Agricultural Preservation and Open Space district outlines acquisitions‑first budget, backs new stewardship reserve

The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District presented its 2025–26 preliminary budget to supervisors, describing an acquisitions‑heavy plan funded largely by the district’s quarter‑cent sales tax measure.

District finance staff said the proposed budget is about $68.6 million for the year and that nearly 80% of planned expenditures are acquisition‑related. The staff noted a decline in the district’s available special‑tax balance from roughly $80.7 million last year to about $60.8 million in the current estimates; they also said approximately $25 million of the balance is already obligated to approved community‑spaces matching grants.

Reserve and stewardship plan District staff described a newly established stewardship reserve (an endowment to support long‑term easement stewardship) with an initial balance of $7.5 million and said the recommended budget would add an additional $7.5 million this year and yearly thereafter until the measure is reauthorized or until the district reaches its target. The district said the reserve is intended to support long‑term monitoring and enforcement for more than 330 conservation easements it administers (the staff cited roughly 125,000 acres under stewardship).

Key operational notes - Sales‑tax projection: the district said it expects annual sales‑tax receipts of about $31.8 million in the coming year (lower than the prior year’s actuals) and noted that acquisition costs and available opportunities cause large year‑to‑year swings in the capital plan. - Matching grants: about $25 million is committed to community spaces matching grants previously approved by the board; staff proposed procedural refinements that will be brought May 6 to speed project evaluation and selection. - Conservation easement stewardship: the staff said the district is expanding its stewardship team, implementing new technologies and a project‑management system to improve monitoring frequency and responsiveness to landowners.

Why it matters: The district holds a crucial role in farmland preservation and public‑access projects across the county. Staff said they are balancing acquisition momentum with a need for predictable stewardship funding, and they urged the board to consider the stewardship reserve and the district’s reauthorization planning in the coming year.

Next steps: Staff will return with additional detail on appraisal and stewardship cost protocols, updates on community‑spaces grant processes and polling results as the district and county prepare for any future reauthorization effort for the sales tax measure.