Amador County – Jackson City Council last week agreed it is the right thing to do to charge the Amador County jail impact fee, but wondered how other cities would react.

Councilman Keith Sweet preferred “developing a system of checks and balances” and having a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU). He said growth rates and land use change, and “there should be some record of who does what and who collects what.”

The fee recommended in the updated Amador County nexus study is $1,886 for a single family home and $1,282 for a multi-family unit. It also recommends per square footage fees of 36 cents for commercial buildings, 45 cents for office buildings, and 18 cents for industrial buildings. Supervisors also approved a Consumer Price Index increase for the program.

Councilman Wayne Garibaldi asked about county fees for a property owner before they build. City Manager Mike Daly said Jackson fees are $19,588 for a single family home, plus a wholesale water connection fee to Amador Water Agency of $7,820. The jail fee would put the total at $29,292.

Sweet said if Jackson was the only participant, he would not like to be the only city in the county to charge the fees. Vice Mayor Connie Gonsalves said Jackson supplies water to the Wicklow Way area, but who handles sewer. City Attorney Andrew Morris said it is in AWA’s Community Service Area 4 for sewer.

Morris said the County may choose to waive the fees and the city could too. Daly said “it’s still discretionary on the part of the city and it could be repealed as well.”

Councilwoman Marilyn Lewis said: “I like the idea of an MOU” and “I don’t want to be the only one out there and have no other cities participate.”

Garibaldi said Jackson faces critical water and wastewater issues, and “we’re going to have to spend a lot of money” to address those. He said Ione is in the same situation, and Sutter Creek may be too. He also wondered about having nearly $30,000 in total fees and how that is “going to compare to Elk Grove or El Dorado County.”

Garbaldi said he would like to “put out an olive branch to the County.” He said Jackson wants to do the right thing and hopes other cities will have the same attitude that it’s the right thing to do. Mayor Pat Crew said: “I agree that we should all participate,” but it is not fair if Jackson’s fees are going to go to $30,000.

The council tabled the issue, asking Daly to get more information and ascertain the interest in the cities. Garibaldi said: “We are interested. The interest is there.”

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