Sutter Creek – The Sutter Creek City Council last night returned to discussions of the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort, and were scheduled to hear about traffic and fiscal impacts. Mayor Gary Wooten appeared on TSPN’s noon news broadcast and talked about the meeting. Wooten said before the broadcast that the many meetings on Gold Rush were important and he had attended them while missing out on family time. He said he has grandchildren he has not seen in 5 months because of the importance of the meeting. He also gave up a part-time job with the District Attorney’s Office, to have more time to work on the Gold Rush issue. Wooten’s third term in office will be his last. He said he does not plan to seek reelection after his current term expires in 2012. But wants to see Gold Rush resolved, “either way.” The council last night was to discuss a fiscal impact report on Gold Rush, and a copy of the latest draft of that report was released by city staff last Friday. Wooten said the new report would increase the cost of a Community Facilities District that is recommended by Consultants in the study. Dianne Kindermann Henderson, of Sacramento consulting firm Abbott & Kindermann wrote in the report that “after buildout, the completed (Gold Rush) project is expected to generate approximately $1.9 million in fiscal revenues and $3.3 million in fiscal expenses annually, creating an almost $1.4 million deficit per year in the city’s General Fund.” Henderson said the study indicates that after buildout, the project “will not generate sufficient revenues, without some sort of fiscal mitigation measure, for the city to provide the appropriate services to new development in the project area. The study said “each year, a net fiscal deficit is generated by” Gold Rush, with the deficit cost “per residential dwelling unit” peaking “in the third year of development at $1,756, mainly due to the addition of new employees.” That cost levels off to $1,097 per unit. Henderson recommended “implementation of a Community Facilities District to finance public services. She said a “tax structure resulting in an average special tax of $854” per dwelling unit “would likely ensure that the project has no ongoing adverse impact on the city’s General Fund.” Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field was scheduled to comment on traffic mitigations related to Gold Rush last night. Field and staff assisted the Sutter Creek City Council’s Gold Rush Ad Hoc Traffic Committee in making recommendations to the council. The committee discussed regional and local mitigation fees. They also addressed 5 roads including Academy Drive, Allen Ranch Road, Valley View Way, Bowers Drive and Highway 104, and looked at a pathway to Bowers Drive. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.