Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors discussed a potential new rate plans for its Gravity Supply Line project on Thursday, including consolidation of agency rates, or formation of an assessment district.

Public comment mostly opposed the GSL. Ken Berry and former AWA director Debbie Dunn read from a list of complaints. Dunn, deposed in November, said she was elected to keep costs to customers down, and the project “has to be something that is affordable.”

Former AWA board President Bill Condrashoff said “the public educated you” in a series of meetings around the Central Amador Water Project service area, held by AWA’s ad hoc GSL committee. Condrashoff said: “Stop spending money on this project. It’s over.” He said a Proposition 218 protest that stopped a rate increase in CAWP service area should prove that the project is not wanted.

AWA board President Don Cooper said “we are learning a lot from customer meetings.” One is that “the existing customer base does not want to carry the burden for future customers,” even though they may have been carried by the customer base when they came to the system.

Cooper said the other thing they learned was that “people are in favor of the Gravity Supply Line.” He said they could take it with a grain of salt. People “don’t want to pay the cost, but 75-80 percent are in favor of the GSL. That’s exactly what they are telling us.”

Director Robert Manassero said they heard that ratepayers “don’t want to pay 100 percent of their share,” but an assessment district would benefit customers by letting owners of undeveloped land pay in the future. “That’s the plus I see here,” Manassero said, and “trying to spread that cost on more people.” He said the “new conceptual plan” is a “is worth looking at further.”

Director Paul Molinelli said he wanted Supervisors to know about, and agree with the AWA board seeking an extension on the time constraints for the USDA grant, so they can look into consolidation or an assessment district.

Director Art Toy said he would like to “unhinge the time constraint with the cost” which “makes that conceptual study easier for me.” He later dissented in a 4-1 approval, preferring to “go ahead with the GSL project as described, then if the conceptual study proves true,” they can put it in place later.

One man asked for details about consolidation. Agency Counsel Stephen Kronick said “as to what that exactly entails, we haven’t formulated that yet.” Story by Jim Reece

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