The board cut roughly $650,000 from the proposed budget. Most model-improvement studies (items 2.2–2.7) were removed, the $150,000 historical land-use update (LandIQ) was deferred to next fiscal year, and telemetry installation ($78,400) was eliminated. The only model-improvement item retained is incorporating the existing Santa Barbara Canyon fault findings into the model (~$62,000, fully funded this year). A $100,000 adjudication contingency was kept but cannot be spent unless the board approves it by a 75% supermajority vote. The FY 26-27 pumping fee will be set at a July public hearing; staff's cash-flow example showed $17/AF could work under assumptions, but staff warned that as basin-wide pumping declines, fees per acre-foot will likely rise significantly (potentially ~$50+/AF) in future years.
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