To: Board of Supervisors, County of Sonoma
Department or Agency Name(s): Emergency Management
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jeffrey DuVall, CEM / (707) 565-1152
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Extend 1.0 FTE Time-Limited Department Program Manager to June 30, 2026
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Resolution to amend the Department Allocation List extending the 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) time-limited Department Program Manager position through June 30, 2026, to support the Department of Emergency Management’s Water Hazards Program, effective September 23, 2025.
B) Adopt a Resolution adjusting the Department of Emergency Management FY2025-26 adopted budget to program $140,723.
(4/5th Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
Board approval is requested to extend 1.0 FTE time-limited Department Program Manager position (Water Hazards Program Manager) within the Department of Emergency Management’s Water Hazards Program. Extending this position will continue to assist the County and Operational Area with the development and planning of response capabilities to current catastrophic flooding and drought conditions, and compliance with State drought response requirements while also planning for future flooding events and creating a more defined flood coordination framework. The position is currently working on the countywide drought plan and drought annex in collaboration with Sonoma Water. Extending the position will allow for continuity in the program and with existing Department of Water Resources grant work.
Discussion:
Background
On July 12, 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved the Drought Response and Flood Control Coordination Project, as recommended by the Department of Emergency Management and Sonoma Water. The initial project scope was to develop planning and response capabilities needed to address current catastrophic drought conditions and State drought response requirements that were in place at that time. The Program Manager conducts regional drought planning and analysis, collaborating with diverse stakeholder groups to address response, unmet needs, and community engagement.
Under the County’s drought program, this position creates the Sonoma County Operational Area Drought Task Force, which brings together all of the County’s water service providers to collaborate, as required under California Senate Bill 552 (SB 552), and develop the Sonoma County Drought Resiliency Plan.
Under the Drought Task force, the Program Manager facilitates collaborative planning for future drought responses that include water shortage risks within service areas. This involves proposing interim and long-term solutions for small and domestic wells in the county, as well as providing emergency and interim drinking water solutions, along with short-term emergency and interim action plans.
The Sonoma County Drought Resiliency Plan addresses the County’s response, mitigation, and recovery under short-term drought responses, long-term mitigation strategies, public outreach and engagement framework, and strategies during droughts, along with policies, regulations, and recommendations.
In addition to developing the SB 552 objectives, the program manager creates the Sonoma County Operational Area Drought Response Annex to the County of Sonoma's Emergency Operations Plan, which will guide County departments and the Emergency Operations Center in responding to droughts.
Concurrently, this position drafts the County/Operational Area’s response to floods, analyzing consequence management, and response within the nine Sonoma County Water Agency’s flood protection zones. Currently, DEM only has a response plan for Zone 5A, specifically the Lower Russian watershed. This requires an assessment of how to collect flood data from areas that flood, such as data from Sonoma OneRain, National Weather Service flood and rain gauges, and local public safety personnel. Additionally, a validation process for the information needs to be developed. This work establishes a more defined flood coordination framework for future events.
Current Program
Since October 2023, the Program Manager has established the Sonoma County Drought Task Force, with a regular meeting schedule, and facilitated collaboration with the task force on response and mitigation measures. Additionally, the Program Manager has started to develop short-term drought response, long-term mitigation strategies, and consequence management. The objectives of the task force are refined with each meeting, as well as through monthly drought reports from the NOAA National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the State of California Department of Water Resources (DWR).
The development of the Sonoma County Drought Resiliency Plan is nearing completion parallel with the Sonoma County Operational Area Drought Response Annex.
The Sonoma County Drought Resiliency Plan is currently 65% complete, with the internal review process scheduled to begin in late September 2025. The Sonoma County Drought Task Force will review and comment in October 2025. The projected completion date of the Drought Resiliency Plan is January 2026, with review and planning of implementation/concept of operations plans for the short-term/long-term action items to commence in second quarter of 2026 and will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026. The requirements of the Sonoma County Drought Resiliency Plan and SB 552 (Drought planning; small water suppliers; non-transient, non-community water systems) are unfunded state mandates.
The Sonoma County Operational Area Drought Response Annex is currently 65% complete, with the internal review process scheduled to begin in late September 2025. The Sonoma County Operational Area partners will review and comment on the plan in October 2025. The projected completion date of the drought response annex plan is January 2026, at which point the position will develop a training and exercise program for the County’s Emergency Operations Center staff to be implemented in the second quarter of 2026.
Once both plans are completed, they will be posted on the Department’s website under emergency plans.
The expansion of the flood management program is ongoing. The program is developing methods to gather data to update and validate existing models, with the goal of more accurately assessing flood impacts and times for various points along the Russian River, and seeking similar models for other watersheds throughout the county that have historically been lower impact, but which, with climate change and post-fire impacts, may now pose a greater threat to life and property.
The position is working closely with the public safety community on historical points of flooding or stream/creek/river cresting locations. These locations serve as data points for validation, which is cross-referenced with NWS rainfall data during events. Validation will serve in the development of expanding the County’s flood annex, including flood evacuations, landmarks, roadways, and references for actions such as activation of the Emergency Operations Center, law enforcement evacuation warnings, and orders. Currently, the department only has data for the Russian River from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to Jenner. The projected time for the expansion of the annex to include areas outside of the Russian River in draft form is the second quarter of 2027.
The complexity of this project requires a trained individual with water hazards expertise who can focus on the issue year-round. This is challenging for department Emergency Coordinators as they need to shift regularly to seasonal planning and response duties. A formal concept of operations plan for the collection, dissemination, and validation steps will be completed in the fourth quarter 2025. The implementation of the concept of operations plan is an ongoing cycle once implemented.
Extending this position will allow the Sonoma County Operational Area Drought Response Annex and the Sonoma County Drought Resiliency Plan to be completed in January 2026; begin implementation of action items between both plans in the first half of 2026; continue multi-agency collaboration; and, address the action items outlined in SB 552 for the Sonoma County Drought Task Force. These activities will be completed in addition to implementing the operational concept outlined in the flood management program plan by the end of June 2026, when this position is set to expire. The Department is seeking additional grant opportunities to extend the position beyond June 2026. Absent additional resources after June 2026, large portions of the program will be placed on hold after the position expires.
During the June 17, 2022, Budget Hearings, the Board set aside funding from County discretionary one-time balances to create a Water Security Fund, of which $355,000 per year was allocated for the two-year project to finance the existing time-limited Water Hazards Program Manager position to implement the Project for two years through June 30, 2025.
The Water Security Fund had $140,723 in remaining unspent allocated funds at the end of Fiscal Year 2024-2025. The department previously re-budgeted $75,754 from Fiscal Year 2024-2025 in Fiscal Year 2025-2026, and is requesting programming the remaining $140,723 for the Water Hazards Program Manager. This existing funding will cover the cost of the position through June 2026.
This item requests extension of the 1.0 FTE time-limited Department Program Manager position through June 30, 2026.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Resilient Infrastructure
Goal: Goal 5: Support, fund, and expand flood protection.
Objective: Objective 3: Evaluate the feasibility, creation, and/or update of Flood Protection Plans and seek out financing mechanisms to establish protection zones countywide by 2026.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
07/12/2022: Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Continuation; Drought Response and Flood Control Coordination Project.
06/17/2022: Adopt a Concurrent Resolution adopting the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget and Position Allocation Listing and final Board direction for all entities governed by the Board of Supervisors/Directors/Commissioners.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$75,754 |
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$140,723 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$216,477 |
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
$216,477 |
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$216,477 |
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The Department is requesting rebudgeting the remaining balance in the Water Security Fund for this project in the amount of $140,723 with the attached resolution. The department will backfill any additional Salaries and Benefits or Internal Service Rate expenses through its existing Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget. The additional amount is expected not-to-exceed $5,000.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Department Program Manager |
$8,802.43 - $10,699.97 |
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
The 1.0 FTE filled Department Program Manager allocation is currently time-limited through September 29, 2025. Without an extension of the time-limit, the encumbered position would be eliminated effective September 30, 2025, causing a layoff.
Attachments:
1. Personnel Resolution
2. Budget Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.