GSA Meeting 9/9/2026

The City of Ridgecrest held a GSA meeting on September 9, 2026, focusing primarily on budget presentations and discussions related to groundwater management projects. Multiple contracted agencies, including Provos and Pritchard, Stson Engineers, Westbound Communications, Capital Core Group, and Blue Mountain Development, presented draft budgets for 2027, highlighting project design, environmental work, grant administration, and communications efforts. The board discussed a proposed unanticipated residential water use relief program aimed at providing credits for high water usage due to leaks or other issues, with coordination planned between the groundwater authority and the local water district. Additionally, the board considered participation in legislative stakeholder meetings concerning data center impacts on groundwater resources. Public comments raised concerns about data accuracy in project appendices, legal and financial management issues, and the critical overdraft designation of the groundwater basin. The board deferred final budget approval to the October meeting and authorized staff to begin drafting the water use relief program policy.