Title
Consider recommendation from the Finance/Administrative Committee to clear delinquent aquifer management fees of certain former permit holders and other small balances.
Body
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Move the board approve the clearing of delinquent aquifer management fees of certain former permit holders and other small balances and authorize the General Manager to take all necessary actions to do so.
SUMMARY:
The purpose of this agenda item is for the board to consider a Finance/Administrative Committee recommendation to clear delinquent aquifer management fees of certain former permit holders and other small balances. Edwards Aquifer Authority Rules require all applicable persons withdrawing groundwater from the Aquifer to pay an aquifer management fee (AMF) as assessed by the EAA. To accomplish this, no later than December 31 of each year, EAA staff mails an invoice to all non-agricultural users, based on their permitted amount and the AMF rate set by the Board. These AMF invoices become delinquent if payment is not received by March 1st of that following year. Additionally, if groundwater withdrawal rights are involved in a lease-transfer from a permit holder (‘transferor’) to another well owner (‘transferee’), and the transferor has not paid the AMFs on the rights to be transferred, then AMFs on the amount transferred are invoiced to the transferee for payment. These transfer AMFs become delinquent when not paid by December 31st of the year the transfer is in effect.
An invoice for AMFs for agricultural use is generated and mailed to an irrigation permit holder after submittal of their annual groundwater use report (AUR). This invoice is generated based on the amount of actual use (in acre-feet) multiplied by the $2 statutory agricultural fee rate.
When AMF invoices become delinquent, a violation case file (“Violation Number”) is created and EAA compliance team staff follows up with a written Delinquent Fee notice to the permit holder to solic...
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