Amador County – The Jackson City Council received a mid-fiscal-year budget update Monday and heard that its finances were not bucking any trends. City Manager Mike Daly said tax revenues were in a steady decline for the city, including 5 months last fiscal year of payments totaling zero dollars. Another “payment” figured in January, a “triple flip sales tax,” corrected an overpayment, in effect deducting $76,912 for last month. Daly said 2007-2008 had zero sales tax receipts in August, September, November, December and March. Jackson sales tax revenue in 2003-2004 totaled $1.23 Million, and dropped in the fiscal year beginning in 2004 to $973,000. It jumped the next two years, to $1.24 Million in 2005-2006 and $1.34 Million in 200-6-07. Last year, sales tax revenue dropped to $866,000 and through the first 6 months this year totaled $308,000. Daly said: “Obviously sales taxes have not fared well in the last couple of years.” The city has lost several businesses to Martell, including Safeway, Kragen, Mother Lode Music and Prospect Motors. Daly said the city had $87,000 in revenue sharing last year, down from $250,000 to $300,000 in previous years. The city has made $64,000 in building permits this year and should come close to $100,000 again this year.

Transient Occupancy Tax revenue is on “another area downturn,” Daly said, and this year’s TOT taxes total about $285,000, under the budgeted $310,000. Those taxes fuel the city’s General Fund, which he said started at $1.5 Million this year and is expected to end the year at around $1.1 Million. The city girded for the expected losses by not filling an administrative clerk position that came open, saving about $50,000 or $60,000. The city building department reduced staff from 3 to 2 personnel and Jackson Police dropped one officer with a vacancy that came up. Councilman Keith Sweet asked what they can do in the next 4-and-a-half months to reduce spending. Daly said “you don’t want to spend your way out of being a city.” Councilman Wayne Garibaldi asked when are members of the City Council is going to sit down with Daly and “talk about the future.” Daly said any time, noting that another good route is the revitalization committee. Mayor Connie Gonsalves said that committee’s work included recruiting and retaining businesses. Gonsalves appointed Councilmen Sweet and Pat Crew to the committee to work with Daly. Gonsalves said: “Just keep us posted.” In another sign of the times, Daly said the ACTC told that the county would share about $730,000 from the Federal Economic Stimulus bill for road projects. Meanwhile, ACTC gathered a list of prospective projects around Amador County, with an estimated total price tag of $88 Million. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).