The over 94,000 acres under the Williamson Act contracts in Amador County actually account for a substantial percentage of Amador County lands states Assessor Jim Rooney. Currently the assessed values of those lands is about 42, 652, 000 dollars. Rooney states that if those lands were not under Willaimson Act contracts the assessed values would be over 3 times that amount, or 133,million 299 thousand ,000  dollars. In terms of tax revenues that roughly represents a 900,000 dollar loss to Amador county coffers. Rooney states that “The County does sacrifice for open space.” Under current Williamson Act rules local governments do receive an annual partial rebate of the lost property tax revenues from the state via the Open Space Subvention Act of 1971. Amador County currently receives about 110,000 dollars per year from this fund.

If the budget revise is approved Amador County would eventually loose all of this reimbursement. Governor Schwarzenegger’s latest budget revise follows after a recommendation from the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office to do away with the Williamson Act subsidy, suggesting instead more efficient means of open space preservation.  By ending the subsidy - which has already been responsible for preserving about half of the state's agricultural land - the state will save $40 million, which will go toward establishing a healthy and needed budget reserve. The recommendation is that the Legislature provide for the gradual elimination of payments to local governments for the local revenue losses associated with Williamson Act contracts. Citing his establishment of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Schwarzenegger states that the Conservancy will establish funding for environmental preservation while providing support for economic sustainability across 25 million acres and this, in turn,   justifies the withdrawal of the Williamson Act subsidies. According to Amador County Supervisor Ted Novelli “$110,000 dollars for our small county makes it tight.”