Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors studied proposed rate increases on Monday, then continued the meeting to May 12th. The workshop was to inform the board on reasons for staff’s recommendation to raise rates in Camanche, LaMel Heights, Upcountry improvement districts. Those include about 600 water customers in Lake Camanche Water Improvement District Number 7; roughly 300 wastewater customers in Lake Camanche Water Improvement District Number 11; about 400 customers in Wastewater Improvement District Number 1; and about 50 water customers in the La Mel Heights Water District. Finance Manage Mike Lee led the board through the 4 district budgets, discussing existing deficits and forecasts. Each showed the last 3 years’ numbers, and projections for this fiscal year and the next 6 fiscal years. Lee said Wastewater District Number 1 “won’t see a positive ending balance until the end of fiscal year 2014-2015.” Camanche water District Number 7 also showed its first positive end balance at the end of 2014-2015. Wastewater District 1 began the year with a balance of negative-$292,000 dollars and was expected to close the year a negative-$401,000 dollar balance. Board members pointed out a funding slump in salaries and benefits, and Lee said it was due to loss of a part-time employee, whose position was vacated and unfilled. Lee said AWA’s 3 wastewater systems have a total of about 1,000 customers. The staff has been the same 5 people, whose hours are spread between the 3 systems. Lee said Martell sewer needs more labor and Camanche may need slightly more that $180,000. He said his forecast to need $180,000 dollars in labor at WW District Number 1 “might be more optimistic than actual needs.” He said he was “predicting Camanche will have a smaller share on paper.” All 4 districts started the year with negative operating budgets and are projected to end the year further in the hole. Camanche Wastewater District Number 11 opened at negative-$385,000 dollars and is expected to close at negative-$413,000 dollars. Camanche Water Number 7 opened at negative-$400,000 dollars and should close at negative-$416,000 dollars. The La Mel Heights Water opened at negative-$103,000 dollars and is expected to end at negative-$128,000. General Manager Jim Abercrombie said the board finished discussing Wastewater District Number 1, and directed staff to review salaries and benefits and look at “debt service financing that we were considering.” No rate meetings were set, and the board continued the rate workshop, asking for changes to be brought back to that continued meeting on Tuesday, May 12th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.