As predicted, discussion of the proposed Amador Economic Stimulus Package was the highlight of Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors agenda. But few expected a standing room only crowd of mostly local contractors and realtors backing the measure with overwhelming support. The premise behind the package is simple: promote new structure and home building through substantial reductions in fees. The details of the plan were outlined in a presentation by local contractor Paul Bramell, brainchild of the project. “For those of you who are not aware, the impact fees in Amador County have been raised dramatically in the last couple years…Talk to any local tradesman…they will tell you how frustrated they are with the high fees and regulations involved in building a home,” said Bramell in his proposal. In public comment, one person after another illustrated their frustrations in numeric values. New facility fees cost 7,757 dollars, park and recreation fees are 4,300 dollars and traffic mitigation fees are 3,000. On top of these are 439 dollar grading permits and encroachment permits of 625, up from 75 dollars two years ago.Home starts in Amador County are down from 247 in 2006 to 94 in 2007.

One resident spoke of a friend of his who was attempting to build a small home for his five acre property and expected to pay upwards of 25,000 dollars in fees. “I recommend we completely eliminate impact fees for a six month period,” said Bramell. Proposed savings could be between 15,000 and $20,000 dollars per home. When up country resident Debbie Dunn spoke, she relayed the crowd’s frustration, but also reminded them that cutting or completely eliminating fees for a time period could have negative results. “I think this is an economic trend. We can’t just trash all of our fees. We have roads that need to be fixed, and schools.” Supervisor Escamilla reiterated her point. “People don’t remember why we put these fees in. Because a lot of people come up here and say they don’t have a place for their kids to play. We need fees for parks and roads in Amador County. It’s going to take a while, we can’t just decide this today,” he said. The Supervisors plan to further investigate pros and cons and continue discussing the package during next Tuesday’s meeting.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Board of Supervisors made clear their position on a new bill amending the California Penal Code to define trespass on tribal lands. Senate Bill 331 seems to contradict legislation implemented after the court case Tillie Hardwick vs. the United States, which created a intermingling of private and trust properties where boundaries, right-of-ways, and infrastructure are often ambiguous. In a letter from the Siskiyou Board of Supervisors, Chairman W. R. Overman warned against the “potentially devastating” effects of SB 331.

“The ambiguities of (Tillie Hardwick) currently create frictions and lead to unrest within the Indian country. The plain language of SB 331 will provoke further unrest and exacerbate already difficult jurisdiction issues.” These potential issues include additional burdens for the criminal justice system, an interference with free enjoyment of private property held in fee by non-Indian and non-tribal member Indian owners, as well as removing long time tribal residents from their homes. The Board of Supervisors tended to agree. “What this bill would do is essentially involve our Sheriff’s office in tribal matters,” said City Counsel Martha Shaver. “Do we want to be involved in what are essentially tribal disputes?” The Board agreed with Overman that the new bill should contemplate such side-effects, and thus should be re-written to achieve its objectives without adversely affecting the unique character of Tillie Hardwick lands. The Board voted unanimously to send a letter of opposition to state legislators encouraging them to defeat this bill.