SAM is a joint powers authority (JPA) created by its three member agencies: City of Half Moon Bay (HMB), 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.
Regular Board Meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:00pm.
Locunity is a independent informational service and is not an official government page for this commission.We use AI-assisted analysis and human editorial review to publish information.
Lanster ParcelBoard of Directors4d agoJune 8, 2026
Board Backs Expanding Lanster Easement to Full 9.8 Acres for Flood Control Flexibility
Board members and public commenters agreed the proposed 4.5-acre drainage easement should cover the full 9.8-acre Lanster parcel to allow proper engineering of water detention and habitat restoration.
Why it matters: With increasingly intense storms and SAM's treatment plant in a flood zone, the expanded easement could provide critical stormwater detention capacity while enabling habitat restoration along the Kehoe watercourse.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
PPABoard of Directors4d agoJune 8, 2026
Solar PPA Public Hearing Continued to June 15 as Deal Complexities Mount
The board opened the PPA public hearing and immediately continued it to June 15 after staff said they are not yet ready, with unresolved easement and tree shading concerns lingering.
Why it matters: The PPA negotiations have been ongoing for eight months with the vendor JUA Caldwell; the deal is entangled with the lapsed easement and faces questions about whether projected savings justify the complexity.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
EasementBoard of Directors4d agoJune 8, 2026
Board Rejects Linking SAM Plant Easement to Lanster Deal, Half Moon Bay Signals Willingness to Grant Standalone Easement
Directors pushed back on linking the lapsed SAM plant easement to the Lanster property agreement, and Half Moon Bay's representative signaled the city would grant a perpetual easement without conditions.
Why it matters: The 1982 easement for SAM's treatment plant has expired, creating legal limbo that has already complicated grant applications and could block the solar PPA and future construction projects.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
CIPBoard of Directors4d agoJune 8, 2026
GM Reveals $2M+ in CIP Overages Across Six Major Plant Upgrades Since 2021
A detailed presentation showed how aging equipment, supply chain delays, and scope changes drove over $2 million in CIP project overages across six recent plant infrastructure projects.
Why it matters: The board debated adding contingency funding and cost escalators to future project budgets and potentially hiring a dedicated project manager, acknowledging that tight budgeting forces the GM to repeatedly return for incremental approvals.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
Resolution 03-2026Board of Directors4d agoJune 8, 2026
SAM Passes $11.55M Budget with Known Gap for Montara Force Main Project
Board adopted the $11.55M general budget acknowledging it will need a mid-year amendment once the Montara sewer force main guaranteed maximum price is received.
Why it matters: Pipe costs for the force main have risen 20% in recent months with 90-day lead times; the GM plans to seek board authorization at the June 22 meeting to lock in pipe orders before costs escalate further.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
Resolution 02-2026Board of Directors4d agoJune 8, 2026
SAM Adopts $961K Sewer Collection Budget with Safety Procedures Showcase
Board unanimously adopted a $960,662 collection services budget split among three member agencies for line cleaning, lift station maintenance, and emergency response.
Why it matters: The collection crew maintains 17 lift stations across hazardous terrain including steep easements and cliffside manholes; MWSD's share decreased after Seal Cove areas were removed from SAM's responsibilities.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
Consent AgendaBoard of Directors4d agoJune 8, 2026
Board Approves Consent Agenda Featuring Revamped CIP and Non-CIP Capital Reports
The consent agenda passed with new quarterly reporting formats showing year-by-year CIP expenditures and a new $417,000 non-CIP capital expenditure budget line.
Why it matters: The reporting improvements address long-standing transparency concerns about where infrastructure money is going by separating CIP from incidental capital spending for the first time.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
LCPBoard of Directors4d agoJune 8, 2026
Public Commenter Alerts SAM to County's Effort to Recalculate Mid-Coast Development Permit Caps
Sid Young warned that the Planning Commission and MCC are discussing recalculating the 40-unit annual development cap on the mid-coast, potentially banking unused permits from 2013 onward.
Why it matters: A permit recalculation could trigger a wave of new connections to SAM's system, particularly from large affordable housing projects like Cypress Point's 71 units, while individual homeowners remain frozen out until 2028.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
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