Amador County – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors on Friday approved a $10.9 million dollar budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with at least 8 percent rate increases planned to take effect agency-wide. In a “move designed to minimize future rate increases,” the board cut $631,000 dollars in operating costs from the agency’s 2009-2010 budget. The final budget, with rate increases planned for all AWA water and wastewater systems, was approved Friday with a 5-0 vote, after a series of 3 day-long budget workshops. AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie said the approved budget will reduce rate increases that were already scheduled to go into effect for 2 systems starting July 1st. AWA District 1 director Bill Condrashoff told the Jackson City Council and the public Monday that they all knew the AWS rates were going up in July, but he said the good news is that they were not going up quite as much. A scheduled 12 percent increase for Amador Water System water rates will be reduced to an 8 percent increase, and Martell Wastewater System rates will go up 15 percent instead of a previously approved 25 percent. Directors and staff hoped the budget cuts would be enough to hold water rates for other systems in the AWA at an 8 percent increase for next fiscal year. Agency General Manager Jim Abercrombie said those systems – Lake Camanche Village water and wastewater, Central Amador Water Project retail water and 10 small wastewater systems in Improvement District Number 1 – have not seen a rate increase since 2006. Rates for those systems have not yet moved through the California Proposition 218 notification and hearing process for rate changes. The $631,000 dollars in cuts affects all agency departments, including holding off on replacing equipment, delaying some employee training, and potential elimination of all “cost of living” and merit pay raises. Staff layoffs are a possibility if enough other cost reductions can’t be found. Abercrombie will meet with the employee associations to discuss voluntary retirement and severance programs. He said: “Our challenge now is to tighten the belt while we continue to meet increasingly tough and costly new state regulations and fulfill our commitment to public health and safety.” He said “closing the budget gap could get much more difficult if hoped-for grant funds aren’t forthcoming or if the state appropriates the agency’s annual property tax revenue later this summer.” AWA directors plan to revisit the 2009-2010 budget again in October. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 00:30
Amador Water Agency
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors on Friday approved a $10.9 million dollar budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with at least 8 percent rate increases planned to take effect agency-wide. In a “move designed to minimize future rate increases,” the board cut $631,000 dollars in operating costs from the agency’s 2009-2010 budget. The final budget, with rate increases planned for all AWA water and wastewater systems, was approved Friday with a 5-0 vote, after a series of 3 day-long budget workshops. AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie said the approved budget will reduce rate increases that were already scheduled to go into effect for 2 systems starting July 1st. AWA District 1 director Bill Condrashoff told the Jackson City Council and the public Monday that they all knew the AWS rates were going up in July, but he said the good news is that they were not going up quite as much. A scheduled 12 percent increase for Amador Water System water rates will be reduced to an 8 percent increase, and Martell Wastewater System rates will go up 15 percent instead of a previously approved 25 percent. Directors and staff hoped the budget cuts would be enough to hold water rates for other systems in the AWA at an 8 percent increase for next fiscal year. Agency General Manager Jim Abercrombie said those systems – Lake Camanche Village water and wastewater, Central Amador Water Project retail water and 10 small wastewater systems in Improvement District Number 1 – have not seen a rate increase since 2006. Rates for those systems have not yet moved through the California Proposition 218 notification and hearing process for rate changes. The $631,000 dollars in cuts affects all agency departments, including holding off on replacing equipment, delaying some employee training, and potential elimination of all “cost of living” and merit pay raises. Staff layoffs are a possibility if enough other cost reductions can’t be found. Abercrombie will meet with the employee associations to discuss voluntary retirement and severance programs. He said: “Our challenge now is to tighten the belt while we continue to meet increasingly tough and costly new state regulations and fulfill our commitment to public health and safety.” He said “closing the budget gap could get much more difficult if hoped-for grant funds aren’t forthcoming or if the state appropriates the agency’s annual property tax revenue later this summer.” AWA directors plan to revisit the 2009-2010 budget again in October. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
