The Budget & Finance Committee recommended the FY 2027 budget to the board and received February financial reports. Staff projected higher fees across all sub-basins as some work formerly supported by grants shifts toward regulatory fees, but no rates were adopted. Members asked staff to test whether estimated current-year savings of $475,000 could ease tier 1 fees while building reserves. Staff plans to seek board adoption of fees in June.
DWR sought more info on the 180/400 GSP Evaluation/Amendment 1; staff outlined approve/incomplete/inadequate/State Board outcomes. SVOM baseline projects continued declines and 2040 undesirable results in 180/400, Eastside, and Langley. Board approved FY27 Work Plan; budget/fees discussed, back in April; IIS decision targeted Nov 2026. Meeting adjourned early due to quorum concerns; remaining items continued to April.
The Budget & Finance Committee unanimously accepted the FY 2027 Work Plan report ahead of Board consideration and approved its February minutes. Staff proposed allocating some strategy and demand-management costs by sub-basin. As most grant funding ends, the draft budget shifts some costs to regulatory fees. Projected total domestic-connection fees could roughly double in Langley and more than triple in Monterey; budget and fee approvals remain pending.
Modeling presented to the 180/400-Ft and East Side committees showed that ending all agricultural pumping valley-wide would not meet the 2040 seawater intrusion threshold. Staff discussed injection and extraction; no project was selected. DWR sought information on projects, schedules, demand management, groundwater storage and water quality by April 30. Staff warned that deeper pumping could worsen groundwater-level problems.
The committee approved its October 2025 minutes and discussed the Forebay GSP evaluation and amendment due January 2027, with a 90-day amendment notice planned for September 2026. SVBGSA expects draft-budget review in March and approval in April; fee approval may be considered in May or June. Members discussed a possible April coordination meeting, and staff proposed amending the 2021 coordination agreement section by section.
