Board of Public Utilities (Santa Rosa) — March 5, 2026 regular meeting minutes | 100 Santa Rosa Avenue | TheCommon

Summary

Board of Public Utilities (Santa Rosa) — March 5, 2026 regular meeting minutes

Santa RosaMar 5, 20263 min read

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Board met March 5, 2026 (6 present, 1 absent). Staff presented updates on the Help 2 Others assistance program and Fix‑a‑Leak Week outreach. The Board approved two consent motions recommending City Council: (1) summary vacation of portions of a public service easement on four Lyon Court parcels, and (2) authorizing a $7,592,708.81 transfer from the Regional Wastewater Enterprise Fund to the 2020 Wastewater Revenue Bond Construction Fund for Laguna Treatment Plant disinfection improvements. The Board also voted to recommend Council direction to its Water Advisory Committee representative on Sonoma Water’s proposed 2026/27 Water Transmission Budget and Rate increase (8.21% proposed). Subcommittees reported on the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan, water‑use awards, non‑functional turf regulations, and preliminary FY 2026‑27 water/wastewater budgets.

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Board of Public Utilities

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Recommend City Council summarily vacate portion of an unused public service easement running across 1927, 1931, 1935 and 1936 Lyon Court (APNs 173-630-014, 173-630-013, 173-630-012, 173-630-010); authorize Assistant City Manager to make non‑substantive changes and execute vacation documents (consent motion approved).
Recommend City Council approve an increase of $7,592,708.81 in transfer appropriations from Regional Wastewater Enterprise Fund 1631 to 2020 Wastewater Revenue Bond Construction Fund 1633 to replace Local Wastewater Enterprise funding for the Laguna Treatment Plant Disinfection Improvements Project (consent motion approved).
Approve motion to recommend City Council direction to its Water Advisory Committee (WAC) representative for the April 6, 2026 WAC vote on Sonoma Water’s proposed 2026/27 Water Transmission System Budget and Rate increase (proposed wholesale rate increase of 8.21%); motion carried 5–1 (1 absent).
Water Conservation Subcommittee approved four 2026 Water Use Efficiency award nominees to be presented at the May 12, 2026 City Council meeting.
Budget Subcommittee scheduled further review of Santa Rosa Water preliminary FY 2026‑27 budgets (next review March 18, 2026) ahead of a BPU study session on March 19, 2026.

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Board of Public Utilities

Mar 5, 2026, 12:00 AMCity Hall, Council Chamber, 100 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CAscheduled

Agenda

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING BY ATTENDING IN-PERSON AT THE COUNCIL CHAMBER LOCATED AT 100 SANTA ROSA AVENUE. THE MEETING WILL ALSO BE LIVE STREAMED AT HTTPS://SANTA-ROSA.LEGISTAR.COM/CALENDAR. CLICK ON THE "IN PROGRESS" LINK TO VIEW. THE MEETING CAN ALSO BE VIEWED ON COMCAST CHANNEL 28, AT&T U-VERSE CHANNEL 99, AT HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/CITYOFSANTAROSA, AND VIA ZOOM BY VISITING HTTPS://SRCITY-ORG.ZOOM.US/J/82448675406, OR BY DIALING 877-853-5257 AND ENTERING WEBINAR ID: 824 4867 5406. IN THE EVENT A BOARD MEMBER PARTICIPATES REMOTELY BASED ON JUST CAUSE UNDER THE BROWN ACT, THE CITY WILL ALLOW FOR PUBLIC COMMENT THROUGH THE ZOOM LINK OR DIAL-IN NUMBER ABOVE. The public attending in person will be able to provide public comment on agenda items at the time an agenda item is discussed during the Board of Public Utilities Meeting. Public Comment may also be submitted via e-mail at bpu-comment@srcity.org. Deadlines and additional instruction for public comment are set forth below. If you have any questions regarding this meeting, please contact Michelle Montoya at mmontoya@srcity.org
1:30 P.M. (VIA IN-PERSON)
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
REMOTE PARTICIPATION UNDER THE BROWN ACT (Gov. Code § 54953.8)
STATEMENTS OF ABSTENTION BY BOARD MEMBERS
STUDY SESSION
HELP 2 OTHERS PROGRAM UPDATE Santa Rosa Water staff will present on the Help 2 Others (H2O) program which serves over 700 income-qualifying customers by offering financial assistance on the fixed portion of their monthly water and sewer service charges. Staff will provide an update on the program, an analysis of current and future funding, and proposed options for changes to the program to ensure program sustainability. The Board may discuss this item and provide direction to staff.
MINUTES APPROVAL
STAFF BRIEFINGS
FIX-A-LEAK WEEK 2026 Staff will provide the Board with an overview of customer program and outreach efforts to promote “Fix-a-Leak Week”, including direct customer engagement at the Saint Patrick’s Day 5K race. The Board may discuss this item and give direction to staff.
CONSENT ITEMS
MOTION - RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE SUMMARY VACATION OF PORTIONS OF PUBLIC SERVICE EASEMENT RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by Santa Rosa Water and Real Estate Services that the Board of Public Utilities, by motion, recommend that City Council, pursuant to California Streets and Highways Code subsection 8333(a), approve summarily vacating the portion of an unused public service easement that runs across four parcels (collectively, the “Subject Properties”) located at 1927, 1931, 1935 and 1936 Lyon Court, Santa Rosa, CA (Assessor Parcel Numbers 173-630-014, 173-630-013, 173-630-012 and 173-630-010, respectively); and authorize the Assistant City Manager to make non-substantive changes to the vacation documents, subject to approval by the City Attorney, and execute the vacation documents.
MOTION - RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZING AN ADDITIONAL $7,592,708.81 IN REGIONAL WASTEWATER ENTERPRISE TRANSFER APPROPRIATIONS RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by Santa Rosa Water and the Finance Department that the Board of Public Utilities, by motion, recommend that City Council approve an increase in transfer appropriations in the amount of $7,592,708.81 from the Regional Wastewater Enterprise Fund 1631 to the 2020 Wastewater Revenue Bond Construction Fund 1633, facilitating the replacement of Local Wastewater Enterprise funding currently supporting the expenditure budget for the Laguna Treatment Plant Disinfection Improvements Project.
REPORT ITEMS
REPORT - SONOMA WATER 2026/27 WATER TRANSMISSION BUDGET AND RATE INCREASE BACKGROUND: The City of Santa Rosa purchases approximately 95% of the water supplied to our customers from Sonoma Water, the region’s water wholesaler. Sonoma Water is proposing to raise the wholesale rate of water by 8.21 % from $1,400.86 per acre-foot to $1,515.87 per acre foot. There is a Water Advisory Committee (WAC) made up of elected officials of each of the eight prime contractors, including Santa Rosa, that purchase water from Sonoma Water. The WAC is an advisory committee to the Sonoma Water Board of Directors. The City’s WAC Representative is Council Member Natalie Rogers. On April 6, 2026, the WAC is scheduled to consider whether to recommend to the Sonoma Water Board of Directors Sonoma Water’s proposed 2026/27 Water Transmission System Budget and Rate increase. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by Santa Rosa Water that the Board of Public Utilities consider Sonoma Water’s proposed 2026/27 Water Transmission Budget and Rate increase and, by motion, make a recommendation to the City Council regarding Council’s direction to its Water Advisory Committee (WAC) representative for the April 6, 2026 WAC vote on Sonoma Water’s proposed 2026/27 Water Transmission System Budget and Rate increase.
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA MATTERS
REFERRALS
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (AND POSSIBLE BOARD DISCUSSION)
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
BOARD MEMBER REPORTS
DIRECTORS REPORTS
ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING
The Board of Public Utilities encourages public comments regarding the above items. If you are unable to attend this meeting, please feel free to call the Water Department at 543-4200 or forward written comments to the City of Santa Rosa, Water Department, 35 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. All comments will be forwarded to the Board at the meeting.
The City of Santa Rosa does not discriminate against individuals (including member(s) of a legislative body) with disabilities in its employment, services, benefits, facilities, programs, or activities. Requests for accommodations, auxiliary aids, or services necessary to participate in a City program, service, or activity, including printed information in alternate formats, are available by contacting the Recording Secretary at (707) 543-3901 (TTY Relay at 711) or mmontoya@srcity.org. The e-mail subject line should read “ADA Accommodation Request” or “Language Assistance” and the email should include your name, address, telephone number, and a description of the request. If the request is received at least seven (7) business days prior to the board meeting, the copy shall be provided no later than two (2) business days prior to the board meeting. Meeting information can also be accessed via the internet at http://srcity.org.
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