RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt an ordinance to approve a budget adjustment in the amount of $160,000 for the Cash for Grass program rebates. Funding for this proposed budget adjustment is available in the Water Operations Fund which receives revenue from water utility sales.
| BACKGROUND
The Environmental Utilities (EU) Department and the Water Efficiency Section are responsible for proactive and efficient water resources planning, as well as the implementation of water demand reduction activities where necessary to meet state water efficiency mandates. In addition, and most importantly, when drought conditions result in actual water supply shortages, EU‘s Water Efficiency Section works with the public to reduce demands of residential and commercial customers and navigate through the water shortage period.
Senate Bill 606 & Assembly Bill 1668, require urban retail water suppliers to calculate an urban water use objective, in addition to long-term standards for efficient use of water. Included in these standards are water use targets for outdoor irrigation for both residential and commercial customers.
One of the key areas to reduce outdoor water use is through incentivizing the replacement of landscaping turf that has a higher water demand through the City’s Cash for Grass (CFG) Rebate Program. Since inception, Roseville customers have removed more than 2.5 million square feet of turf with an estimated future water savings of 86.9 million gallons annually after plant establishment period.
The City’s CFG Rebate Program continues to maintain its momentum, with FY2023-24 showing a consecutive year of record-breaking engagement by our customers: a positive sign of future water savings. In FY2022-23 budgeted CFG funds were exhausted in two months. In FY2023-24 the City increased the allocated budget for the CFG program by 10%.
Originally budgeted at $320,000, the program has already expended 100% of its allocation. In response to this high demand for the CFG rebate, EU proposes a $160,000 augmentation to the program’s budget for the remaining fiscal year, utilizing existing resources within the Water Operations Fund. This would enable staff to authorize rebates through April of 2024.
Staff recommends that City Council approve the proposed $160,000 budget adjustment to allow more Roseville customers the opportunity to participate in the City’s Cash for Grass program and enable EU’s Water Efficiency Section to continue to build on this strategy that helps increase future water savings.
| FISCAL IMPACT
The Cash for Grass Program is funded through the Water Efficiency operating budget in the Water Operations Fund. This requested $160,000 increase for program rebates will come from the available resources in the Water Operations Fund which receives revenue from water utility sales.
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ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) does not apply to activities that will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, or is otherwise not considered a project as defined by CEQA Statute §21065 and CEQA State Guidelines §15060(c)(3) and §15378. Approval of a budget adjustment meets the above criteria and is not subject to CEQA. No additional environmental review is required.
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CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLAN/OVERARCHING GOALS
Goal B - Support community engagement and advocacy
Goal E - Deliver exceptional city services
| Respectfully Submitted,
Bobby Alvarez, Water Conservation Administrator
Richard Plecker, Environmental Utilities Director | | | 
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Dominick Casey, City Manager
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