By Jim Reece - The Plymouth City Council voted 5-0 Monday to cut red tape on its long-planned water pipeline. The vote sends notification letters for a November 17th public hearing for a possible water and sewer rate increase. It also allows the Amador Water Agency to go out for bids on the pipeline and was required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a grant qualification. City Manager Dixon Flynn said USDA and the AWA “requested that we have a financial plan backed by rates.” He recommended two options. Plan A would adjust fees around a 50,000-dollar annual earmark for work on the Arroyo Ditch. Plan B would remove the 50,000 dollars for the ditch to save on fees. The council chose Plan A. After the vote, Mayor Jon Colburn said that 3 years ago, when they first talked about the pipeline, the council agreed that “under no circumstances would we jeopardize the Arroyo Ditch – and I thank you.” City staff will send letters of notification to water customers and record owners of each identified parcel in the city. A public hearing will be held 45 days from Monday – on November 17 – to discuss possible rate hikes. Flynn said he was “very optimistic that there are going to be solutions” before the November 17th meeting. Planning Commissioner Marla Moreno backed Plan A, saying “we need to remember that the Arroyo Ditch has been with us for a long, long time.” Colburn agreed, saying “I see no way that we could throw the potential of a 100 million dollar water right under the train for this project.” Councilman Michael O’Meara said “we need to keep working on (the ditch) to preserve the rights we do have.” Colburn said the council would not vote for a rate increase, adding that “we are looking for the developers to bail us out on this.” He said zero funding for the Arroyo Ditch is “basically saying that you are giving up on the water rights.” O’Meara noted that the notification letter does not represent a city council endorsement of a rate increase.