The Jackson City Council met last night and one of the topics of discussion surrounded the Cable Television Franchise Agreement Renewal that was recently discussed by the Sutter Creek City Council.

Unit Chief Bill Holmes will formally end the 2006 Fire Season in the Amador-El Dorado Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) today, Monday, November 13, 2006 at 8 a.m.  The unit includes Amador and El Dorado counties as well as the eastern foothills of Sacramento County. Burn Permits are not required, but the Air Quality Management District will be determining “burn days” or “no burn days” until May 1, 2007 when burn permits will again be required.

This is big game week and last night downtown Jackson was  crowded with Argonaut Mustang faithful as the annual “Downtown Rally” got underway. Main Street was closed to traffic, with the exception of floats, the Argonaut High School Band and the football teams, for about one hour. The crowd was large this year as the Mustangs celebrated their fourth year heading into the CIF Play Offs. 

The California secretary of state is urging voters to go through their 192-page voter information packet and fill out their sample ballots before heading to the polls Tuesday. There are 13 statewide propositions on the ballot, state offices from governor to state controller are up for grabs plus there are numerous local races including a supervisor’s seat, several city council seats and trustee positions on the Amador Count Unified School District Board and the Water Agency Board, as well as, and two local measures, K and L to be decided. Absentee ballots have already been pouring into county elections offices.

The Amador County Elections department has reminded you to vote next Tuesday in the November General Election and now that message is coming from a less likely place, Jackson Elementary School.

Recently the annual health kids survey was released by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell.

The heat is on in Ione regarding the wastewater disposal, or lack thereof, for Mule Creek State Prison.

Late Friday afternoon traffic on Ridge Rd was tied up due to a traffic collision. However there was even more of a drama in the traffic back up as local law enforcement positioned themselves to pull over a stolen car. Apparently, a Sutter Creek police officer had ran the plates of the gray colored Hyundai Elantra when that vehicle made its way through the city. The plate return on the car came back as stolen out of Stockton. 

Tonights Election Results as of 9:47pm (unofficial)

The Plymouth Planning Commission met Thursday evening for a public hearing on the City of Plymouth Design Guidelines. The Guidelines are specific to the downtown area, and were presented by Paula Daneluk, the City’s Community Development Director. Staff have been working on drafting the Design Guidelines for the past few months, as well as bringing each section of the draft Design Guidelines to the planning commission for review and comment upon completion. Proposed amendments to the guidelines include: a map outlining the Downtown Area, which will be affected by the adoption of the Design guidelines; no longer processing building and demolition permits  through the Site Plan Review process; and portions specific to signage, landscape, site planning, and architectural character.

The Commission recommended the adoption of the Downtown Design Guidelines to the Plymouth City Council. Also on the agenda was the General Plan Update, which focused on Safety, Transportation, and Public Facilities. Staff has been working on drafting the Public Safety Element of the City’s General Plan for months, and has composed a list consisting of goals, policies, and recommended actions for the City. The sections presented under the Public Facilities element Thursday evening included: General Safety, Emergency Preparedness, Geological/Seismic Hazards, Flood Hazards, Fire Hazards, Air Quality, and Hazardous Materials. The stated goals of the Safety Element Update included providing a safe and hazard free environment for the citizens of the City, and the prevention of loss of life, injury, and property damage due to natural and man made hazards.