Amador County – The Ione City Council on Tuesday approved two contracts with city employees and the city police force for the next 2-and-a-half years. The contracts make individual adjustments on salaries to pull some employees up the regional industry standard while lowering others and keeping those at par on the same track. Percentages of raises range from 2 to 5 percent for the city’s 10 Service Employees International Union Local Number 1021 members, while the raises also vary for the 5 employees of the Ione Police Department. City Manager Kim Kerr said that excludes herself, Police Chief Michael Johnson and Finance Director Mark Smith, who are all contract employees, though she said the city is working to make the chief and finance director positions also salaried, non-contract posts. Katie Kaneko of Koff & Associates reported on her analysis of all city employees. She said she found “one base salary significantly above the market median,” 6 were within 5 percent of the market range and 5 were below market. She said salaries above the market range would get no raise and would be equalized. Kerr said that the discrepancy was because of an accounting specialist position that had a job description change to accounting technician, with a lower salary. Councilman Jim Ulm asked how police market salaries were determined. Kerr said Calaveras and Amador police forces were surveyed and the city did the work for Kaneko. Kaneko said the analysis was done by building a salary schedule with job descriptions. Job titles were ignored and they looked for “70 percent likeness” among duties. Kerr said police officers were 20 percent below market in salary and the report and the city “looked to see how (it) could get that corrected.” They are implementing the raise schedule over 2 ½ years and those salaries will be adjusted by July 1, 2010. The council approved the two contracts on 5-0 votes. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – Dozens of ranches in and around Ione literally made their mark at a developing new downtown Ione business recently. The newly developing Clark’s Corner café held a branding party recently and Mayor Andrea Bonham, co-owner, let ranchers come in and sear their mark into a section of wall. Bonham said 90 people attended and burned 63 brands on the wall. She and co-owners Kraig Clark and Kenny and Franci Clark re now trying to find more wall to add some historic brands that they were unable to fit. Ron Speer led off the party with his “R-Speer” brand. He has worked 3 months on the project and was given the first spot on the wall. Others included Amador County Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard Forster. The heavy steel cattle brands from each of the ranches were heated in a propane gas pot to red hot, then burned into the old wood, left from when the space at 12 West Main Street in Ione was Oliver’s bar. Also left from the old bar is and finely finished oak refrigerator, now used as storage and a display case, and another set of wooden refrigerator doors that will be windows to an office. Clark’s Corner sports a new yellow paint job on the exterior walls of the old building. Inside new lamps and vintage-style fans hang from the completely redone ceiling, and new flooring throughout offers more oak wood grain. A few weeks ago, Bonham hosted the Amador Chamber Of Commerce Mixer at the café. Clark’s Corner is behind schedule in its original opening day, but is scheduled to open December 13th, on the same day as the Ione Christmas Parade. Bonham said the Clark’s Corner will have old fashioned carolers singing on its stage. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - A formal request for exception from the General Plan was made on behalf of New Life Christian Church during the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. Pastor Jay Donnelly asked Supervisors to grant exception to General Plan guidelines and allow the church to develop a 7-acre parcel of land off Ridge Road donated by the Estate of Mary Lou Oneto. Supervisor Brian Oneto excused himself because he has property adjacent to the acreage in question. County policy prohibits the acceptance of applications for general plan amendments and zone changes until such time as the comprehensive general plan update is completed. “The intent of the moratorium is to prevent ‘piecemeal’ General Plan amendments…as these threaten the viability and long range success…as well as orderly growth and development within the county,” said Heather Anderson of the Planning Department. Donnelly said that his church had for the last seven years been looking at parcels to “accomplish the mission of building our facility.” He referred to Ridge Road as “church lane” because of the high number of church’s there. Donnelly said this “development will not threaten the viability of the long range success of the General Plan.” He said the Church would install a left hand turn lane off of Ridge Road for safety. Supervisor Forster asked if there were cases where other properties were allowed to make exceptions. Anderson said, “in this county, no.” Planning Director Susan Grijalva clarified that some exceptions were made during a brief period in the 1980s when “the State relaxed for 180 days for cancellations of the Williamson Act.” Supervisor Louis Boitano noted that if “they put a turn lane in, that’s a public improvement.” Supervisor John Plasse said he “wouldn’t want to see the church project (denied) and then become somebody else’s mansion on the ridge.” The Supervisors unanimously approved the exception with Supervisor Oneto withdrawn, but noted that this was only approval to allow an application for a General Plan Amendment. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The Amador Joint Water Committee went through about a dozen items Monday, among those hearing that the construction company for the Plymouth Pipeline is “on board.” Engineering Manager Gene Mancebo told committee members, Supervisors Ted Novelli and John Plasse, and Amador Water Agency board members Terence Moore and Bill Condrashoff, that the construction agreement had be initiated. Builder Mountain Cascade has a work office are identified and should start “brushing and grubbing” this month and should be putting parts of the pipeline into the ground by March. The work schedule plans for a December completion of the pipeline, which will link the AWA’s Tanner Water Treatment Plant on Ridge Road in Sutter Creek with the Plymouth water facility and storage tank on East Main Street in Plymouth. Mancebo said Mountain Cascade was not yet sure if it will have 1 or 2 crews laying pipe. Discussion included the “Moke River Water Forum,” which AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie said was not active now, pending a reactivation of state funding. But the forum talks about waters concerns and supplies in Amador and Calaveras counties and with East Bay Municipal Utilities District interests. The committee touched on 1958 water agreements between Amador County and East Bay MUD, which predate formation of the AWA. Moore said “we’re the one’s who seem to roll it up and hit East Bay MUD over the head with it all the time.” He said the AWA should encourage the county to take the lead more in agreement disputes with East Bay. The committee talked about the Wild & Scenic Designation for the North Fork of the Mokelumne River. Pete Bell of the Foothill Conservancy to the committee that last he heard from AWA, its staff was preparing a presentation on the designation, but he said his organization and the agency should meet. Bell said there was still a lot of work for Foothill to do before the issue was taken to the federal level, including speaking about it with Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Bell said they want to “run it by them. The last thing we need is to have somebody like PG&E stand up and say, ‘now wait a minute.’” Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The Ione City Council set staff to draft a letter in support of keeping the Preston Youth Authority in business after word of its risk of closure reached the ears of city council last week. City Manager Kim Kerr will draft a letter to the director of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and send a copy to Senator Dave Cox. Mayor Lee Ard said he was blindsided by news broken by TSPN last week, initiated by Supervisor Richard Forster. Ard wondered why Forster would break the news of a possible closure at the supervisors’ meeting last week, instead of taking the issue to the City Council. Ard said he has been explaining the issue since appearing on TSPN last week. Forster spoke as a member of the public to the Council, and he said he raised the issue last Tuesday during a supervisors’ public comment period “because people need to be excited about it.” He said he is employed by CDCR, but if he loses his job, he has another job, while “most people don’t.” He said “if you have people chewing on your ear, I hope you listen to them.” Forster said Ione is a “company town” because of Preston, where three generations of some families have worked, and many of his friends work. Gary Thomas spoke as a public member, saying Preston has a big history in town and serves a great purpose and he urged writing the support letter. Kerr presented a breakdown of Preston employees by zip code, noting that 101 of the 329 employees, just over 19 percent, lived in the Ione zip code. Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel said he was “dumbfounded that we have to talk about this. We have got to not allow this to happen.” He urged people to send e-mails and letters in support of keeping open Preston. Councilwoman Andrea Bonham agreed, thanking Kerr for the “hard data,” adding that “we need to make a hard stand” against a Preston closure. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - Proposed septic regulations for onsite water systems in California have raised local concern over property rights, added burdens for property owners and additional regulations and fees. Prompted by Bill 885 signed by Governor Gray Davis in 2000, the law would regulate discharge of wastes that threaten surface and groundwater quality. The California Water Resources Control Board has been holding workshops across California to gather public comment on the issue, including a workshop last month in Amador County. The proposal under consideration includes a number of costly requirements to be paid by owners should their tanks not meet updated standards. Owners must have their tanks inspected for solid accumulations every five years at a cost of $325. Owners of tanks within 600 feet of a surface water body that does not meet water quality standards could be required to retrofit their systems at a cost of $45,000. New septic systems must have filters that retain a certain amount of solids, malfunction alarms and maintenance manuals, plus regular site inspections by certified professionals. “The regulations need to allow for an effective, pragmatic variance process, where local government regulators can make site-specific exceptions…for local conditions,” said DeAnn Kerr of the California Association of Realtors, which opposes the law. A number of other organizations, including the California Farm Bureau Federation, or CFB, are opposing the law for similar reasons. "In these times of limited resources, why would the state put these requirements on everyone rather than paying attention to specific areas where there are known concerns with contamination of ground or surface water,” said CFB Resource Director Danny Merkley. Amador County resident Buck Bukrinsky said “people should realize that property rights will be violated at an unjust cost to all the present and future property owners.” For further details about the proposed regulations, visit www.waterboards.ca.gov. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The recent closure of Prospect Motors in Jackson has sparked a community wide campaign designed to resuscitate one of the largest private employers in Amador County. The closure came after Prospect Motors owner Frank Halvorson received a call on Thursday, December 18th from GMAC Financial Services, the corporation that finances his vehicle inventory and the construction of the dealership’s new showrooms. Halverson said GMAC was pulling its inventory because he was “16 days late” in paying loans on the auto center facility. Halverson-owned affiliates Amador Toyota and Amador Chrysler will be closing as well. The announcement came as a shock to Amador County businesses. The 33-year-old dealership is well-known as a generous contributor within the community, and has generated a large portion of the city and county tax bases. The ripple effect of the closure could be significant.

Five days before Christmas, Halverson reluctantly told his 80 employees that he was closing and issued their final paychecks. GMAC has been threatening to declare bankruptcy and negotiating with federal authorities to have itself converted into a bank holding company so it could be eligible for part of the $700 billion in federal bailouts. Now, community members are taking action in the form of a letter-writing campaign that, with enough support, could get the financial giant to reconsider its decision. The campaign has been circulating by email and through public media outlets. Letters can be sent by email to Mark Laneve, Head of GM North American Operations at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and to Barbara Stokel, Head of GMAC at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Jack Mitchell, Publisher of the Amador Ledger Dispatch, is hosting a rally meeting today, Monday January 5th at 5:30 pm in Mel and Faye’s Diner in Jackson. He is encouraging at least one or two representatives from service organizations in the County to attend. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - Surrounded by family members, First District Senator Dave Cox was sworn-in this week to once again represent the people of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Placer, Plumas, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Sacramento and Sierra Counties. “Representing the people of twelve counties is a great responsibility that I take with great pride,” said Cox, adding: “I am appreciative of the trust and confidence that have been placed upon me.” Cox vowed to continue to serve the North State area with the same dedication and service he has had for the last four years. Cox was re-elected to serve his second and final term in the State Senate on November 4th with 62.3 percent of the vote. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – According to Marilyn McDanel of the Fiddletown Preservation Society, two treasures located in Fiddletown will soon be open to the public. The Chinese Gambling Hall and Chinese General Store, both over 150 years old, have undergone extensive renovations. “The bricks have been meticulously removed one at a time and replaced in the same manner,” said McDanel in a release last week. She said the buildings came very close to imploding as the walls bulged and the cracks widened and were only months away from becoming ruins when the restoration crew stepped in. “With renewed life these buildings can, hopefully, withstand another 150 years,” she said. Leland Peterson Construction of Pioneer, the Amador Sawmill & Mining Association and Project Manager Carl McDanel of RKT Builders of Santa Rosa all worked hard to keep the project on time and within budget. The Society plans to eventually turn both buildings into museums. Despite a number of successful grant applications and fundraisers, the Fiddletown Preservation Society is still about 30,000 dollars short of the funds needed. If you are interested in contributing towards the restoration and maintenance of these and other historic local buildings, contact them at 296-6476 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Donations are tax deductible in most cases. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

The City of Ione made a sweep at this year’s Amador County Fair, winning best City exhibit and taking two Amador Idol first place prizes in the adult and junior singing categories. With a theme of Barnyard Mardi Gras for the fair, each city designed and entered an exhibit to represent their city and the theme. Sponsored by the Ione Business Council Association and the Ione Picnic Association, Ione was honored with a first place award. At another venue, Ione singers in both adult and junior categories sang and won first prize for the title of Amador Idol. Amy Hohn’s rendition of “That’s What I Like About You,” and “At Last” won the adult title. Twelve year old Karly Workman of Ione became Junior Amador Idol, singing “Reflection” from a Disney movie and “I Love You I Do” from the movie Dreamgirls. County winners are invited to move on the State competition. Congratulations to all three winners.