Wyandotte Creek GSA advances draft two-part regulatory fee, directs ad hoc to refine allocations

The Wyandotte Creek Groundwater Sustainability Agency board on Jan. 29 reviewed a consultant’s draft fee study and directed staff and an ad hoc committee to refine how costs are split between a parcel-based Part 1 fee and usage-based Part 2 charges.

Consultant Catherine Hansford of Hansford Economic Consulting summarized the November direction and presented a draft five-year outlook. Hansford said the proposed regulatory fee would replace the current fee and apply to all non‑federal parcels in the basin, with exemptions for parcels the Butte County assessor classifies as unusable. She said the study models a budget scenario that starts at $470,000 and includes an annual inflation factor to smooth year-to-year changes.

Why it matters: the two-part design separates fixed administrative costs (Part 1) from costs tied to SGMA compliance and groundwater monitoring (Part 2), which the board and staff say makes the fee more defensible as usage-based where required by law.

What the draft shows: Hansford presented…