To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Public Infrastructure
Staff Name and Phone Number: Johannes J. Hoevertsz, 707-565-2550
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
City of Santa Rosa disbursement from Contingency Liability Fund
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a Resolution authorizing a budget adjustment to the FY 2025-26 Sonoma County Public Infrastructure Adopted Budget to fulfill the City of Santa Rosa’s request for disbursement of $1,076,000 from the City of Santa Rosa’s share of the Contingent Liability Fund, which is held in trust by the County on behalf of the Committed Cities in accordance with the terms of the Committed Cities Contingent Fund Agreement.
(4/5 vote required)
end
Executive Summary:
The Department of Sonoma County Public Infrastructure (SPI) is requesting approval of a Resolution amending the Santa Rosa Contingent Liability budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 to release $1,076,000 as requested by the City of Santa Rosa to support the City’s ongoing efforts to maintain landscaped areas along high-traffic city-maintained roads, including litter and debris collection. These funds are available pursuant to the Landfill Settlement Agreement entered into in 2015 by and between the County and the Committed Cities.
Discussion:
Background
In December 2009, Sonoma County's Board of Supervisors initiated a collaborative process called the County City Solid Waste Advisory Group (SWAG), which involved public stakeholders, Sonoma County cities, and the County, to create a long-term solid waste and recycling strategy. Three agreements were created to achieve the SWAG’s objectives:
1. The Master Operations Agreement (MOA) to ensure the continued operation of County Facilities, such as the landfill and transfer stations.
2. Waste Commitment Agreements between Republic Services and each City to direct municipal solid waste to County Facilities.
3. The Landfill Settlement Agreement (LSA) to resolve unfunded landfill liabilities associated with the County’s solid waste system.
After the Board approved the MOA in April 2013, Republic Services and the "Committed Cities" negotiated waste delivery agreements. The Committed Cities and the County also negotiated the LSA, which settled certain liabilities for the Committed Cities’ disposal of solid waste to the Central Landfill and assigned responsibility to the County for a term of 30-years for the post-closure obligations at the Former Urban Landfills.
As a condition of entering into the LSA, the Committed Cities requested, and the County and Republic Services agreed, to collect a "Committed Cities Contingent Liability Fee" on Committed City waste through disposal fees collected by Republic. The County administers the funds, which are allocated to each Committed City based on solid waste tonnage delivered from its jurisdiction. As of May 31, 2025, the Committed City Fund Balances are: Cloverdale $396,370; Cotati $469,315; Healdsburg $772,325; Rohnert Park $1,780,675; Santa Rosa $6,210,619; Sebastopol $452,333; Sonoma $406,003; and Windsor $1,062,456.
Request to disburse funds
On March 19, 2025, the City of Santa Rosa requested a disbursement of excess City Contingent Liability Funds in the amount of $1.076 million to support the City’s ongoing efforts to address landscape areas along high-traffic city-maintained roads that require additional maintenance, including litter and debris collection. (Attachment A)
The LSA states that any disbursement of funds from the Committed Cities Contingent Liability Fund requires approval of the Committed Cities in accordance with the terms and condition of the Committed Cities Contingent Fund Agreement, to which the County is not a party. Accordingly, County staff requested that the City of Santa Rosa take actions necessary to secure the approval of the requested disbursement by the Committed Cities, as contemplated by the governing agreements. On May 15, 2025, the cities of Cloverdale, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, and Windsor convened a meeting in accordance with the Committed Cities Contingent Fund Agreement whereby the cities approved the request by the City of Santa Rosa for the withdrawal of the $1,076,000 from Santa Rosa’s share of the fund. That approval was memorialized in a May 19, 2025, letter to the County Executive (Attachment B). Of note, the cities also communicated through the letter to the County that future requests for disbursements will only be supported by the Committed Cities if the requested funds amount to no more than 50% of the fund balance for the requesting city.
The City of Santa Rosa Contingency Fund balance will be $5,134,619 after this request is processed.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
07/11/23: Board adopt a resolution authorizing a budget adjustment to the FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget to fulfill the City of Santa Rosa’s request and disburse $1,450,000 from the Santa Rosa Contingent Liability Fund;
03/03/15: Board authorized the Chair to execute the Landfill Settlement Agreement between the County and the Cities;
04/23/13: Board authorized the Chair to execute the Master Operations Agreement.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$1,076,000 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$1,076,000 |
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
$1,076,000 |
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$1,076,000 |
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
To facilitate this recommended action, budget appropriations of $1,076,000 are being requested from available Santa Rosa Contingent Liability Fund. For Fiscal Year 2025-26, no appropriations were budgeted in the Santa Rosa Contingent Liability Fund (Fund #41134) as requests for fund withdrawals are infrequent. The City of Santa Rosa made a request to withdraw $1,076,000 from fund balance to support their community maintenance and resilience activities after the Department submitted the FY 2025-26 Recommended Budget therefore, no budget appropriations were requested at that time.
As of May 2025, fund balance for the Santa Rosa Contingent Liability Fund was $6,210,619.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None.
Attachments:
Attachment A - Request Letter
Attachment B - Approval Letter by City Manager Group, as directed by Marcela Piedra, Chair
Attachment C - Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Landfill Settlement Agreement