Wednesday, 20 December 2006 09:02

Plymouth Public Comment Shows Split On Casino Issue

slide4Last week's Plymouth city council meeting showed a city divided by the looming concept of a proposed casino that the town has been fighting for three years now. A number of citizens spoke out during public comment telling the city council that it is time to sit down with the Ione Band of Mi-Wok tribe and "make the best of their situation." Plymouth business owner and resident Maria Simon stated, "For 3 and a half years we have been fighting the battle and I am tired of it. I understand everybody's fear, but just as you respect Mr. Reeder's right to seek permits for subdivisions in our city, you must give the tribe that same respect.

You, as a council, need to stop discriminating and realize the possibility is a reality." Simon was referring to an over 500 home subdivision proposed by Developer Reeder Sutherland for the Plymouth area. Citizen Gary Colburn then took the podium and "personally thanked" the tribe, who was represented in the audience, and stated, "It's time to let the fat lady sing. You're strategic planning meetings have designated 25 bad things about Plymouth; that is exposing the past 15 years which have caused those things. I want to thank the tribe because they are giving us a chance to see what's really going on in Plymouth, and are giving us a chance to fix it."

slide7 Butch Cranford, advocate of the "No Casino in Plymouth" campaign, addressed the council and the members of the audience telling them, "This casino is a possibility but not a done deal. If you want to talk about respect, this community has spoken clearly and persistently for 3 years, telling them, the tribe, we do not want a casino in Plymouth and they are still pushing. Respect," he went on to say, "is not achieved when the tribe holds all of their meetings in Ione. The tribe did not even notify the city when they submitted their most recent application."

Councilmember Pat Fordyce clarified that the council does not talk about the casino as a council, and that there is a bad perception of what the council knows and doesn't know. She stated, "We do not talk about the casino as a council because, frankly, we don't know much about it. I heard several things for the first time from the audience tonight." The council has 30 days to respond to the Bureau of Indian Affairs with comments on the tribe's most recent application. City Manager Gene Albaugh reported that the city's current position is that they are not open to meetings with the tribe.

slide11 The council then jumped development subjects and received the capital facilities fee nexus study for the city. This study was conducted to identify the capital facilities that will be needed over the next 20 years, and the fees that will be needed to construct them. These fees will then be charged to new development on a per home or commercial development basis. Currently, the city consists of 1016 residents and has 234 employers; by 2026 it is estimated to have 2,812 residents and 667 employers, which calculates to a 5% growth rate. The study plans for 9 major capital facilities that will be necessary to the city at its rate of growth, those being new roads, water distribution, storm drainage, a new police station, fire station, city hall, library, corporation yard, and a new museum. The funding for these new facilities are planned to be allocated to 3 separate zones, the city, the proposed Shenandoah Ridge development, and the proposed Zinfandel development, with roughly 18,000 dollars in fees, per home, being allocated to each.

With the new capital facilities assessment, the impact fees for building in Plymouth are estimated to be $37,000. Citizens Stephanie McNaire says that price is unrealistic in Plymouth. She stated, "Jackson, Sutter Creek, and Ione all have incoming developments, we have to be competitive. $37,000 is steep." The city of Angels camp currently charges $23,000, Live Oak charges $30,000, Loomis is at $33,000, and the city of Winters charges $35,000 for incoming buildings. This facilities fee would be by far the most expensive fee in the county to date.

slide13 City Administrator Gene Albaugh stated, "I believe this study was done fairly, it ensures that the city will get these facilities up and functioning sometime in the near future." The nexus study still needs to be finalized, then a public hearing is expected in January and if approved by the city council, those fees will be implicated within 60 days of approval. Terry Cox then updated the council on the status of the new Pipeline. She reported that the water agency is in its last steps of getting the project out to bid and the estimated cost for the project is 7.2 million dollars, up from the original estimate of 6 million dollars. She told the council that there is an extra $1 million being added to that cost because of state concern over the amount of arsenic in the soil. The agency is now being required to replace the contaminated soil with new, clean soil. Cox told the council that she and the agency are meeting with the county today to ensure that the requirement is being enforced consistently throughout the state. Supervisor elect Brian Oneto assured the council that he will help them in any way that he can and told them that he felt the requirement was "ridiculous."