Sutter Creek – The Amador Water Agency board of directors on Thursday voted to reduce the hours and pay of an executive officer of its regional water board membership, and also sought to split the membership dues with Amador County. The board at its last meeting voted to not pay the membership fees of the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority, and asked Chairman Terence Moore to ask the Amador County Board of Supervisors to pay the entire $36,250 from the Amador Water Development Fund. Moore said he addressed supervisors. He said: “I made a brilliant presentation and was turned down flat.” They rejected the full amount, with staff unsure of the amount of funds in the Water Development Fund, and unsure about the fund’s ability to make loans. Moore said supervisors also questions the 1/3rd split between Amador and Calaveras county entities and the East Bay Municipal Utility District, saying East Bay MUD takes “the lion’s share of the water,” and should pay its share accordingly. Supervisors also questioned the funding of an outreach program by UMRWA, and thought it paid too much to its executive officer. They were also concerned that the executive officer, Rob Alcott, lived out of town. Supervisors authorized staff and Chief Administrative Officer Terry Daly to meet at the committee level and discuss an agreement. Moore said the committee reached consensus on removing $3,000 from the outreach spending at UMRWA to $15,000. They also agreed to remove the authority’s stewardship of PG&E land, in effect reducing the executive officer’s hours from 446 to 366. On top of that they agreed to a 10 percent cut of the executive’s remaining hours, with a cost savings for Amador entities’ share in UMRWA of $3,500, to make Amador’s share $32,750. The committee then agreed to split that cost between AWA and Amador County. AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie said it would be consistent with supervisors’ comments. The AWA board voted to approve paying half of that, or $16,375, contingent on supervisors’ approval. Abercrombie said they could use part of $30,000 budgeted for grant applications to pay the membership. The vote also approved the Moke River Authority’s 2010 work plan, which included an Amador and Calaveras county “leak detection and repair program.” Alcott, who attended the meeting, said: “This is your JPA, I’m a hired hand.” Alcott said they would have to discuss what a 36-hour reduction in his work would mean to UMRWA. The reduction in hours would have to be approved by all 9 members of the JPA. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.