TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director of Planning, Building and Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Jamison Crosby, Natural Resources Conservation Manager
SUBJECT: Approval of Amendment No. 1 to Joint Powers Agreement 230100B with the Napa County Resource Conservation District
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve and authorize Amendment No. 1 to Joint Powers Agreement No. 230100B with the Napa County Resource Conservation District (RCD) for a maximum of $595,000 per fiscal year through June 30, 2025, for continued support related to watershed health, forest health, wildfire resilience, climate action and sustainability. (Fiscal Impact: $595,000 Expense; General Fund and GSA Special Revenue Fund; Budgeted; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
The Conservation Division and Natural Resources Division within the Department of Planning, Building and Environmental Services (PBES) are charged with carrying out various long term natural resource management and protection actions including: groundwater sustainability, watershed monitoring, natural resource inventory and assessment, vineyard erosion control, forest health and wildfire preparedness, climate action and sustainability and community outreach and engagement around all these efforts. As a partner agency of the County, RCD shares many of the same resource management and protection goals and is an ideal collaborator to achieve them.
Public agencies independently having the power to engage in services within their respective jurisdictions are permitted by the Joint Exercise of Powers Act (Government Code section 6500 et seq.) to provide, by a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), services for the mutual benefit of both agencies. To that end, the County and the RCD have been engaged in developing and implementing JPAs for many decades with great success. The proposed JPA Amendment supports the conservation and natural resource objectives of the County as well as the mission of the RCD.
The Director of PBES requests approval of Amendment No. 1 to the existing JPA Agreement No. 230100B to continue the longstanding relationship with RCD for continued support of a number of resource management and protection initiatives. Specific tasks which will be accomplished under this Amendment in approximate order of contract value include:
1. Stream monitoring to support implementation of the recently adopted Interconnected Surface Water/Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (ISW/GDEs) Workplan including Stream Watch, biological assessments and channel topographic surveys;
2. Support for the Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency including participation in Technical Advisory Group meetings and field data collection related to GDEs;
3. Performing irrigation system evaluations for growers and assisting with improvements in on-farm water efficiency and applications for financial assistance (e.g. CDFA’s SWEEP and HSP grants)
4. Assistance with water quality sampling in the Milliken Reservoir and Lake Hennessey watersheds;
5. Technical assistance for projects on private and public property to improve forest health and increase wildfire resiliency;
6. Winterization and erosion control inspections;
7. Public education, outreach and support related to all these initiatives including the Watershed Information & Conservation Council (WICC), conservation workshops, youth education and Watershed Symposium 2024;
8. Support for development of the Napa Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (RCAAP); and
9. Grant development assistance.
Funding for the Amendment will come from a variety of sources, including the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) budget, applicant reimbursement, and the general fund.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
PBES Planning (17000); Natural Resources (17040); GSA SRF (2720000) |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Approval of Amendment No. 1 supports several tasks that promote the enhancement and management of the County’s natural resources. This agreement supports the conservation and natural resource objectives of the County as well as the mission of the RCD. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Future fiscal impact: |
The term of the Amendment is through June 30, 2025 and provides for the term to be automatically renewed annually for an additional two years. Either party of the agreement may terminate the annual renewal by written notice no less than thirty days prior to the expiration of the current term. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
PBES’s ability to meet all the program demands under the Conservation and Natural Resources Division will be limited. Services currently offered under those program areas will need to be prioritized and likely reduced. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.