Board of Directors

1st row: Mike Reilly, 5th District - Tim Smith, 3rd District
2nd row: Valerie Brown, 1st District - Paul Kelley, 4th District - Mike Kerns, 2nd District

The Sonoma County Water Agency (Agency) was created in 1949 by a special act of the California Legislature. The Agency is a separate legal entity and has specific purposes and powers, which are set out in Section 3 of the act. The Agency also has taxation powers and sources of revenue that are separate from the County’s. Section 4 of the act empowers the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to act as the Board of Directors of the Agency, and Section 6 of the act provides that officers of the County of Sonoma are, unless otherwise provided by the Board of Directors, ex officio officers of the Agency.

Because of the common governing board and the fact that some County officers also act as Agency officers, there is often confusion about the relationship between the County and the Agency. As noted above, the Agency is a separate legal entity created by State law, having specific limited purposes and powers, and separate sources of funding. The Agency is thus different from County departments, which are created by the Board of Supervisors for administrative convenience, but are not separate legal entities.

The Agency’s status as a separate legal entity with specific powers affects the types of activities in which the Agency may engage. Unlike Sonoma County, which generally may spend general fund revenues for anything the Board of Supervisors determines benefits the public good, the Agency may only expend funds to further the purposes and powers specified in the Agency’s enabling act. Unlike the County, the Agency has no general land use authority, and cannot exercise general regulatory “police powers.”

The Agency’s enabling act provides the Agency with the power to levy property taxes separately from the County, and the Agency receives a portion of Proposition 13 1% base property tax revenues separately from the County. The Agency also collects benefit assessments for flood control purposes in some flood control zones, charges for sanitation services in certain sanitation zones, and charges for water delivered from the Agency’s transmission system. Although the Agency’s general property tax revenues can be spent for any Agency purpose, funds collected for specific Agency purposes, such as water rates, flood control assessments, and sanitation charges, must be accounted for separately, and may only be spent for the purposes for which they are collected.

Because of the separate powers and revenue sources of the Agency, the Agency’s revenues, expenses, and assets are held and accounted for entirely separately from Sonoma County’s. When County officials perform services for the Agency, they separately are paid for those services by the Agency pursuant to agreements between the Agency and the County. The Agency holds separate title to all real property and assets it acquires. The County may not use Agency property or funds for County purposes. The Agency is also subject to different laws from the County regarding acquisition and disposition of property, and with respect to bidding out public works (although both the Agency and the County have adopted regulations making each subject to some uniform bidding processes).

The Agency’s management and employees are also treated differently from County employees. Unlike County employees, Agency employees are not covered by the County’s civil service system. The Agency negotiates separate bargaining agreements with employees’ unions.

To conclude, the differences between the County and the Agency include:

● The Agency is a separate legal entity from the County

● The Agency was formed under a separate, special state law

● The Agency only has limited, specified powers

● The Agency has no land use or regulatory authority

● The Agency has separate sources of revenues

● The Agency’s assets and liabilities are accounted for separately

● The Agency’s employees do not have civil service protection

● The County charges the Agency for services performed

The Sonoma County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Act, Stats. 1949, c. 994., West’s Ann. Cal. Water code App. §§ 53-1 et seq.

See Government Code § 26227.

See Agency act, section 9, West’s Ann. Cal. Water code App. §§ 53-9.

See Public Contracts Code §§ 21130 et seq,.

Read more about the Board of Directors

Contact Board Members:

Phone: (707)-565-2241
Fax: (707)-565-3778

E-Mail Addresses:

First District Supervisor:
Valerie Brown - vbrown@sonoma-county.org

Second District Supervisor
Mike Kerns - mkerns@sonoma-county.org

Third District Supervisor
Tim Smith - tsmith@sonoma-county.org

Fourth District Supervisor
Paul L. Kelley - pkelley@sonoma-county.org

Fifth District Supervisor
Mike Reilly - mreilly@sonoma-county.org

District Boundaries

View the districts represented by each Agency Board Member.

Board Meetings:

The Board normally holds its regular meetings on Tuesdays, beginning at 8:30 a.m. A consent calendar involving routine financial and administrative actions, usually approved by a single majority vote, is normally heard first. A regular calendar with more significant items of special interest follows the consent calendar. The afternoon calendar begins at 2:00 p.m. with Public Comment on Issues not on the Agenda where the public can address the Board on any issue that concerns them. That is followed by public hearings related to a variety of issues such as leases, land use decisions, fees, and vacations of roads.

Meeting Location:

Board of Supervisors Chambers

575 Administration Drive, Room 102A

Santa Rosa, California

View directions to Board of Supervisors Chambers.

Phone number: (707) 565-2241

Fax number: (707) 565-3778

Board Agendas:

View upcoming Agenda items

Public Participation:

Any member of the audience may address the Board on a matter on the agenda, within time limits at the discretion of the Chair or the Board. Copies of the agenda are available at the Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors (Room 100A), and also at Public Libraries, Chambers of Commerce, and City Halls throughout the County.

Public Transit Access to the County Administration Center is available through

Sonoma County Transit - Rt. 20, 30, 44, 48, 60, 62, 64
Santa Rosa City Bus - Rt. 14
Golden Gate Transit - Rt. 80

For further information on how to get there by bus, please call the transit at (707) 576-RIDE or 1-800-345-RIDE.