Amador County – The AWA last week in a tied vote effectively put off a staff recommendation to order a stop to a rate increase notice at the Lake Camanche Village water service area, while a rate study is being done to look at agency-wide consolidation.

Director Paul Molinelli Senior said he attended a Camanche meeting the previous Saturday and water was on the agenda. He asked the AWA board last week: “Are we making things worse” by not sending the rate notice and moving foward? Molinelli said: “Are we making the situation worse at Camanche” and “should we just go ahead and assess them and get the $150,000 from the county?”

The board later tied in a 2-2 vote on the Camanche rate notice, with Molinelli and Vice President Gary Thomas voting to not send out a Camanche rate increase notice, which would halt the action, while AWA’s consultant continues with a rate study on having a consolidated rate for all agency customers.

Molinelli said if customers approve the 10 percent rate increase, by not protesting it, Camanche would get the $150,000 to start work on Well 14.

Director Robert Manassero, who voted to send out the Camanche notice, said Well 14 was not an emergency because “we had a cool summer,” but it went through a lot of energy, and finances there are the emergency.

Manassero said: “I don’t see any disadvantage to go ahead with the rate increase.” He said the county grant would be monitored in a separate account and spent the way the county wants. He said: “I think that should be approved to satisfy that problem with Well 14,” and turbidity issues, then “it could go up or down if that revenue plan does generate a different rate.”

Manassero said he was not sure how Camanche people felt. He said “Well 14 has slow flow and the county is willing to give the grant to fix it.”

Director Art Toy, who also voted to send the notice, said the “fate is not solely in their hands anymore. Now it’s tied to everybody” who is an AWA water customer. Toy said he would vote for a separate rate increase for Camanche right now, and let the chips fall where they may after the system-wide study.

Molinelli favored tabling the issue until after the Reed study, and agreed with Thomas, as it relates to consolidation that “it’s a balancing act” and he wanted to see the numbers first, rather than voting not to do it.

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