Amador County – Ione City Council voted Tuesday to hire two-thirds of a team of experts it will need to determine its approach to meeting state requirements for a wastewater treatment plant, while doing so with the least impact on its ratepayers, as the next big decision nears.

Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff said the Council approved contract agreements and deadlocked on a rate study, with dissenters wanting it to come back at a later date. Councilwoman Andrea Bonham left the meeting early due to illness, and 2-2 vote resulted on a rate study, with Councilman Lloyd Oneto and Vice Mayor Ron Smylie dissenting, and Councilman Dan Epperson and Mayor David Plank voting yes.

Butzlaff said the sentiment was that it needs to come back when they know what will be in the project, and implications to ratepayers. It may be brought to the next meeting, or the first meeting in October.

The Council did approve hiring a wastewater team whose members have their own expertise, Butzlaff said. They hired wastewater treatment plant manager Art O’Brien of Robertson-Bryan Incorporated. They also approved a contract with finance advisor Scott Smith, who has worked on JTS Communities bonds for the city, joining city staff of Butzlaff and City Attorney James Maynard.

O’brien’s contract was not to exceed $43,000. Smith’s contract was not to exceed $25,000, but was for finance work as a technical consultant. If the project goes to a bond situation, Smith gets a different rate as bond counsel, depending on size of the bond. The Pacific Municipal Consulting rate study was not to exceed $39,000.

Costs of the studies were approved as “not to exceed,” Butzlaff said, because they “had to anticipate a somewhat uncertain direction we are going.”

Butzlaff said Ione has 1,500 connections, a “relatively small number” to spread costs. They must meet Ione’s needs with the plant, and state requirements.

He said if a regional partner was to step forward, it would help give a “greater economy of scale through a regional approach.” Some discussion of a regional partner has been going on, for years, but it is getting to the point where the decision must be made. By October of 2013, Ione needs a functioning secondary-level water treatment plant, which would generate water for the municipal tertiary-level treatment plant at Castle Oaks Golf Course.

The new secondary plant could cost $10 million or more, and they have about $1.5 million available at the starting point to determine the best approach. Butzlaff said they are investing a small portion of “discretionary revenue available for capital improvements” into the wastewater team. The team’s work will determine what is the best project to undertake. It will try to find an approach with minimal impact to ratepayers that is responsible, defendable and understandable.

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