Council Chamber  
City of Santa Rosa  
100 Santa Rosa Avenue  
Board of Public Utilities  
Regular Meeting Minutes - Draft  
Thursday, March 5, 2026  
1:30 PM  
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL  
Chair Galvin called the meeting to order at 1:31 p.m.  
6 -  
Present  
Chair Daniel Galvin III, Vice Chair William Arnone Jr., Board Member  
Lisa Badenfort, Board Member Duane De Witt, Board Member J.  
Matthew Mullan, and Board Member Glen Wright  
1 - Board Member Robin Bartholow  
Absent  
2. REMOTE PARTICIPATION UNDER THE BROWN ACT (Gov. Code § 54953.8)  
None.  
3. STATEMENTS OF ABSTENTION BY BOARD MEMBERS  
None.  
4. STUDY SESSION  
4.1  
HELP 2 OTHERS PROGRAM UPDATE  
Santa Rosa Water staff will present on the Help 2 Others (H2O)  
program which serves over 700 income-qualifying customers by offering  
financial assistance on the fixed portion of their monthly water and  
sewer service charges. Staff will provide an update on the program, an  
analysis of current and future funding, and proposed options for  
changes to the program to ensure program sustainability. The Board  
may discuss this item and provide direction to staff.  
Kevin Buchanan, Budget and Financial Analysis Manager, presented  
and received Board Member feedback.  
Santa Rosa Water and Real Estate staff answered Board Member  
questions.  
5. MINUTES APPROVAL  
None.  
6. STAFF BRIEFINGS  
6.1  
FIX-A-LEAK WEEK 2026  
Staff will provide the Board with an overview of customer program and  
outreach efforts to promote “Fix-a-Leak Week”, including direct  
customer engagement at the Saint Patrick’s Day 5K race. The Board  
may discuss this item and give direction to staff.  
Lisa Cuellar, Water Use Efficiency Coordinator, presented and  
answered Board Member questions.  
7. CONSENT ITEMS  
A motion was made by Vice Chair Arnone, Jr., seconded by Board Member  
Badenfort, to approve Consent Items 7.1 and 7.2.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
6 -  
Yes:  
Chair Galvin III, Vice Chair Arnone Jr., Board Member Badenfort,  
Board Member De Witt, Board Member Mullan and Board Member  
Wright  
1 - Board Member Bartholow  
Absent:  
7.1  
MOTION - RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE  
SUMMARY VACATION OF PORTIONS OF PUBLIC SERVICE  
EASEMENT  
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by Santa Rosa Water and  
Real Estate Services that the Board of Public Utilities, by motion,  
recommend that City Council, pursuant to California Streets and  
Highways Code subsection 8333(a), approve summarily vacating the  
portion of an unused public service easement that runs across four  
parcels (collectively, the “Subject Properties”) located at 1927, 1931,  
1935 and 1936 Lyon Court, Santa Rosa, CA (Assessor Parcel Numbers  
173-630-014, 173-630-013, 173-630-012 and 173-630-010,  
respectively); and authorize the Assistant City Manager to make  
non-substantive changes to the vacation documents, subject to  
approval by the City Attorney, and execute the vacation documents.  
This Consent - Motion was approved.  
7.2  
MOTION - RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZING  
AN ADDITIONAL $7,592,708.81 IN REGIONAL WASTEWATER  
ENTERPRISE TRANSFER APPROPRIATIONS  
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by Santa Rosa Water and the  
Finance Department that the Board of Public Utilities, by motion,  
recommend that City Council approve an increase in transfer  
appropriations in the amount of $7,592,708.81 from the Regional  
Wastewater Enterprise Fund 1631 to the 2020 Wastewater Revenue  
Bond Construction Fund 1633, facilitating the replacement of Local  
Wastewater Enterprise funding currently supporting the expenditure  
budget for the Laguna Treatment Plant Disinfection Improvements  
Project.  
This Consent - Motion was approved.  
8. REPORT ITEMS  
8.1  
REPORT - SONOMA WATER 2026/27 WATER TRANSMISSION  
BUDGET AND RATE INCREASE  
BACKGROUND: The City of Santa Rosa purchases approximately 95%  
of the water supplied to our customers from Sonoma Water, the region’s  
water wholesaler. Sonoma Water is proposing to raise the wholesale  
rate of water by 8.21 % from $1,400.86 per acre-foot to $1,515.87 per  
acre foot. There is a Water Advisory Committee (WAC) made up of  
elected officials of each of the eight prime contractors, including Santa  
Rosa, that purchase water from Sonoma Water. The WAC is an  
advisory committee to the Sonoma Water Board of Directors. The City’s  
WAC Representative is Council Member Natalie Rogers. On April 6,  
2026, the WAC is scheduled to consider whether to recommend to the  
Sonoma Water Board of Directors Sonoma Water’s proposed 2026/27  
Water Transmission System Budget and Rate increase.  
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by Santa Rosa Water that the  
Board of Public Utilities consider Sonoma Water’s proposed 2026/27  
Water Transmission Budget and Rate increase and, by motion, make a  
recommendation to the City Council regarding Council’s direction to its  
Water Advisory Committee (WAC) representative for the April 6, 2026  
WAC vote on Sonoma Water’s proposed 2026/27 Water Transmission  
System Budget and Rate increase.  
Nick Harvey, Deputy Director - Administration, and Jake Spaulding,  
Finance Manager, Sonoma Water, presented and answered Board  
Member questions.  
Board Member Mullan left Council Chamber at 2:22 p.m. and  
returned to Council Chamber at 2:24 p.m.  
Board Member Badenfort left Council Chamber at 2:27 p.m. and  
returned to Council Chamber at 2:31 p.m.  
A motion was made by Board Member Wright, seconded by Board Member  
Mullan, to approve the recommendation by Santa Rosa Water that the  
Board of Public Utilities consider Sonoma Water's proposed 2026/27 Water  
Transmission Budget and Rate increase and make a recommendation to  
the City Council regarding Council's direction to its Water Advisory  
Committee (WAC) representative for the April 6, 2026 WAC vote on Sonoma  
Water's proposed 2026/27 Water Transmission System Budget and Rate  
increase.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
5 -  
Yes:  
Chair Galvin III, Vice Chair Arnone Jr., Board Member Badenfort,  
Board Member Mullan and Board Member Wright  
1 - Board Member De Witt  
1 - Board Member Bartholow  
No:  
Absent:  
9. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA MATTERS  
None.  
10. REFERRALS  
None.  
11. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (AND POSSIBLE BOARD DISCUSSION)  
None.  
12. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS  
Board Member Badenfort reported that the Water Conservation  
Subcommittee met on February 11, 2026. Staff provided an  
overview of the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan, which will be  
presented to the BPU for consideration and Council for adoption in  
May and June. The Plan is due to the State by July 1st.  
Staff also presented the 2026 Water Use Efficiency award  
nominees and reviewed the upcoming Water Awareness Month  
activities. The four award nominees were unanimously approved by  
the Subcommittee and will be presented their awards at the May 12,  
2026 City Council meeting.  
Finally, Staff presented information on the State Water Resources  
Control Board’s implementation of new regulations banning the  
irrigation of “non-functional turf.” HOAs, Commercial, Institutional,  
and Industrial customers will be required to self-report to the state  
their compliance with the regulation in the next few years. The city is  
required to update our building code by the end of this calendar  
year. Significant outreach to affected customers has begun and is  
ongoing.  
Board Member Wright reported that the Budget Subcommittee met  
on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 to do a first review of Santa Rosa  
Water's preliminary proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 Water,  
Wastewater, Regional, and Storm water and Creeks operations and  
maintenance, capital improvement and debt service budgets. The  
Subcommittee will be reviewing the budget proposals again on  
March 18, 2026 to consider recommending the budget to the full  
Board for consideration prior to the BPU study session, which is  
scheduled to take place at the March 19, 2026 BPU meeting.  
13. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS  
Vice Chair Arnone reported on his attendance at a celebration for  
Santa Rosa Water, which marked one year without any sanitary  
sewer overflows (SSOs).  
Board Member DeWitt reported on a housing forum that Generation  
H is presenting.  
14. DIRECTORS REPORTS  
None.  
15. ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING  
Chair Galvin adjourned the meeting at 2:53 p.m. The next Board of  
Public Utilities meeting is scheduled for March 19, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.