Amador County – The Ione City Council in late June held a special meeting to discuss the Amador County Grand Jury report based on a complaint in the city hall building inspection department. The board of supervisors released the report June 29th, and the city council met that same day to begin preparation of a response. Ione citizens were given a chance to respond at the meeting. City Manager Kim Kerr said Ione City Council “had a full house and most of the people did not agree with laying off the building inspector, and felt that it was an inappropriate investigation.” Kerr said the grand jury investigation was called inappropriate because “some assumptions were made,” and because Ione Building Inspector Don Myshrall “had not been interviewed by the grand jury.” The civil grand jury based its investigation on an October 6th, 2009, “complaint concerning inconsistencies in the fees charged by the building inspector for the city.” Kerr said the complainant’s identity is kept secret in the grand jury process. The city council directed Kerr to draft a letter for council to review, in conformance with requirements. The responses will be decided by the city council, likely at its July 20th meeting, and the council will recommend whether to agree with recommendations, partially agree, or totally disagree. The report recommends eliminating the “full-time building inspector position,” and contracting inspections on a part-time, or as-needed basis. The jury also recommended the city “establish a system to review permits that ensures the information is complete and that fees are charged consistently.” The report found that “building permit fees and sewer connection fees are levied inconsistently,” and “projects with no discernable difference in specifications are charged differing fees.” The report said the job did not merit a full-time inspector, noting that “in 2009, there were only 21 building permits applied for by JTS, a major builder in Ione.” Kerr said the council can’t be completely in disagreement, but “will respond on each question as necessary.” She said some of the findings were issues she was working on already. The city has been revamping its building fees, and some of those have changed, setting basic rates and specific fees for certain activities. Last week, the council voted 5-0 to approve a first reading of an ordinance banning medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. The ordinance is scheduled for a second reading July 20. The July 6th meeting included no public comment on the issue. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.-
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Amador County – The Ione City Council in late June held a special meeting to discuss the Amador County Grand Jury report based on a complaint in the city hall building inspection department. The board of supervisors released the report June 29th, and the city council met that same day to begin preparation of a response. Ione citizens were given a chance to respond at the meeting. City Manager Kim Kerr said Ione City Council “had a full house and most of the people did not agree with laying off the building inspector, and felt that it was an inappropriate investigation.” Kerr said the grand jury investigation was called inappropriate because “some assumptions were made,” and because Ione Building Inspector Don Myshrall “had not been interviewed by the grand jury.” The civil grand jury based its investigation on an October 6th, 2009, “complaint concerning inconsistencies in the fees charged by the building inspector for the city.” Kerr said the complainant’s identity is kept secret in the grand jury process. The city council directed Kerr to draft a letter for council to review, in conformance with requirements. The responses will be decided by the city council, likely at its July 20th meeting, and the council will recommend whether to agree with recommendations, partially agree, or totally disagree. The report recommends eliminating the “full-time building inspector position,” and contracting inspections on a part-time, or as-needed basis. The jury also recommended the city “establish a system to review permits that ensures the information is complete and that fees are charged consistently.” The report found that “building permit fees and sewer connection fees are levied inconsistently,” and “projects with no discernable difference in specifications are charged differing fees.” The report said the job did not merit a full-time inspector, noting that “in 2009, there were only 21 building permits applied for by JTS, a major builder in Ione.” Kerr said the council can’t be completely in disagreement, but “will respond on each question as necessary.” She said some of the findings were issues she was working on already. The city has been revamping its building fees, and some of those have changed, setting basic rates and specific fees for certain activities. Last week, the council voted 5-0 to approve a first reading of an ordinance banning medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. The ordinance is scheduled for a second reading July 20. The July 6th meeting included no public comment on the issue. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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