Amador County – Amador Water Agency board of directors hosted a budget workshop last week, and plan another this week as the fiscal year nears an end.

Staff led directors through the draft budget during the workshop last Tuesday, June 19, starting with a list of 40 capital improvement projects with priority rankings. General Manager Gene Mancebo said the Engineering Committee made the list, and the budget has a lot fewer projects than it could have.

Top priorities are determined by liability issues, risk management, and “must do” projects. About 26 are numbered in the Number 1 category, and may be required by regulations or for health and safety. Seven of those are tops, labeled as 1-A, including three bridge projects that require design and/or construction for utility relocation. All three are required, as is a Buckhorn water treatment plant compliance project.

Field Operations Manager Chris McKeage said the hours of distribution and engineering are split by one person, and “we’re about half a person short to get all the engineering done” on the projects.

Work in Ione to get interim water treatment plant capacity is also crucial because “we don’t want building permits withheld because of a lack of capacity.” Participation fees will fund it. Safety and regulatory projects are rated really high on the project list.

Mancebo said rate increases under consideration are not in the draft budget, nor are the formation of a Community Facilities District for the Amador Water System, and related rate changes. He said the budget has a 3% increase in revenue, but a 9% rate increase at the Wastewater Improvement District Number 1 was suspended by the AWA board until they get through working on the budget. President Gary Thomas said they hope to look at reducing the increase with the budget work.

Karen Gish, office manager, said the budget assumes wages and benefits are up 10%, based on memorandums of understanding and contracts in place with employees. Director Paul Molinelli Senior said the cost to provide that was anticipated. Mancebo recommended they refer that to the personnel committee or the budget and finance committee for negotiations.

Director Art Toy asked if the half a full-time-equivalent engineer deficit was in the budget. Controller Marvin Davis said the budget is running lean, and operating revenues are $176,000 short. The draft budget had total operating revenues of $11.8 million dollars, and total operating expenses of just over $12 million.

The AWA board will hold a special meeting for another budget workshop starting at 2 p.m. Monday, June 25 at the agency office, at 12800 Ridge Road in Sutter Creek.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Ione City Council last week approved activating a new aerator unit at its wastewater storage Pond 5 that may end up helping the city find a less costly solution to its sewer problems.

The Council approved a new contract with wastewater consultant Winzler & Kelly and heard a report of the status of a “Report of Waste Discharge,” which is due by the end of July.

Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff said the City is looking at compliance requirements of the Cease and Desist Order from the state, which orders that Ione remove manganese and iron corruption from its storage pond seepage into Sutter Creek, or apply for a permit to make the discharge.

The council gave authorization to go forward with a solar circulator, an aerator in Pond 5 to circulate and modify the iron and manganese levels of concentration in the water, by mixing it. The city started a lease-purchase arrangement for the aerator, Butzlaff said, and if it get outcomes that we’re hoping to attain,” it could minimize work on stratification levels and better oxygenate water in pond, and the pond can overcome the iron and manganese degradation.

Winzler & Kelly, through sampling, found Pond 5 was worst, and received state approval to try degradation changes with the aerator. Butzlaff said Ponds 6 and 7 did not have a problem, and this was clearly defined by depth testing.

The approach was not what the seepage discharge compliance plan indicated, he said. The report said the high iron and manganese issues may have been caused by heavy sludge at bottom of pond, but sampling and testing showed it was not the cause. It was caused by colder water, more direct contact with ground water, because Pond 5 is 4 feet deeper than the other ponds.

He was hopeful there may end up being no need for long-term financing and indebtedness – which could be the end result from a larger project requirement.

Ione will continue discussion with Amador Regional Sanitation Authority (ARSA) and Mule Creek on discussion with those parties with a more long term solution. Butzlaff said it becomes a basis for us going forward, with the least cost, and most conducive approach to a solution. It could also allow the city to not have to go through a Proposition 218 notification and rate increase.

A long term fix, including land irrigation can better work out with partners, he said. Last year, meeting Cease & Desist deadline backed Ione into a corner, but as talks improve, possible partnerships enhance Ione’s ability to go forward with a regional, larger project. Costs were estimated at $2 million to $17 million, and partnering would mean Ione would not have to pay the entire cost.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Ione Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff said last week he is cautiously optimistic about the city’s chance of getting “basic aid” funding restored to Ione, Amador County and her cities, after attending Legislative hearings, and seeing a Senate committee planning to address the issue Monday (June 25).

Amador and Mono Counties lost property taxes and Vehicle License Fees (VLF) due to “basic aid” finance policy issues. Ione lost just under $400,000 the last two years because Amador Unified went basic aid, Butzlaff said. Ione lost $190,000 the first year and $163,000 this year, part of License Fees that would have been transferred as property tax, as done throughout state, but it can no longer occur because of basic aid status of the School District.

Alyson Huber’s Assembly Bill 1191, if passed, would correct this problem and the city will get another $160,000 a year. In addition, an amendment being considered would hopefully fund 2010-11 and 2011-12 revenues that we did not receive, Butzlaff said. AB1191 would take effect and set up a new process of accessing this money starting July 1.

He said there is some money in the governor’s budget for one of those years and also discussion of amending AB1191 to provide for restoration of 2010-11 and 2011-12 funds.

Butzlaff said the amendment looks favorable and right now we are very encouraged. He said: “We’re the poster child of this issue, because Ione is the most dependent on the VLF, because of the prison.” In 2004, Ione had a boon market in housing prices. It got to more than $800,000 five years ago, but that has dropped because housing prices have dropped.

Butzlaff said “it looks very promising that this will be resolved,” and the city “will recover one and possibly two of the years lost.” He said $350,000 “would be available to us that we would have otherwise received,” but it will not become a done deal until the legislative process works its way through. “We have reason to be at least cautiously optimistic.”

AB1191 passed the Senate Local Government Committee and other subcommittees unanimously. He said the question arose of whether this was an appropriation, but “the money would have come to us,” but was lost due to a breakdown in the basic aid process.

Butzlaff said: “We’re not asking for new funding. It’s simply funding that is already supposed to be happening.” The school district property tax went to us, but was not backfilled by the state to the schools.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-25-12 - Supervisor Richard Forster sits down with Tommy Fox to discuss the agenda for the upcoming board of supervisors meeting. 

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-25-12

• Ione cautiously optimistic about AB1191’s chances with Senate Finance Committee hearing Monday, June 25

• AWA draft budget work begins with Capital Improvement Projects list

• Ione finds aerator may help clean its Pond 5, and regional partners may help enlarge the project and spread costs

• AWA moves hydrants to list of dozens of top priority capital improvement projects  

Amador County TSPN TV Video, 6-22-12 - In this week's episode, Foothill Critters takes a look at the role of rescue dogs in Amador County as well as the benefits of therapy dogs.  

Amador County TSPN TV Video, 6-22-12 - Foothill Critters takes a look at the role of rescue dogs in Amador County. 

Amador County TSPN TV Video, 6-22-12 - Foothill Critters takes a look at some of the benefits of therapy dogs.

Amador County TSPN TV Video, 6-22-12 - Foothill Critters offers some advice for any one who is having trouble training their dog.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-25-12

• Ione cautiously optimistic about AB1191’s chances with Senate Finance Committee hearing Monday, June 25

• AWA draft budget work begins with Capital Improvement Projects list

• Ione finds aerator may help clean its Pond 5, and regional partners may help enlarge the project and spread costs

• AWA moves hydrants to list of dozens of top priority capital improvement projects