Title
Hold a public hearing to consider approving and adopting the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Fiscal Year 2025-26 Recommended Budget.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors:
Hold a public hearing to consider approving and adopting the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Fiscal Year 2025-26 Recommended Budget.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Monterey County Water Resources Agency (Agency) FY 2025-2026 (FY26) Recommended Budget totals $43,485,541 in expenses and $39,235,673 in revenue. It represents an 11% decrease in expenditures and a 7% decrease in revenue compared to the Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25 (FY25).
The FY26 Budget allocates $8.59 million for salaries and benefits, accounting for 20% of the total budget. Although the Agency is authorized for 57 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, the budget provides funding for 44 FTE positions, leaving 13 FTE positions unfunded, resulting in salary savings of $2.45 million.
The total budgeted amount for consultant services is $20,082,704, marking a $5.11 million (20%) decrease from the FY25 Adopted Budget. The Monterey One Water contract amount increases by 2% to $9,357,370, while grant-funded consultant costs decrease by 42% to $5.25 million, and other consultant expenses decrease by 22% to $5.48 million.
The Recommended Budget does not allocate $105,000 from Fund 116 fund balance to Fund 116 Dam Operations’ capital project reserve, limiting use of Fund 116 fund balance.
The FY26 Recommended Budget estimates total revenue at $39.24 million, a 7% decrease from the FY25 Adopted Budget revenue of $42.15 million. Ad-Valorem tax revenue in FY26 is estimated at $3.56 million and total assessment revenue is budgeted at $17.78 million, adopting 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase to FY25’s assessment charges and the Water Services Charge. The Agency recommends that the Water Delivery Fee in FY26 be $85.24 per acre-fo...
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