COMMITTEE AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Water Supply and Demand Management Committee
Government Code ? 84308 Applies: Yes ? No ?
(If "YES" Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code ? 84308)
SUBJECT: title
Receive an Update on the Implementation of Valley Water's Water Rate Assistance Program, Including its Current Status and Metrics to Date.
End
RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Receive an update on the implementation of Valley Water's Water Rate Assistance Program, including its current status and metrics to date.
Body
SUMMARY:
On July 13, 2021, the Board of Directors approved the implementation of the Low-Income Residential Water Rate Assistance Program (now called WRAP) to help low-income households in Santa Clara County who had been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with paying their water bills. The Board approved $1.225 million to cover the program's total cost, including $1 million to disburse to the community and up to $225,000 to cover third-party administration costs. Due to continued need, the Board voted on April 26, 2022, to extend the program and to provide an additional $1 million for community relief and up to $225,000 for administrative costs. On May 27, 2025, the Board voted to approve the operating and capital rolling biennial budget, which included WRAP funding of $1 million per year for community relief and up to $333,333 annually for program development, implementation, and administrative costs. Finally, on April 28, 2026, the Board approved the staff recommendation to augment annual relief funding by $250,000, bringing the total funding for community relief to $1.25 million per fiscal year in 2027 and 2028, to avoid a funding gap in each of those years.
To date, the Board has provided $3 million in relief funding for low-income families and committed an additional $2.5 million in relief funding for continued WRAP implementation through 2028.
In 2021, Valley Water selected Sacred Heart Community Service (SHCS) as the third-party WRAP ...
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