GSA creates standing advisory committee to guide DWR-funded facilitation work

The Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency voted Aug. 28 to establish a standing Facilitation Support Services (FSS) advisory committee, composed of the current ad hoc membership, to provide ongoing advice to the general manager and the board on DWR-funded work with Stantec.

The move came after the board reviewed an Implementation Service Plan (ISP) tied to a Department of Water Resources (DWR) facilitation award and considered legal guidance on how ad hoc groups may interact with outside consultants. General Manager Blake Adams told the board the recommendation is logistical, not substantive: “it's not to change any of the priorities or the, the intent of the ISP itself. It's more of, an administrative or a logistical approach to ensure that as management understands exactly what vendors are doing,” he said.

Why it matters: the change clarifies oversight and is intended to avoid a situation in which an ad hoc directs vendors without official board or staff supervision, a concern raised by legal counsel during the discussion. The board approved the standing advisory committee by roll call and directed the general manager to continue coordinating with Stantec and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

Board members debated two options earlier in the meeting: (1) retain the ad hoc as the body directly managing consultant work, and (2) have the general manager, in coordination with board leadership, meet with Stantec and manage the workload. Directors and counsel pointed to the agency bylaws, which limit ad hoc authority and recommend that nonboard bodies not directly control vendor work. General Counsel confirmed that regular consultation with the TAC would remain available under the chosen approach.

Director Bradley M. Bailey moved to establish the standing FSS advisory committee made up of the ad hoc membership; Blake Adams seconded. The motion passed on a roll-call vote: Director Bailey — Aye; Vice Chair Crane — Aye; Chair Klein — Aye. Chair Klein commented after the vote that the action was a “belt and suspenders approach” to limit any Brown Act exposure while preserving the advisory function.

Next steps noted by staff: the general manager will schedule kickoff meetings with Stantec to fast-track ISP tasks this fall, and the advisory committee is expected to serve throughout the term of the DWR–Stantec contract as the board directed. The board and staff said the TAC will continue to be consulted and that any advisory committee role will be clearly limited to advice and not to directing consultants.