Amador County – Ione City Council on Tuesday approved initiation of a contract with PERC Water to design, build, finance and operate a new wastewater treatment plant. The vote was 3-1 with one abstention. Mayor David Plank, Andrea Bonham and Daniel Epperson voted yes; Vice Mayor Ron Smylie voted no; and Lloyd Oneto abstained.
Also Tuesday, the group “Voice in Ione” led by James Nevin filed a notice of their intention to circulate a recall petition against Plank. The filing said Plank “supported economic policies that have drained our city’s ‘Total Cash and Investments’ from $9 million dollars in 2006 to $2.3 million in 2011,” and “approved the current Ione City Budget which was revealed to be $199,999 deficit the night of your vote.”
Nevin in the filing said Plank “without fail supported the former Ione’s City Manager’s financial agenda, characterized in” her own words as “spending more than we’re taking in.”
Nevin’s filing said: “Without seeking either alternatives or competitive bids you have pressed for the construction of a new $17 million dollar wastewater plant which would require tripling current sewer rates to finance.”
The notice said he “approved spending of over $850,000 in legal fees during the past three years,” and a contract “extension which could increase the Police Chief’s pension by up to 38 percent.”
Nevin in the filing said as Mayor, Plank “alone denied an Ione citizen his Constitutional Right to freely express his opinion before the City Council,” and “violated the Constitution, your Oath of Office and the trust of the people.”
Plank will have 10 days to file a reply. The Council did not discuss the notice Tuesday, but some issues were addressed in discussion of the wastewater plant contract. One included the estimated cost of $17 million. City Manager Kim Kerr said the cost of the new wastewater treatment plant would not be known until 30 percent of the project is designed. She said the capacity of the proposed project was reduced from 4.8 million gallons a day to 533,000 gallons a day.
Regarding competitive bidding, City Attorney Kristen Castanos said a Request for Proposals was not required for a project that is “Design-Build-Finance-Operate.” Kerr said it is a “public-private partnership.” Castanos said nevertheless, RFPs went out and three companies made proposals, but two took themselves out of contention.
A Teichert representative said they pulled out because the market uncertainty of a 30-year agreement with the city. He said they came back to the last meeting because he heard there might be 30 percent design contract.
PERC’s representative, Bob Gillette, said the company stands by its proposal, which includes getting the new sewer plant designed, built, financed and operating for 30 days before the city has to make any payment. The cost share is part of the contract negotiation, which is the next step, Kerr said.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
