Amador County – The city of Sutter Creek submitted invoices in April seeking $433,000 for payments it said the Amador Water Agency owes for wastewater services, while the agency contested some, saying payments had been made.

Sutter Creek City Manager Sean Rabe provided related documents after a public document request by TSPN News. Rabe in an email Wednesday said he and Finance Director Joe Aguilar met May 18 with AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo to discuss the letter sent to AWA Finance Manager Mike Lee, with the three invoices for quarterly sewer billing and other costs, totaling $433,880.

Aquilar in the letter said the invoices included unpaid quarterly payments from 2008-09, “clean up expenses based on year-end accounting for fiscal year 2007-2008,” four installments for fiscal year 2009-2010, and four more for 2010-2011.

Rabe said he could not comment on potential litigation, which was discussed in closed session by the Sutter Creek City Council. Rabe said the “city is currently verifying the amount stated to be owed in the letter.” He said “it appears that the city did not invoice AWA correctly for the quarterly payments in 2009” and “that has been corrected.”

He said “the city also received additional information from the agency detailing some payments that were made between 2007 and 2010,” and the “city is currently analyzing that information for its applicability to the outstanding payments.”

The documents included a 2006 letter from former City Manager Rob Duke to then-General Manager Jim Abercrombie at the AWA requesting payment of $319,000 for the granting of a “will-serve commitment for 13,500 gallons of average dry weather flow of effluent” for the service of sewer in Community Service Area Number 4 in Martell, at $4,500 per 190 gallons per day. Rabe in a memo Wednesday said the “city has no record of AWA paying for the capacity sold under” the auspices of the letter. Rabe said: “While the letter acknowledging the capacity sale was sent, city staff cannot determine if an actual invoice was sent to AWA.”

Mancebo, addressing the issue in May said the agency has paid the invoices it has received, and took issue with some, which were being addressed and verified by city staff. AWA board members said they intended to pay the money they owed.

Rabe said the city will send AWA another invoice for $54,000 for the March sale of 10 single family residence equivalents in wastewater plant capacity.

Former Sutter Creek Finance Director Jeff Gardner said as far as he knew, all quarterly payments were made by the AWA up to second quarter of 2009, when his contract with the city was terminated. He said AWA “had paid some amounts through the second quarter of 2009.”

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