption could be considered at the May 27 meeting. The fee methodology now uses a water year (Oct–Sep) and charges only on ET of applied water, with a 5% appeals allowance built in. Staff also reported strong early enrollment in the newly launched fallowed land registry, which offers growers key protections.
A $1.095M bare-minimum compliance budget was unanimously approved for FY 2026-2027. The board gave consensus direction to develop a Prop 26 volumetric fee ($20–$30/AF) using 2025 LandIQ ag ET data, aiming for a May 27 public meeting/adoption timeline. The WY2025 Annual Report was approved; three Alpamar wells remain below minimum thresholds two+ years, and LandIQ lowered estimated ag extraction by ~15,000 AF.
The board unanimously directed staff to pursue a Proposition 26 funding approach for the FY 2026-27 budget after the prior Prop 218 assessment failed, which would allow fees to be set annually without a landowner protest process. The agency is targeting a bare-bones compliance budget, and staff was directed to develop informal mechanisms such as public workshops for regular stakeholder feedback.
