Also discussed at the Planning Committee meeting were a set of guidelines prepared and submitted by Sutter Creek City Council Representative Tim Murphy. The guidelines are intended to open communications between jurisdictions which “go beyond the minimum required by CEQA to share the positive as well as to mitigate the negative impacts of specific projects.” The guidelines would be applied at the discretion of the respective cities or county as deemed appropriate, and would not be enforced by the Regional Planning Committee. The draft, which was also referred to as a working draft, was divided into 6 sections. The first section established the possibility of sharing sales tax between two jurisdictions for a fixed period of time to mitigate the revenue lost if an existing business moved from one jurisdiction to another.

Other sections required a fiscal impact study for any residential or mixed use development which requires an EIR, and considered sharing the sales taxes generated between impacted jurisdictions for all new major projects. Another suggestion was renegotiating the property tax split between the impacted cities and the county in order to make the new project more fiscally sound for the city. Ted Novelli spoke on behalf of the county regarding the sharing of taxes, reminding the committee that the county has “more mouths to feed and would require more of a share.” Jackson Mayor Rosalie Pryor-Escamilla stated that she “assumed that the lion would get the lions share”, referring to the city she represents. The committee felt some additions may be necessary and will discuss the item further at their next meeting on August 20th at 7pm.

Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians  opened two new amenities at the Jackson Rancheria Casino and the re-opened a third expanded activity at a special event Wednesday afternoon. Each grand opening celebration included a Native American blessing and a ribbon cutting. Wildflower at Jackson Rancheria is the newest addition – it’s an upscale, full-service salon offering haircuts, manicures, spa treatments, and massages. Wildflower offers services for men, women and children, and is set up to accommodate brides and wedding groups. The casino’s Minor’s Camp Arcade celebrated a re-opening of hotel and casino’s expanded family game arcade. The remodeled facility features a snack bar and many new electronic games. The final celebration of the afternoon was for the Miwuk Indian Taco restaurant in the casino’s Main Street Food Court. The new restaurant features traditional Indian flatbread tacos with a variety of toppings. Coming soon in 2008, the Jackson Rancheria Casino will open four more facilities with Grand Opening Celebrations in the works for the RV Park, Gas Station/General Store, new Public Safety Building, and Bronze Eagle Café.

The Amador Regional Planning Committee met Thursday evening to consider holding a public workshop in order to discuss “Revenue and Impact Sharing” in Amador County. This item had been discussed at previous Regional Planning Meetings, specifically regarding the search for a facilitator and funding for the workshop. Sean Rabe, Assistant City Manager of Sutter Creek, said that he had spoken to the Center for Collaborative Policy, a joint project between CSU Sacramento and the McGeorge School of Law, regarding the idea of a revenue and impact sharing policy. He stated that those at the center felt it was a “great project”, but were apprehensive to become involved in any sort of study or funding if a working policy was not a guaranteed result. Neighboring counties have also discussed the need for a policy regarding these issues but, according to those at the meeting, it had never been formally adopted or applied.

Congressman Dan Lundgren will be holding the second of two town hall meetings in his home district, which includes Amador County. His website says he will be happy to field any questions constituents have and is encouraging citizens to attend.  The upcoming meeting will be held at the Galt City Council Chambers on February 4 between 7 and 8:30pm. Maps to these locations are located at the Congressman’s website, www.lungren.house.gov.

Home Depot Jackson has invited you for lunch on January 18. In an e-mail invitation sent to local residents, Home Depot has scheduled an event that the company describes as an “opportunity to meet with you to tell you more about the proposed Jackson store, where we are in the planning process, and answer any of your questions.” The Home Depot e-mail message says that community engagement remains a top priority for the company. The free lunch meeting will be held on Friday, January 18 at 12 noon in Jackson – information on the location will be sent to those who make a reservation to attend. RSVP by Monday, January 14 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

After the conviction of Daniel Rocha in the Mokelumne Hill murder of David Jessop, the second step by prosecutors will be taken today when a trial date is expected to be set for the second suspect in the murder, Donald Pińon. Pińon is charged with the March 16, 2005 murder of Jessop, 19, during a failed attempt to steal drugs and money from the home Jessop shared with confessed drug dealer James McLain.

You can run, but you can’t hide from the CHP… On March 2, 2007, Mike Schwartz of Murphy’s thought he had received the perfect birthday gift from his wife – a 1931 Model A Ford, off an E-Bay auction listing by the St. Louis Car Museum in St. Louis Missouri. The Schwartz’s purchased their dream car for just under $22,000. The car arrived with a Certificate of Title with a Vehicle Identification Number which matched the number on the engine.

Many visitors to the fair this year may have noticed just how busy it seemed. With big ticket events such as the motorcycle and destruction derbies, and good old fashioned rodeo drawing large crowds, the fair this year ended up being a big hit with tourists and locals alike. Although final fair numbers are not officially in, Amador County Fair CEO Troy Bowers says the “early numbers are very positive,” and added that so far, they are “about on track with last year.” Bowers added that final fair numbers are due out sometime next week, and TSPN will have all the details.

The Ione City Council met Tuesday evening to review a full agenda including a presentation by CAO Terri Daly concerning the Buena Vista Casino Workshops. Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison, members of the Jackson Police Department and Sheriff Martin Ryan were also on hand to show support for newly appointed Police Chief Johnson, stating that he is an excellent choice for the position. Also on the agenda were Amador Fire Protection District issues, including allocation of funds, consolidation, and whether or not to propose a sales tax or property tax to pay for fire services. Councilman and Vice Mayor Lee Ard stated that he is concerned as it currently seems the only jurisdiction within the Fire Protection District moving forward is the City of Ione, and he feels it is very important that the City stay in control of the Ione Fire Dept. Council discussion concluded that a property tax was not supported and the city would only back a special tax if a plan for appropriation of funds was drafted. Ione City Councils next scheduled meeting on Feruary 19 will include the Mid-Year Budget Review. The County reminded citizens of Ione that questions and comments on city issues could be directed to a newly set-up voicemail hotline 257.5099

Mobile Casino Patrons will be happy to learn that Jackson Rancheria today opened a new location on Dalton Road, the access road to the casino. The Casino has been hard at work putting the final touches on a luxurious new RV Park featuring 100 sites including 32 pull-through sites.