This Week in Your Government
Monday, December 27 – Friday, December 31
There are no public meetings this week for your school, city or county local governments. That does not, however, mean that all is quiet on the Davis front.
The school district will continue discussion of a parcel tax at their January 6 board meeting, and the City Council vacancy is front and center on their January 4 agenda.
Meanwhile, Yolo County posted the following press release on their website on Friday, December 17:
Yolo County – Conaway Ranch Agreement Reached
(Woodland, CA) – Today, Yolo County signed an agreement with the Tri-City Water and Farm LLC, in anticipation of its acquisition of a majority interest in the Conaway Preservation Group, which further protects the agricultural, natural and habitat resources on the Conaway Ranch, an active farming operation on 17,000 acres in the heart of Yolo County.
“Yolo County has long had an interest in protecting the values on the Conaway Ranch in the heart of Yolo County, and has been an active partner in the management of the Conaway Ranch for the benefit of the residents of Yolo County and the region,” said Yolo County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Helen M. Thomson. “This agreement sets the framework for the county to continue to protect this huge swath of agricultural land and its water well into the future.”
The agreement reached between Yolo County and Tri-City Water and Farm LLC, continues the settlement agreement reached with the Conway Preservation Group in September of 2006; places an annual cap on total transfers of surface water to out-of-county buyers and the Cities of Woodland and Davis which ensures that the needs of the cities will be met while also helping assure long-term protection of the surface and groundwater resources of Conaway Ranch; and further provides the county with assurances that agriculture will remain a significant part of the Conaway Ranch operation with the following:
- Annual cap on total transfers of surface water
- Groundwater management
- Water transfer fees paid
- Support for fluoridation equipment in design/construction of Woodland-Davis water supply project
- Conservation easements and related funding
- Public access management plan
- Habitat and funding in support of Yolo Natural Heritage Program (HCP/NCCP) efforts
- County fiscal issues addressed related to taxes, fees, in lieu payments
- Pacific Flyway Center support
This agreement, which was crafted over several months to protect overall county interests, also supports the cities of Woodland and Davis who have formed a Joint Powers Authority to contract with the Conaway Preservation Group to provide a new source of surface water for their residents.
For those interested in the nitty-gritty details, check out the following meetings which led to the recent water deal:
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