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Board approves engagement steps on J. Percy Priest reallocation study; cost-share details discussed
Summary
The board approved moving forward with an engagement letter from Jones Fortuna on a potential J. Percy Priest water-reallocation study; staff described an estimated total fee of $108,000 for a three-year study and discussed unclear cost-share percentages (transcript references both 10% and 20% with an example $36,000/year figure).
The Water Resources Board voted to authorize staff to proceed with an engagement letter from Jones Fortuna related to a potential water-reallocation study for J. Percy Priest (JPP) that would involve multiple regional partners. Speaker 3 said Jones Fortuna provided an engagement letter and estimated the total professional fees for a typical three-year study at $108,000.
Transcript discussion included inconsistent references to the city’s proposed share: Speaker 3 initially said the county was asked to pay 10% of Jones Fortuna’s fees, but later discussion on the table cited a 20% share that would equate to roughly $36,000 per year for three years. Speaker 5 clarified the current document is an engagement letter and that the city attorney had signed the letter on the city’s behalf for outside counsel work; staff said the engagement would be brought back to the board for approval of any commitment to pay study or Corps of Engineers fees.
Board members emphasized the importance of participating early in the study to protect local allocations. Speaker 7 moved for approval and the motion passed by voice vote with no roll-call tally recorded in the transcript. Minutes show the board approved proceeding under the engagement letter; staff will return if the board is asked to commit to paying the full study costs or a specific share of Corps or consultant fees.
Because the transcript records both a 10% reference and a 20% example, this article reports both figures as stated on the record rather than reconciling them.
