Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on whether to layoff 8 full-time county employees, due to an expected $3 million budget deficit. Supervisors issued a release Friday telling of administration recommendations to eliminate 8 positions in 7 departments. County Administrative Officer Terri Daly in the release wrote that “in addition to the 8 regular employees, the county will also cut budgeted hours for 7 extra help employees” who “do not work regular schedules, but are called in to work when needed.” Supervisor Board Chairman Ted Novelli said the “county regrets that the state budget crisis and the troubled economy have forced us into the position where we must layoff employees. Our employees are our strongest asset and we would not take this step if we had not exhausted every other course of action available to us.” Amador County initiated a “hard hiring frees” 18 months ago, which Daly said resulted in more that 30 positions coming open and remaining open. Last year, 3 incentive programs for early retirement, voluntary furloughs and voluntary layoffs, helped reduce costs, but “were not sufficient to prevent layoffs altogether.” Daly in the release said “we hope that we will not have to impose additional layoffs. However, we are still waiting for the state Legislature to act on the state budget. The state may defer payments to counties for mandated programs, which would put us in another credit crunch.” In a memo Friday to all employees, Daly said state budget “deferrals of payments to the counties are possible, if not probable.” She said the county is preparing for short-term deferrals of 1 to 2 months, as well as “an extended deferral (through September).” Employees who are laid off will be given 3 weeks’ pay, and will be placed on recall lists in case the budget situation improves. Daly in the memo said despite continuing efforts, Amador County “will probably end our year with about a $3 million deficit.” Supervisors meet starting 9 a.m. Tuesday in the County Administration Center, 810 Court Street in Jackson. Story by Jim Reece

Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider layoffs for 8 full-time county employees. In a Friday memo to all employees, Amador County Chief Administrative Officer Terri Daly recommended the 8 positions for layoff, naming the positions. Up for elimination are 2 Building Inspector 1 positions in the Building Department; a Finance & Administrative Supervisor in the Behavioral Health Department; a Public Health Nurse in the Public Health Department; a Web developer position in the Information Technology Department; a Library Assistant 2 position at the Sutter Creek branch of the Amador Library; the Airport Manager position at the Amador Airport; and an Ag Tech position in the Agriculture Department. Daly said “these positions were selected based on analysis of the organization, departments, services, structure and business activity levels.” They were identified as the county administration office looked “to find more efficient ways of operating.” Daly in the memo said the county “started more than 2 years ago looking for ways and implementing measures to be more efficient in delivering our services and to reduce our costs.” The county implemented 3 programs to reduce personnel costs, along with a hiring freeze. Daly said Friday that 27 employees took early retirement last year, while 11 more volunteered for layoffs in the last 2 weeks of December. She said Amador “had a salary savings of about $250,000 from people taking early retirement.” In addition, Daly said about 30 positions were emptied through attrition – “people left for one reason or another and we have just left the positions open.” She said a third program, voluntary furloughs of unpaid days away from work, had been effective, with 125 people participating in the program this year. Daly in the memo said “with all these efforts … we will probably end our year with about a $3 Million deficit, primarily due to dramatically reduced realignment revenues that are dependent on sales tax and vehicle license fees.” Daly said the “deficit will carry forward into next year’s budget and we will have to look for at least that much in expenditure cuts.” She said “because of automatic increases in personnel costs (Cost of Living Adjustments and benefits) and continuing decreases in revenues, we will still be in for a bad year.” She said in the memo that the county has “tried very hard to avoid layoffs, but the situation has become more severe than most people anticipated. We regret that this situation has arrived and assure you that the elimination of any position is no reflection on the individuals affected.” The Board of Supervisors will consider the layoff suggestions in its meeting starting 9 a.m. Tuesday. Story by Jim Reece

Amador County - The fate of eleven School District employees included on a list of potential layoffs has been delayed until this week’s Amador Unified School District meeting. Superintendent Dick Glock and board members were expected to attend a special board meeting Friday morning to hear proposals and discuss options with the California School Employees Association, or CSEA. During a standing-room only school board meeting on January 28, CSEA union members vented about not being informed ahead of time about the layoffs and warned of a lawsuit if such layoffs took place. During an exclusive interview with TSPN, Glock said that “everyone is trying to make a good faith effort to see if there’s alternatives.” He said that he discussed with the union president that layoffs were coming. On the list of employees proposed for “discipline, dismissal or release” are seven maintenance workers, one grounds maintenance worker, two secretaries and an office clerk. Two “confidential employee positions”, a Purchasing Technician and a Curriculum and Instruction Administrative Assistant, and two “classified management” positions, a Transportation Manager and Transportation Director, are also in jeopardy. The board has yet to take any action on these dismissals. Glock said he was forced to propose the layoffs after the State imposed a $1.5 million budget cut on the School District last year. Since last September, the School District has saved $700,000 by reducing spending to the “bare necessities,” said Glock. Other factors such as declining enrollment money have also helped close the gap, but Glock said the layoffs are still necessary when trying to fill the minimum $1.2 million hole. “The whole goal here is to keep these (mid-year) cuts away from the sites,” said Glock. In recent meetings, Glock and other Board members have reiterated their priority for keeping cuts out of the classroom. The union is standing behind its members and pushing for other options. “We will do everything in our power to make sure our members are protected from any unfair, unequal treatment,” said Rose Roach, Field Director for CSEA Modesto Chapter 7. Glock was expected to be at a meeting Friday to hear different proposals. The board will discuss the matter further in closed session at the next Amador Unified School District Meeting on Wednesday, February 11 in the County Administrative Building in Jackson. Story by Alex Lane

Amador County – The Ione Planning Commission will host a workshop 6 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall to review its draft Zoning Code update. Staff will request direction on changes to the draft, to be revised and brought back for a public hearing March 10th. City Planner Christopher Jordan in a report said “Zoning Code is a regulatory document that development must comply with, including specific, enforceable standards such as minimum lot size, maximum building height, minimum building setback, and a list of allowable uses.” Ione’s Zoning Code dates back to 1958 and has been amended in 1984, 1994, 2000 and 2003 “but appears to have never been comprehensively updated since its initial composition.” The zoning code update was initiated last June by the City Council and changes will be phased in, “the most critical items being addressed now, while other items will wait until a later date as funding becomes available,” Jordan said. Items to immediately address in Zoning include Code Structure & Finding, a Sign Ordinance and Historical Regulations for Main Street. Jordan said Code Structure & Finding will “enhance the structure and format of the Zoning Code to improve ease of use. The enhanced code would be used as the ‘backbone’ for any future edits.” It “will also include the development of a Specific Plan process for future new developments, consistency with specific state laws, and an updating of the findings for the various permit types to ensure that all permits have findings.” Jordan said Sign Ordinance regulations “will focus on standards for commercial property, particularly in the Downtown area, but will also address signage for home occupations and off-premise signs.” Historical Regulations for Main Street will “prepare amendments for historical issues for Main Street and some surrounding areas by addressing architectural consistency, façade enhancements, and compatibility with the existing environment.” Jordan and city staff conducted a series of study sessions with the City Council and Planning Commission to discuss topics for the update. Story by Jim Reece

Amador County - On Tuesday February 4, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office received a missing person report from the mother of Stephen Joseph Melvin, 62, of Pioneer. Melvin’s mother reported she had not had contact with her son since November and she was concerned about his welfare, as he suffered from various medical issues. An Amador County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to Melvin’s residence to conduct a welfare check. The deputy received no answer at the residence, but found a door that was ajar. A check of the residence was made, however Melvin was not located and nothing appeared suspicious or unusual. Upon checking with neighbors, it was determined that Melvin was last seen on Saturday January 24. That same neighbor was identified as being responsible for notifying Melvin’s mother of his unusual absence. Melvin was immediately placed into the nationwide Missing Persons System, as an “At Risk” missing adult, based upon his medical conditions. Melvin’s vehicle was subsequently located on Shake Ridge Road near Rams Horn Grade after an investigative records search showed that a deputy had checked on Melvin’s locked, unoccupied vehicle at that same location on Sunday January 25. On Wednesday February 5, in an effort to locate Melvin, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office activated its Search and Rescue Team, which conducted a hasty search of the immediate area. In addition to the search, a general area canine search and an aerial search by CHP helicopter was also conducted. The search effort was terminated for the evening due to darkness but resumed and expanded Thursday morning. Anyone with any information into the whereabouts of Melvin is asked to contact the Amador County Sheriff’s Office at (209) 223-6500. Staff Report

State - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed eliminating funding for the Williamson Act, resulting in widespread criticism in Amador County and throughout the State. The $35 million program protects 16.4 million acres of farm land from conversion to non-agricultural use, including wildlife-friendly agricultural lands and fields leased for hunting. A similar proposal was made under Governor Gray Davis in 2003. In Amador County, over 95,000 acres or 34 percent of the county’s total acreage falls under the Williamson Act. Should the governor’s proposal be approved, the county could stand to lose approximately $100,000 in subvention payments. Elimination of the program would also remove tax incentives given to landowners to prevent them from developing their land. In an exclusive TSPN interview, local vintner and agriculturalist Ken Deaver found the proposal worrisome. Deaver and others involved in agro-tourism have also expressed concern that the economic contributions from agricultural lands will suffer greatly. According to one state analyst, removing land protections will raise taxes and fees, and would re-impose sales tax on farm equipment and supplies and extend the sales tax to more products and services. Lost revenue would also push counties to raise fees. The Williamson Act passed in 1965 to protect open space and agricultural land from urban sprawl and development, as well as environmental protections. The act enables local governments to enter into contracts with private landowners for the purpose of restricting specific parcels of land to agricultural or open space use. In return, landowners receive property tax assessments which are much lower than normal because they are based on farming and open space uses. Story by Alex Lane

Amador County – When the dust settles on federal stimulus funding numbers for California, the Amador Water Agency should expect to be in a stiff competition for water and wastewater project funding. AWA Financial Services Manager Michael Lee attended the California economic stimulus workshop January 22nd in Sacramento and heard some rough numbers. He said at the time it looked like California would get 10 percent of the $800 billion economic stimulus package, or $80 billion. Roughly 1 percent of that would toward state-wide water and wastewater projects. Lee said that could be $500 million to $800 million, but that number might increase. He will report to the AWA board of directors at its next meeting, February 12th, when they will discuss projects they are targeting to be ready for stimulus funding consideration. He said the USDA, the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Department of Public Health will have state offices that could dispense the funding. “With water and wastewater, you have to compete for it,” Lee said. “It’s based on what the projects are putting forth, the severity.” He said if projects are helping small communities that are failing, they have a better chance. He said “it would be a lot better if we were just given our fair share of the pie, but we are asking for a fairly good chunk of the pie for a county our size.” Amador will compete with the state, including counties the size of San Francisco. Lee said the AWA has “5 good priority projects that we think can be moved forward to constructability fairly quickly.” Those are the Gravity Supply Line to serve the Central Amador Water Project; and improvement of the Lake Camanche Water System with a new tank, well and piping. Another is improvement to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant backwash and byproducts systems. Also, a project on the list would work on a leach field at Gala Manor. A fifth priority project would be to place a small diameter pipeline in the Amador Canal. Lee said the priority projects would have to be ready to construct this summer. Story Jim Reece

Amador County – Councilwoman Patricia Fordyce gave an update of the latest happenings in Plymouth at the Amador Regional Planning Committee meeting Wednesday in the Sutter Creek Community Building. Mayor Connie Gonsalves of Jackson asked about the funding of the Plymouth Pipeline Project, which is set to be started in the next two months, with ground preparation work. Fordyce said the projected cost is $10.2 million and was fully paid for by a USDA loan and grants. Developer Bob Reeder of Reeder-Sutherland, said the pipeline was funded by a $5 million USDA loan, plus grants, with the city obligated for $2.7 million in loans and the Amador Water Agency in for about $1 million in loan costs, due to improvements its system will garner from the project. Fordyce reported that the city was accepting letters of qualification for the management of the Arroyo Ditch, including physical rehabilitation and also legal delineation of water rights. Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha asked about the amount of water to which Plymouth has rights through the ditch. Fordyce said “they use miner’s inches” to describe the rights. Reeder said the original diversion rights on the Arroyo Ditch were for 23,000 acre feet, “but the question is adjudicating that. The number might get smaller based on historical use.” Reeder said he has heard form a researcher looking at pre-1914 rights and the researcher thinks the Arroyo Ditch may be pre-1872 water rights. Reeder said “that could mean something a lot more different for Plymouth. It’s definitely worth getting that right established.” The committee discussed having water and wastewater updates from each member entity, with consensus to divide those into separate meetings, starting with wastewater. They also discussed having the AWA give a presentation on its water system. The committee agreed to have a financial status update report from each city and the county at its next meeting, set for Wednesday, March 4th in Sutter Creek. Story by Jim Reece

Amador County – Sutter Creek Councilman Tim Murphy led a discussion on revenue sharing at the Amador Regional Planning Committee meeting Wednesday in Sutter Creek. A consensus agreed further study should follow, working toward a presentation that can be taken around to cities and the county board of supervisors, as an educational tool. Murphy, chairman of the Regional Planning Committee, volunteered to put together the presentation, saying he has the time to do it and he really likes this issue. Murphy said “if you can get the individual cities and the county to talk about this, I think it’s going to save the county.” He said they have to “come up with a plan” because the economy will turn around and developers will want to build here. Ione Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said there has not been interest in revenue sharing on her city council. District 5 Supervisor Brian Oneto said “I have not heard a whole lot of support for it.” At-large committee member Rene Chapman said she thought it was a good idea but it “focuses too much on revenue.” She suggested the sharing of services and burdens, while seeking to place businesses in locations most effective for everyone. She said it could be presented as kind of an idea, and get input from cities and the county on “how this could work for you.” Murphy noted that it was a tough sell, and in past presentations, “most items were controversial to somebody or other in the audience.” He said all government bodies in the county have “negative impacts on our neighbors because we are so small.” He said the revenue sharing was about finding a way to place growth where it will be most effective without fighting over tax dollars. The Martell commercial site “set up the county for the next 20 years, but where does that leave the cities?” He said one idea would be setting up a sharing plan to have in place for the next Big Box stores to come to the county. Murphy said cities and the county have the ability to negotiate taxes and there is nothing preventing us from renegotiating the city-county tax split to benefit the cities. He said that the issue cannot exist without talking about revenue sharing. Story by Jim Reece