9413. (a) Each district may develop a long-range work plan, annual work plan, and annual district report, as provided in this section. These plans and the annual district report shall address the full range of projects and programs pursuant to Section 9151 that are found to occur in the district.
(b) If a district develops a long-range work plan pursuant to subdivision (a), the long-range work plan shall be adopted and updated every five years. Districts may amend the long-range plan before the five-year update in order to address substantive changes occurring since the adoption of the most recent long-range work plan. A district that prepares long-range work plans shall provide, either in digital or hard-copy format, for informational purposes only, long-range work plans and updates to these plans to the boards of supervisors and to the boards and councils of other public agencies with jurisdiction over resource conservation and management of every county with land in the district’s jurisdiction. The long-range plans shall serve the following functions:
(1) Identification of resource issues within the district for purposes of local, state, and federal resource conservation planning.
(2) Establishment of long-range district goals.
(3) Provision of a framework for directors to identify priorities for annual district activities.
(4) Provision of information to federal, state, and local governments and the public concerning district programs and goals.
(5) Setting forth a basis for evaluating annual work plan achievements and allocating available funding to the district.
(6) Involvement of other agencies and organizations in the district planning process in order to help ensure support in implementing district plans.
(c) If a district develops an annual work plan pursuant to subdivision (a), the annual work plan shall be adopted on or before September 30 of each year in a format that shall be consistent with the district’s long-range work plan. A district that prepares annual work plans shall provide on an annual basis, either in digital or hard-copy format, for informational purposes only, annual work plans to the boards of supervisors and to the boards and councils of other public agencies with jurisdiction over resource conservation and management of every county with land in the district’s jurisdiction. The annual work plans shall serve the following functions:
(1) Identification of high priority actions to be undertaken by the district during the year covered by the plan.
(2) Identification of the person or persons responsible for undertaking each planned task, how it will be performed, when it will be completed, what constitutes completion, and the cost.
(3) Demonstration of the relationship of annual tasks to the long-range district goals identified in the long-range work plan.
(4) Provision of assistance to the local field office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, and coordination of activities with the California Conservation Corps, and to the University of California Cooperative Extension, if applicable, in adjusting staff and program priorities to match district goals.
(5) Informing the public of the district’s goals for the year and the anticipated schedule of board of directors’ public meetings.
(6) Involvement of other agencies and organizations in the district planning process in order to help ensure support in implementing district plans.
(7) Provision of a basis for assisting the state in determining district eligibility for state funding under this division.
(d) If a district develops an annual district report pursuant to subdivision (a), the annual district report shall be completed on or before September 30 of each year in a format consistent with the long-range and annual plans, so that progress made during the reporting period towards district goals can be readily determined. The annual report shall serve the following functions:
(1) To report on the district’s achievements during the reporting period to the department, the board of supervisors and to the boards and councils of other public agencies with jurisdiction over resource conservation and management of land within the district’s jurisdiction of any county in which the district is located, and any agency that provides financial assistance.
(2) To increase public awareness of district activities.
(3) To compare district accomplishments during the reporting period with annual work plan objectives for that period and to identify potential objectives for the next annual work plan.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 585, Sec. 11. (AB 1902) Effective January 1, 2023.)