Jackson – The Board of Supervisors continued their discussion Tuesday on the feasibility of becoming a qualified donee for over 4,500 acres of regional land made available for stewardship through a PG & E settlement. The proposed plan dates back to 2000, when a bankruptcy settlement agreement with the state required PG & E to donate their surplus lands to public entities or non-profit organizations. After concern was expressed over how stewards would be chosen, a Pacific Land and Forest Stewardship Council was established to spearhead designation of donees. Donees can be land owners or conservation easement holders with a say over land use, but not both. It is expected that approximately half of the 140,000 acres of PG & E lands will ultimately be donated. Consultant John Hoffman said the county is competing with many other interested parties. Mary Adelzadeh, Regional Land Conservation Manager with the Stewardship Council, said “our primary purpose is to conserve and enhance these watershed lands.” She said “we’re seeking organizations interested in holding fee title” as well as “organizations interested in a land conservation role.” She said the primary role of a title holder “is really monitoring, with no management involved.” Amador County is among 19 entities interested in fee title on parcels of approximately 2,607 acres of land in the North Fork Mokelumne area, 914 acres in the Lower Bear area and 1,028 acres in the Blue Lakes area. Other applicants include the Amador Water Agency, the California Department of Fish and Game and the US Forest Service. Supervisor Richard Forster made clear his opinion that the lands would be better managed under local control, versus control by the state or federal government. “If the interests are held by Amador County groups then obviously they’re going to care more about what happens to that land,” said Forster. “We don’t want someone like fish and game coming in where they have so many conservation easements that they can’t “do a good job managing them.” Board Chairman Ted Novelli asked if it was possible for PG & E to change the acreage. Adelzadeh said they can, and “PG & E has an application pending with the Federal Energy Commission to build another (water) plant in the Lower Bear area.” Adelzadeh said the Stewardship council is already in the process of screening and reviewing applicants. Hoffman said there is a meeting scheduled for August 20 for all those interested in owning the land. Hoffman said the Stewardship Council will be meeting on September 18 to visit various properties under consideration. He said there will be a workshop to be scheduled in October to solicit the public input. “These decisions are going to effect ecology, wildlife and the ability to transfer water back and forth,” said Forster. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ione – The Ione Planning Commission voted to recommend the city’s draft General Plan Wednesday, and sent the document to the City Council. The commission requested more staff work on the zoning portion of the plan, and for definitions of the different zones. Commissioners Stewart Wilkerson, Mike McDermed and David Jenkins voted 3-0 to recommend the draft, with changes and clarifications made after comments were received, some as late as Wednesday. Ron Smylie and other members of the audience were concerned about the definition of the zoning, and McDermed said they were asking staff to clarify and define the different zones. Wilkerson said as a land owner, who lives close to Smylie, he said he is concerned about the effects of zoning on landowners’ rights. But he said the commission was also there and working for everyone in the city. Among additions to the draft General Plan, the commission added a map showing “existing conditions and anticipated future conditions for noise generated by vehicle traffic on major city roads.” City Planner Christopher Jordan submitted an edit to the housing element related to “very low-income housing,” with new text noting that “rental prices for 3- and 4-bedroom apartments, condos and homes were renting from $975 to $1,400, and therefore are out of the affordability range for these households.” A population density table was also added to the housing element, with ranges of minimum and maximum dwelling units and population allowed in each of 6 land use designation categories. Those were Rural Residential; Low, Medium and High Density Residential; Central Business District; and Downtown Transition. Density unit maximums in the latter 3 categories were 25 units per acre, and Jordan noted that “density bonus consistent with state law may be allowed to exceed the 25-unit per acre maximum.” Maximum population density was 39 people per acre for the latter 3 categories. The table include a maximum total estimated population of 17,258 people, and staff based its assumptions on data from the 2000 U.S. Census, which uses 2.64 people per singe-family household; and 1.56 people per multi-family units. The commission also added an “Action” section item on a “Child Care Program,” which said “In cooperation with private developers, the city will evaluate on a case-by-case basis, the feasibility of pairing a child care center in conjunction with affordable, multifamily housing developments or nearby to major residential subdivisions.” The program listed the city manager, planner, planning commission and city council and responsible for the program, and funding from the General Fund. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – The City of Sutter Creek City Council on Monday directed staff to continue working with city employee representatives for 3 week to try “to come to an agreement on the expired contracts for each union.” The finance committee, made up of Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Murphy and Councilwoman Linda Rianda, will join Rabe and City Manager Rob Duke as the negotiation team for the city, to work to resolve contract disputes with the Service Employees International Union and the Sutter Creek Police Officer’s Association. POA was to meet with the committee next week, and SEIU representatives were to meet this week. Rabe said the negotiation team has been meeting on a regular basis with the 2 associations since early June. The city council’s original deadline to finish negotiations passed without resolution July 15th. Rabe said “while progress was being made” in talks, the latest “did not provide any movement on either side.” As a result, the POA declared an impasse July 29 and sought the council to do the same. The SEIU did not declare an impasse as of Monday, and the council did not declare an impasse with either group Monday. Had the council declared impasses, it would have activated the negotiations’ “last and final offer” for a contract to each union. The council instead “directed the finance committee to continue working with each group for a period of 3 weeks, with the ultimate goal of coming to an agreement with each association.” Rabe said: “the Council recognized that we are very close to an agreement.” The council took “several steps to decrease the General Fund deficit,” he said, including: “termination of two management positions; consolidation of department head duties” under Duke and Rabe; and leaving vacant a Public Works Director post, with duties to be absorbed by Rabe. The council also revised a purchase agreement for the Knight Foundry to prevent any General Fund expenditures from being used for the purchase. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.