Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors last week received an annual report on the Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee program, discussing the local agency shares of cost.
Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field gave an annual report from fiscal year 2009-2010 for the Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee program, saying it had about $143,000 in revenues countywide in that time, down from more than $1 million in better years. He said it was due to slight activity in new Amador County housing and development.
Supervisor Ted Novelli asked about the years in which Jackson participated as a member of ACTC but did not charge the full impact fees of $304 per “trip fee,” which it did not approved until 2009. Novelli asked “who paid it for them?”
Field said “nobody paid it for them, it was just short” by that amount. Novelli also asked about ACTC staff pay raises, and Field said one administrator had a 2.5 percent raise, and Neil Peacock received a 5 percent raise. Field said the “increase is in next year’s budget.”
Novelli asked how the staff salaries were funded. Field said staff salaries come from ACTC revenues, and “do not come from Regional Traffic Mitigation Fees, which is the subject of this report.”
Supervisor Chairman John Plasse asked why during 2003 to 2010, there were zero fees collected from ACTC member agencies, the Plymouth City Council and the Amador City City Council. Field said different cities came in at different times, mainly because there was so little building there. He said neither city has had a building permit issued since the beginning of ACTC.
Plymouth is still under a building moratorium, which began three decades ago, but is nearing the point of it being lifted, with two housing developments totaling nearly 500 homes in the works there.
Field said ACTC added the three larger cities on its board first to see how it works, with Sutter Creek, Ione and Jackson. Supervisor Richard Forster said “it took time to get everyone into the program and to build trust.” It also took time to put money into the pot to build it up for the “common good, and it’s done a pretty good job over the last five years.” Forster said it has done a lot of good, though it does not have much funding because of the economy.
The latest project, a realignment of Prospect Drive to Bowers Drive in Sutter Creek is on hold due to a delay in state bond funding, as the economy has delayed bond issuance.
The board the accepted and filed the annual report on a 5-0 vote.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
