Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors spent the early part of a budget workshop Thursday discussing sewer debts owed to Sutter Creek.
General Manager Gene Mancebo said agency staff was aware of a 2006 letter from Rob Duke and the purported sale of capacity for $319,000, and told the city about it because they were trying to clarify issues, that one included. City Manager Sean Rabe said he and Finance Director Joe Aguilar would have found the letter in an audit, “but the fact is Gene brought it to my attention.”
Director Robert Manassero said “what troubles me is that a $319,000 bill from 2006 is surfacing today.” He wondered by no call, and why the “agency wasn’t getting a bill every 30 days.” Rabe said “we were sending quarterly bills but stopped after 2009-2010. Director Paul Molinelli said “just because you don’t send a bill doesn’t mean I don’t owe it.”
Lee said “well over a year ago” they tried to meet with city finance staff to try to clear up what was owed, but that individual was gone and they “never met.”
Mancebo said: “We plan to make a $100,000 payment to Sutter Creek this fiscal year, in addition to what we’ve paid this fiscal year.” He said they hope next week the rest of what is owed will be rectified, but it hasn’t been resolved with the city yet. “We’re budgeting $287,000, which we think exceeds what we owe.”
Lee said AWA normally received three bills from the city, for Amador Regional Sanitation Authority, a lift station and a gravity flow, but “we haven’t consistently received all three bills in the last several years.”
Molinelli asked for clarification of a dispute with Sutter Creek on a wastewater treatment plant upgrade, which was “not included anywhere in the budget.” Mancebo said “it is not a dispute. We just never finalized the agreement.” He said they will meet with Sutter Creek and try to arrange a payment plan.
Rabe said the city is reviewing a $433,000 invoice it sent in April against payment info the agency provided. He said a March capacity sale of $50,000 will be invoiced, and the 2006 notification letter was sent for the $319,000 for the sale of capacity, but they did not know whether an invoice had been sent. Mancebo said he would look into whether a payment was ever made, or if follow-up letters ever came regarding the 2006 letter.
Rabe said his council must decide whether to enter into a payment agreement, which could be for 10 years.
Mancebo also said it was not appropriate for the agency to be told to pay the full amount “immediately.” The April letter asks for payment by July 1. Lee said “the expectation to be paid in full may not be realistic, in my opinion.”
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
