Amador County – The Ione City Council will host a special meeting 5 p.m. Wednesday at Evalynn Bishop Hall to discuss the city’s options for a wastewater treatment plant.
The city released the agenda last week, which noted that the “City’s Wastewater Team will be making a presentation” to the City Council “in the continued interest of an Open, Transparent Process” and the team “will provide preliminary rate information on the (Design, Build, Operate & Finance) and public financing Scenarios.”
The notice said the “rate information is provided for the sole purpose of comparing scenarios and is not necessarily the rates to carry forward to a rate approval process.” It said “information will be provided to inform the public of the alternatives and for Council direction” to the Wastewater Team. The team will continue to develop either the Design, Build Operate Finance alternative “or the public financing alternative to lower project costs and associated rates.”
Ione City Council also meets Tuesday (Oct. 18) and is scheduled to accept the Amador County Deputy Registrar of Voters George Allen’s certification of a petition to recall Mayor David Plank. The council will also consider a resolution to extend “a continuing appropriation for an additional 60 days through Dec. 31” to grant Interim City Manager Jeff Buzlaff “spending authority to allow for development of the fiscal year 2011-2012 city budget and continued orderly city operations.”
The budget discussion will include “consideration of appointment (at no charge to the city) of Keenan and Associates as Broker of Record for various City Benefit Coverages.” The council will also hear “further updates on possible additional reductions, retirement incentive programs, and General Fund Reserve balance.”
Butzlaff in a report for Tuesday’s meeting introduced “possible formation of a representative community “Blue Ribbon Committee” to assist the city council and staff through this period of organizational downsizing.”
City staff last week recommended reductions which Butzlaff said “technically got us about half way through our deficit, hopefully.” The Police Chief and Officers Association offered nearly a 40 percent cut, which included 10s of thousands in benefits concessions, and laying off an officer, a full time clerk and a part-time clerk. The city must cut its budget from $2 million to $1.5 million.
Six Service Employees International Union employees each offered one furlough day per pay period, and the Building Inspector offered to furlough down to one paid day a week, and offered to “work as many hours as I have to,” as 50 building permits are out to JTS Communities.
The regular meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday, and the special meeting is 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
