North Fork Kings GSA Proposition 218 Election Passes – Next Steps for the GSA and Landowners
Following the June 26 North Fork Kings GSA board meeting and public hearing, the successful Proposition 218 election results were announced, with 87% of votes in support. Votes in the election were weighted by acreage, and 514 ballots were received. The Board of Directors set the assessment rate at $6.00 per acre for fiscal year 2024-2025.
The agency plans to escalate the rate each fiscal year until it reaches the approved maximum of $18 per acre in 2027, as detailed in the now-approved Prop 218 budget. Beginning this fall 2024, landowners will see the assessment as part of their county property taxes and will be payable in December 2024 and April 2025.
“We appreciate our landowners’ support on the Prop 218 and their trust in our GSA to continue managing our groundwater with local leadership,” said North Fork Kings GSA General Manager Justin Mendes. “This funding is a crucial part of maintaining our approval from the State and will enable us to continue striving for sustainability under local management.”
The assessment will help implement GSP activities and programs that are essential in keeping the North Fork Kings GSA’s good standing with the State. SGMA is an unfunded mandate, leaving it up to the local GSA to generate funding to meet its requirements.
Where will assessments be invested?
- Administrative costs: this enables the agency to maintain administrative functions, covering expenses related to General Manager duties and future agency staff
- Professional services: this includes consultants and attorneys that provide a variety of services needed for the agency’s operations in support of GSA activities for the General Manager
- GSP implementation: this includes expenses for implementing its Groundwater Sustainability Plan to meet State sustainability requirements
Most immediately, the funding will help the GSA fund the required work to update its Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) for resubmittal in January 2025. The North Fork Kings GSA received conditional approval on its GSP from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in 2023. The approval was conditional on the grounds that the GSA fix twelve corrective actions provided by DWR.
The North Fork Kings GSA, along with the six other Kings Subbasin GSAs, are working to address the corrective actions to keep State approval and avoid the risk of the probationary process. Passing the Prop 218 election was a critical step to achieve that goal.
The North Fork Kings GSA has been funded through land-based assessments since 2018. That year, the GSA passed a Prop 218 election with 94% of votes in support of the assessment. The previous election authorized the agency to assess up to a maximum of $10 per acre per year but had a five-year sunset concluding with fiscal year 2022-2023. Reserves were used to fund GSA activities in fiscal year 2023-2024. The North Fork Kings GSA is committed to the same financial stewardship it used for the duration of the previous Prop 218 assessment, and will set the rate annually to meet anticipated expenses while keeping assessments as low as possible for landowners.
With continued collaboration with landowners, the North Fork Kings GSA looks forward to operating as a local, stakeholder-driven agency. To learn more about the Prop 218 and for future updates, visit www.northforkkings.org/218election.
Read our Prop 218 Educational Handout and FAQs here.