Amador County - The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a new rate adjustment methodology for each of the two Amador County waste haulers. “Due to numerous requests for rate changes, and due to dynamic forces affecting the economics of garbage collection and the disposal businesses, the rate adjustment requests were getting hard to keep consistent,” said Solid Waste Program Manager Jim McHargue. As a result, an Ad Hoc Committee was convened to develop a systematic method to analyze haulers’ rate requests. The result was a new Rate Adjustment Methodology, or RAM. The RAM is a complex hybrid model for the next four years. The first year will be cost-based and the following three years will be index based, consisting of five separate indices: labor, vehicle maintenance, vehicle replacement and diesel fuel. Fuel became the main topic of conversation during the presentation. Supervisor Boitano questioned whether the model was feasible when considering the unpredictable cost of fuel. According to Public Works Director Larry Petersen, the program effectively factors in the cost of fuel increases and decreases. Paul Molinelli of ACES Waste Management said he was satisfied with the methodology. A motion to approve the new rate plan carried 5-0. The schedule to apply for annual rate adjustments requires the hauler to provide the detailed and index rate applications no later than March 15th. The new rates will become effective July 1st, 2009. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County -- Three of the five Ione Planning Commissioners hosted a public hearing and digested the draft Land Use Element of the city’s proposed new general plan, and elected to continue the public hearing until next Monday. The main item proposed was a High-Density Residential designation of acreage off Highway 124, northwest of town, which Gary Thomas called one of the more beautiful areas in the city limits. Thomas, other members of the public and planning commissioners asked how that designation was made and why that land was chosen. City Manager Kim Kerr said that the city is required by law to designate 15 acres inside the city limits to be High-Density Residential, whether or not it is developed as such. It has to be develop-able land, close to services. City Planner Christopher Jordan said if the city does not make that designation of 15 acres, the city will be “ineligible for a high number of grants.” Thomas, newly elected and sworn-in member of the Amador Water Agency, said he was speaking as an Ione resident. Thomas said if they had to relocate that High Density designation, they could move it to the Knudson property, which would offer a better walk to town. He said if Preston were to close, he would like to see it have a designation that would allow a junior college, adding that High-Density Residential across the street would blend well with a college. Commissioners Mike McDermed, Joe Wylie and David Jenkins asked Jordan and consultant Daniel Hamilton to come up with a different location alternative for the High Density Residential, other than the Highway 124 property. They also asked for notification of some property owners regarding certain designations they thought might be an issue. After public input and discussion, the commission reopened the public hearing and then continued the meeting to 6 p.m. Monday, December 15th at city hall. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The 2009-2010 California Legislature convened last Monday with all 80 Assembly members and 20 of the 40 Senators being sworn in to office. Amador County’s Senator Dave Cox took the oath for his second term, saying it is his “pleasure to represent the people of the 1st Senate District,” and thanking voters for reelecting him. The veteran Republican in a release said he “was pleased by the announcement of the new Senate President Pro Tem, Darrell Steinberg, that he would appoint all 40 Senators to the Senate Budget Committee.” This was a recommendation Cox made in October in a letter to Steinberg and Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill. Cox said he believes a collective Senate Budget Committee will “lead to a more comprehensive examination of the programs funded by the state budget, and it gives all Senators a stake in the final outcome.” In delivering his acceptance speech as the leader of the Senate, Steinberg announced that he will ask all 40 Senators to sit on the committee. “Californians are facing challenging times and the state is facing a historic deficit,” Cox said in a release last week. “By making the Senate a committee of the whole, all 40 senators will be more involved and more accountable in the budget process.” The current process allows the majority to ignore the minority until the very end of the budget process when a two-thirds vote is required for the budget and tax increases. Compromise must be encouraged earlier in the process. Cox said this change to the current process could help reduce the annual partisan gridlock. Cox said the time is now to improve the state budget process and increase legislative oversight. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - The Jackson City Council began its meeting Monday with the swearing in of three newly elected council members. Incumbent Wayne Garibaldi joined Marilyn Lewis and Keith Sweet in taking the oath of office. This will be the first time that Sweet and Lewis have served on the council. Wayne Garibaldi was appointed January 14, 2008 to fill the vacant seat left after the resignation of Drew Stidger. The new council members immediately took their seats alongside current members. The first order of business was the selection and swearing in of a new Mayor. Lewis recommended Garibaldi for the position, citing his years of experience in local government. But Garibaldi respectfully declined, saying, “I don’t feel confident at this point. My choice would be Connie.” Connie Gonsalvez was subsequently approved for the position. This followed with a resolution commending outgoing council members Rosalie Pryor-Escamilla and Alfred Nunez for eight and twelve years of service, respectively. Plaques were presented listing their considerable accomplishments and contributions to the community. Nunez took the opportunity to thank his colleagues for their friendship and support. He ended by simply saying, “It’s been a pleasure to serve this city. I enjoyed every minute of it.” Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors voted to move the Victim-Witness Department office and the Public Conservator’s Department office during their regular meeting Tuesday. The Victim-Witness Department will move into the space occupied by the Public Conservator Department, which will first move into the new Health & Human Services building on Conductor Boulevard near Sutter Hill. Amador County Chief Administrative Officer Terri Daly read a letter to the Amador County Administrative Committee asking for the move of the Victim-Witness office, into the District Attorney’s office on Court Street. Daly said the “Public conservator’s office is in need of more office space” and the county has “known about this situation for quite some time.”

The second issue was the Victim-Witness Office. Daly said it is located across the street from the old courthouse and the Victim-Witness office is budgeted to pay $13,200 in rent and “the landlord has expressed interest in our operation vacating the property.” Daly said the Health & Human Service building now has office space available and she proposed moving the Public Conservator’s office to the Health & Human Services building. Daly said “the conservator’s office shares many clients with other operations at the HHS building and the space is available to suite the conservator’s office.” She said the District Attorney supports the move. District Attorney Todd Riebe told the supervisors that the move of the Public Conservator’s office would open up space for evidence storage in the DA’s building. After moving the conservator’s office to the HHS building, the vacant office space in the DA’s office could then house the Victim-Witness operation. Daly said “moving the Victim-Witness office into the DA’s building would eliminate payment of the rent.” In addition, DA staff would be available to back-up and better support the 2-person victim-witness operation. Daly said the county would like to enact the moves by January 1, 2009. The board approved the moves on a 5-0 vote. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – District Attorney Todd Reibe announced the arrest of Joseph Robert Maita, employee of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione. Maita, 49, of Ione, was arrested on November 25, following a seven-month criminal investigation. A felony complaint has been filed in Amador Superior Court alleging multiple counts of insurance fraud. The investigation indicates that Maita filed a workers compensation claim in March 2008 alleging a knee injury while working at Mule Creek Prison. Maita was allowed to take time off from work and began receiving workers’ compensation benefits and treatment. The investigation alleges Maita forged a medical document in order to extend his time off from work and continue to receive benefits. The case was investigated by the CDCR Office of Internal Affairs, the Workers Compensation Fraud Impact Team and investigators from the Amador County District Attorney’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit. The unit investigates insurance fraud cases in Amador, Placer and Calaveras counties through a grant provided by the California Department of Insurance. Staff Report (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council finance and budget committees was looking Tuesday at ways to cut the budget by $150,000 to erase a city budget deficit. Mayor Gary Wooten told TSPN Tuesday that layoffs could happen before the New Year, but it was just one of several solutions the council considered to trim funding deficits. Wooten said the city was about a half a million dollars in the red, and with a $3 million budget, that was quite a big piece of that pie. The council adjusted the budget to absorb a $350,000 dollar shortfall earlier this year, but found that revenue trailed budgeted projections by another $150,000. Wooten said that the biggest expenses to the city were employee salaries, where the cuts could be made with furloughs or reduced wages. He said he attended a budget meeting Tuesday and had a finance committee meeting as well and they were looking at layoffs of part-time employees, but no full-time employees. Wooten said that was his preference, but he was only one vote on the council. Sutter Creek’s newest council member, Sandra Anderson, will take the oath of office on Monday, December 15th. Anderson is a past president of the Sutter Creek Business & Professional Association, has a background in banking in Santa Cruz co-owns the Eureka Street Inn Bed & Breakfast in Sutter Creek. Sandra Anderson takes the vacated council seat of Councilman Brent Parsons, who ran for the Amador Water Agency Board of Directors seat in District 4. Wooten and Councilman Tim Murphy will take the oath of office Monday. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council will host a public hearing Monday on a proposed wastewater rate increase for city and area customers. The hearing is required through Proposition 218 to have a rate increase by a public agency. The city announced the hearing in notices posted at the Sutter Creek Post Office, saying the “proposed rates are necessary to cover the current and estimated future costs of operating and maintaining the wastewater system and treatment facilities, as well as costs of wastewater disposal. The costs to be recovered include ongoing operation, debt service and replacement of facilities.” Bob Reed of The Reed Group, presented a rate study in mid-October and recommended the rate increase. The rates will affect city residents and also customers served by the city in the Martell area as well as Amador City. The current rates in Sutter Creek are $50 dollars and 5 cents per Equivalent Single Family Unit per month. That would increase by $22 dollars by July 2010. The proposed rate increase would change that to $60 dollars and 57 cents per family unit per month in January 2009, then up to $66 dollars and 27 cents per month in July 2009 and once more to $72 dollars and 57 cents in July 2010. Mayor Gary Wooten said rate changes, if approved, would be reflected on the next bill. He urged customers and city residents to come to the city council hearing Monday to comment on the issue. Reed said the “city has been using available reserves to pay for needed improvements to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant.”

The Amador Water Agency is expected to contribute about $750,000 dollars, or about 50 percent of “interim improvement costs.” The report assumes that developers of the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort “will pay costs associated with designing an expansion to the wastewater treatment plant,” to avoid the “debt financing of costs incurred to help provide the capacity needed by new development.” Causes for the current financial deficit in Sutter Creek’s wastewater fund were listed. Costs for materials, supplies and services (especially chemicals, lab supplies, engineering, utilities and sludge treatment) were $59,000 dollars in fiscal year 2007-2008. And personnel costs for collection and treatment were $34,000 dollars, or 8.5 percent higher that estimated. The city’s share of the Amador Regional Sanitation Authority wastewater disposal costs for last year was $294,000, “nearly three times the amount previously estimated.” The public hearing is set for 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Sutter Creek Community Center, 33 Church Street. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - For the first time in decades, several local fisheries will not be stocked as part of a lawsuit brought forth by two environmental groups. Lake Amador and several fisheries in neighboring El Dorado County are among 200 California lakes and streams where trout plants from the Department of Fish and Game will be suspended until early 2010, when a comprehensive study on its stocking program will be completed. The action is intended to protect over 25 rare native fish and frog species. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette was convinced by lawsuit backers - the Center for Biological Diversity and the Pacific Rivers Council - that scientific studies prove that fish stocking has a negative impact on existing species. The Kern River, where trout did not historically live above 7,000 feet, is one local example of the impact. The mountain yellow-legged frog was once the areas most common vertebra, but now occupies only a fraction of the range’s 4000 lakes.

Local popular trout fisheries impacted by the settlement include the Truckee River and the Kern River. Lake Kaweah and Lake Isabella will still be stocked. Lake Amador will not be stocked by the Department of Fish and Game, although they do have their own private trout planting program. According to Roland Knapp, research biologist at UC Santa Barbara's Sierra Nevada Research Laboratory in Mammoth Lakes, fish feed on frogs and tadpoles and play a greater role in species decline than disease and pesticides. Traditionally, stocking in California has been random without consideration for impacts on native species. Fishermen and businesses dependent on their business have been critical of the decision, fearing the financial impact this could have on fishing communities. Fish and Game officials said that while necessary and overdue, the ban could be unwarranted in certain waters. Although the stocking suspension will mean a major decline in trout population, Fish and Game said fish will still be available for the catch, just at a lower rate. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - Sunday evening, the annual Hospice of Amador & Calaveras Tree of Lights Ceremony was held at the Thrift Store in Jackson. The audience of 80 was warmly welcomed by Dan Riordan, Executive Director. The highlight was the official lighting of the tree. For a small donation a loved one is honored with a light and their name on a memorial board. Julia Shelby and Singers from the Mountain Melody Women’s Chorus provided musical selections, as well as a joyful sing-along. One Amador City resident who attended the event said it was the perfect occasion to honor her grandmother, who passed away on Christmas two years ago. Approval of the event was unanimous among attendees who arrived to honor the numerous friends and loved ones that the Hospice has cared for over the years. Hospice is a concept of care that treats the person, not the disease, and emphasizes quality of life, not the duration. Since 1982, they’ve been working to meet the needs of those nearing the end of their lives in Amador, Calaveras, eastern San Joaquin and Sacramento Counties. Staff Report (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).