The Greenfield City Council unanimously approved 3-0, a $60,000 supplemental appropriation to restore funding for the city’s participation in the Arroyo Seco Groundwater Sustainability Agency (ASGSA).
The council’s approval amends the City’s Fiscal Year 2026–27 budget, directing $60,000 from the Water Fund’s unrestricted and unassigned fund balance to cover Greenfield’s share of ASGSA expenses.
City Manager Paul Wood said the funding was inadvertently left out of the adopted Water Fund budget during the fiscal year’s preparation. The omission was administrative and did not represent a decision to end the city’s participation in the regional groundwater agency.
“For some reason, in the budget document that we all got, there was nothing listed yet as an expense for this current past year, and so I think we just said, 'Oh, we must be done doing that... and then we didn't plug it in and we didn't catch it.” Wood said.
Councilmember Belen Garcia praised staff for self-reporting.
"I'm really glad that we caught it, and we're going to take care of that. I mean, that just shows how transparent we are and being accountable for our actions," Garcia said.
Greenfield’s annual contribution supports ASGSA operations, including a portion of the agency’s general manager costs and professional and technical assistance related to the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP).
The ASGSA coordinates groundwater sustainability efforts among participating agencies and stakeholders. Its responsibilities include groundwater monitoring, data management, technical analysis, regulatory compliance and continued development and implementation of the GSP.
Mayor Rob White said groundwater remains an important component of Greenfield’s long-term water supply and that continued regional coordination is necessary to manage the basin effectively.
The action reduces the fund’s available unrestricted and unassigned balance by the same amount.