Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors last week received an award from the California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions for funding a county-wide Municipal Services Review in 2008. Amador County LAFCO Executive Director Roseanne Chamberlain made an unexpected presentation of the award last Thursday during a public comment period, saying that AWA’s actions in joining the study as an “imaginative way” to get things done. Chamberlain said state LAFCO presented its Government Leadership Award to several Amador County area government agencies at its recent annual meeting in October. The award winners are the cities of Amador City, Ione, Jackson, Plymouth, and Sutter Creek; Amador County, Amador County Transportation Commission, Amador Water Agency, and Pine Grove Community Services District. Chamberlain said Amador LAFCO, a participating member of the state association, submitted the nomination. Chamberlain told the AWA board that Amador LAFCO was facing a $125,000 Municipal Services Review, required by a new law, and the agency did not have the funds to pay for it, when the Amador entities stepped in and funded the study. She said state LAFCO was impressed by the move, and selected Amador County entities over other nominees from large counties and cities, including San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles. Chamberlain said the award was given for the cooperative, joint funding of a county-wide Municipal Services Review. She said the “effort is remarkable because it equitably distributed the $125,000 cost of the MSR among those government agencies who will benefit from its completion, and allowed an essential report to be completed.” In addition, a comprehensive county-wide report was prepared because there was sufficient funding to do so. Undertaking the project on a county-wide basis generated cost savings of at least $25,000, she said. Every participating agency provided a proportionate share of funding, and Amador LAFCO put in funding. Chamberlain said the “MSR is comprehensive report with information about every local government agency within Amador County, including all special districts, county service areas and cities.” The study included descriptions of related non-governmental service providers, and has been called the “Encyclopedia of Amador County Government.” Chamberlain said LAFCOs review and make decisions on annexations, and Amador LAFCO would have been prohibited from doing so until the MSR was completed. She said the report is used by LAFCO staff and others involved in the governmental decision making process, and serves as a useful source of information for the public. The complete report is available online at www.co.amador.ca.us. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.