Sewer Authority Finance Team Takes Field Trip to California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSFMO) Conference to Study Priority-Based Budgeting using AI

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

VIDEO. From the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) meeting on Monday, February 24th, 2025 at 7:00pm, as a hybrid meeting. SAM Director, Kathryn Slater-Carter, reports.

The Path to Priority-Based Budgeting

Seeking to modernize budgeting, local governments are looking to priority-based budgeting to enable budget decisions that directly align with their priorities and save money. This session will explore the steps toward priority-based budgeting, obstacles, and payoffs.

After providing an overview of priority-based budgeting and its benefits, a public sector budgeting expert and a City of Benicia official will explore best practices for implementing this new approach.
While local governments want the benefits of program- and priority-based budgeting, they often lack the resources to undertake the process. Speakers will discuss how AI modeling technology offers a solution to reduce the program budgeting lift significantly. Attendees will learn how AI modeling can analyze huge data sets to make logical connections and discover patterns in the data to predict programs – including inventory, costs, and scoring.

In addition, the City of Benicia will share real-world lessons from its adoption of priority-based budgeting methodology. The City will share how it has helped align its budget with priorities and will offer insights into implementing priority-based budgeting, tips for meeting technical challenges, and education for stakeholders on the value of rethinking the budgeting process. An implementation checklist will provide a starting point for organizations interested in instituting this transformational budgeting process.

CSMFO stands for California Society of Municipal Finance Officers. It’s a statewide organization that serves finance professionals in California’s local governments. 


More on SAM on Coastside Buzz


Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) Meetings ~ 2nd & 4th Mondays @ 7:00pm

SAM Agendas and Zoom Links

Subscribe to Agendas. Watch remotely. Comments and questions by email.

SAM Meeting Videos via Pacific Coast TV

Real Life Sewer Plant Tours

Where Does Your Poop Go ~ Virtual Video Tour!

Interactive “Story Map” Tour

Contact Us

Our regular office hours are 7:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The Authority can be reached 24-hours a day at: (650) 726-0124.

Our Address is:
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
1000 Cabrillo Hwy N.
Half Moon Bay,  CA  94019

SAM Board from left. Paul Nagengast (HMB), Nancy Marsh (GCSD), Scott Boyd (MWSD), Debbie Ruddock (HMB), Barbara Dye (GCSD), Kathryn Slater-Carter (MWSD).

The Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) provides wastewater treatment services and contract collection maintenance services for a population of approximately 24,000 in the following areas:

  • City of Half Moon Bay
  • El Granada
  • Miramar
  • Montara
  • Moss Beach
  • Princeton by the Sea


SAM Directors

SAM is a joint powers authority (JPA) created by its three member agencies: City of Half Moon Bay (City), Granada Community Services District (GCSD), and the Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD).

The JPA is a separate, independent, public agency created by the member agencies to perform functions and share powers common to the member agencies. Those powers are outlined in a joint exercise of powers agreement (Agreement). The Agreement creating SAM can be found on the Documents page.

Each Agreement identifies how the independent agency will be governed. In the case of SAM, each member agency appoints two members from its governing board to represent it on the SAM Board of Directors, for a total of six directors.

The Agreement also establishes the weight of each director’s vote. The vote by each representatives from the City is given the weight of two votes. The vote by each representative from GCSD and MWSD is given the weight of one vote. The total number of possible votes is eight. A quorum is a minimum of five votes and resolutions require at least six votes to pass.

2025 SAM Directors

Deborah Ruddock ~ Chair, Representing the City of Half Moon Bay

Kathryn Slater-Carter ~ Vice Chair, Representing the Montara Water & Sanitary District

Nancy Marsh ~ Secretary/Treasurer, Representing the Granada Community Services District

Barbara Dye ~ Director, Representing the Granada Community Services District

Paul Nagengast ~ Director, Representing the City of Half Moon Bay

Scott Boyd ~ Director, Representing the Montara Water & Sanitary District
 

mdrag
Author: mdrag

x

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *