The board approved moving forward with a Proposition 218 land-based assessment instead of water extraction rate studies. This assessment would range from $6-19 per acre annually to cover costs like plan updates, mitigation, and loan repayments, with the ability to adjust rates down to zero once debts are paid off.
The board approved the groundwater allocation for 2026 at 0.82 acre-feet per acre for native allocation plus 0.72 acre-feet per acre precipitation offset, totaling 1.54 acre-feet per acre. This maintains the current 100% overdraft avoidance policy with $500 per acre-foot penalties for violations and one-for-one mitigation requirements.
The agency faces significant revenue shortfalls with only $5.5 million collected against a $6 million target, as few landowners are exceeding allocations or purchasing mitigation water. The board acknowledged their "biggest hole is revenues" and approved exploring multiple funding options including assessments and transfer fees.
4. Unpaid Fees to Go Directly to County Tax Roll The board approved placing all unpaid fees on the county tax assessment roll rather than using liens, which has proven more efficient for collection.
5. Four Landowner Variance Requests Approved The board granted variances to landowners who exceeded allocations due to timing issues with transfers and administrative delays.
6. Flying Dragon Water Recharge Project Spending $89,683 was spent on the Flying Dragon recharge project for planning and development work.
7. Plan Update Costs Exceeded Budget The agency spent approximately $1.8 million on plan updates, significantly over the original $250,000 budget.
8. Assessment Delinquencies Updated Assessments due dropped from $37,000 to $13,000 after receiving the fifth payment from the county.
9. Transfer Fee Options Under Consideration The board discussed potential fees on water transfers between entities, though no formal action was taken.
10. Closed Session on Legal Matters The board entered closed session to discuss potential litigation and water purchase negotiations.
To engage with the East Kaweah GSA or provide comments, contact the agency at 315 E. Lindmore Street, Lindsay, CA 93247, call (559) 562-2534, or visit www.ekgsa.org. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for October 27, 2025, at 3:00 p.m.
