Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-25-12 - Supervisor Richard Forster sits down with Tommy Fox to discuss the agenda for the upcoming board of supervisors meeting. 

Amador County – Ione Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff said last week he is cautiously optimistic about the city’s chance of getting “basic aid” funding restored to Ione, Amador County and her cities, after attending Legislative hearings, and seeing a Senate committee planning to address the issue Monday (June 25).

Amador and Mono Counties lost property taxes and Vehicle License Fees (VLF) due to “basic aid” finance policy issues. Ione lost just under $400,000 the last two years because Amador Unified went basic aid, Butzlaff said. Ione lost $190,000 the first year and $163,000 this year, part of License Fees that would have been transferred as property tax, as done throughout state, but it can no longer occur because of basic aid status of the School District.

Alyson Huber’s Assembly Bill 1191, if passed, would correct this problem and the city will get another $160,000 a year. In addition, an amendment being considered would hopefully fund 2010-11 and 2011-12 revenues that we did not receive, Butzlaff said. AB1191 would take effect and set up a new process of accessing this money starting July 1.

He said there is some money in the governor’s budget for one of those years and also discussion of amending AB1191 to provide for restoration of 2010-11 and 2011-12 funds.

Butzlaff said the amendment looks favorable and right now we are very encouraged. He said: “We’re the poster child of this issue, because Ione is the most dependent on the VLF, because of the prison.” In 2004, Ione had a boon market in housing prices. It got to more than $800,000 five years ago, but that has dropped because housing prices have dropped.

Butzlaff said “it looks very promising that this will be resolved,” and the city “will recover one and possibly two of the years lost.” He said $350,000 “would be available to us that we would have otherwise received,” but it will not become a done deal until the legislative process works its way through. “We have reason to be at least cautiously optimistic.”

AB1191 passed the Senate Local Government Committee and other subcommittees unanimously. He said the question arose of whether this was an appropriation, but “the money would have come to us,” but was lost due to a breakdown in the basic aid process.

Butzlaff said: “We’re not asking for new funding. It’s simply funding that is already supposed to be happening.” The school district property tax went to us, but was not backfilled by the state to the schools.

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Amador County – Amador Water Agency board of directors hosted a budget workshop last week, and plan another this week as the fiscal year nears an end.

Staff led directors through the draft budget during the workshop last Tuesday, June 19, starting with a list of 40 capital improvement projects with priority rankings. General Manager Gene Mancebo said the Engineering Committee made the list, and the budget has a lot fewer projects than it could have.

Top priorities are determined by liability issues, risk management, and “must do” projects. About 26 are numbered in the Number 1 category, and may be required by regulations or for health and safety. Seven of those are tops, labeled as 1-A, including three bridge projects that require design and/or construction for utility relocation. All three are required, as is a Buckhorn water treatment plant compliance project.

Field Operations Manager Chris McKeage said the hours of distribution and engineering are split by one person, and “we’re about half a person short to get all the engineering done” on the projects.

Work in Ione to get interim water treatment plant capacity is also crucial because “we don’t want building permits withheld because of a lack of capacity.” Participation fees will fund it. Safety and regulatory projects are rated really high on the project list.

Mancebo said rate increases under consideration are not in the draft budget, nor are the formation of a Community Facilities District for the Amador Water System, and related rate changes. He said the budget has a 3% increase in revenue, but a 9% rate increase at the Wastewater Improvement District Number 1 was suspended by the AWA board until they get through working on the budget. President Gary Thomas said they hope to look at reducing the increase with the budget work.

Karen Gish, office manager, said the budget assumes wages and benefits are up 10%, based on memorandums of understanding and contracts in place with employees. Director Paul Molinelli Senior said the cost to provide that was anticipated. Mancebo recommended they refer that to the personnel committee or the budget and finance committee for negotiations.

Director Art Toy asked if the half a full-time-equivalent engineer deficit was in the budget. Controller Marvin Davis said the budget is running lean, and operating revenues are $176,000 short. The draft budget had total operating revenues of $11.8 million dollars, and total operating expenses of just over $12 million.

The AWA board will hold a special meeting for another budget workshop starting at 2 p.m. Monday, June 25 at the agency office, at 12800 Ridge Road in Sutter Creek.

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Amador County – Ione City Council last week approved activating a new aerator unit at its wastewater storage Pond 5 that may end up helping the city find a less costly solution to its sewer problems.

The Council approved a new contract with wastewater consultant Winzler & Kelly and heard a report of the status of a “Report of Waste Discharge,” which is due by the end of July.

Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff said the City is looking at compliance requirements of the Cease and Desist Order from the state, which orders that Ione remove manganese and iron corruption from its storage pond seepage into Sutter Creek, or apply for a permit to make the discharge.

The council gave authorization to go forward with a solar circulator, an aerator in Pond 5 to circulate and modify the iron and manganese levels of concentration in the water, by mixing it. The city started a lease-purchase arrangement for the aerator, Butzlaff said, and if it get outcomes that we’re hoping to attain,” it could minimize work on stratification levels and better oxygenate water in pond, and the pond can overcome the iron and manganese degradation.

Winzler & Kelly, through sampling, found Pond 5 was worst, and received state approval to try degradation changes with the aerator. Butzlaff said Ponds 6 and 7 did not have a problem, and this was clearly defined by depth testing.

The approach was not what the seepage discharge compliance plan indicated, he said. The report said the high iron and manganese issues may have been caused by heavy sludge at bottom of pond, but sampling and testing showed it was not the cause. It was caused by colder water, more direct contact with ground water, because Pond 5 is 4 feet deeper than the other ponds.

He was hopeful there may end up being no need for long-term financing and indebtedness – which could be the end result from a larger project requirement.

Ione will continue discussion with Amador Regional Sanitation Authority (ARSA) and Mule Creek on discussion with those parties with a more long term solution. Butzlaff said it becomes a basis for us going forward, with the least cost, and most conducive approach to a solution. It could also allow the city to not have to go through a Proposition 218 notification and rate increase.

A long term fix, including land irrigation can better work out with partners, he said. Last year, meeting Cease & Desist deadline backed Ione into a corner, but as talks improve, possible partnerships enhance Ione’s ability to go forward with a regional, larger project. Costs were estimated at $2 million to $17 million, and partnering would mean Ione would not have to pay the entire cost.

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Amador County – Amador Water Agency board of directors last week discussed capital improvement projects, and agreed that hydrants should be among the higher priotiey projects on an agency “to do” list.

Director Robert Manassero asked if they could defer bridge work. AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said they have to run a year ahead of the bridge construction schedule, at least one of which is slated for 2013. There are three on the list.

Field Operations manager Chris McKeage said AWA is required to remove or move utilities on bridge projects in Amador City, Sutter Creek and Bunker Hill. Camanche needs water storage tank liners, along with service line replacements. He said “we will really be pushing hard on Camanche.”

Regarding fire hydrants in Camanche and Upcountry, McKeage said some need to be repaired and some need to be replaced, so they get different levels of priority. Manassero asked if they should move hydrants higher up on the priority list. Director Paul Molinelli Senior asked if they should move both repair and replacement of hydrants up the list. Mancebo said they should make all hydrants a “priority 1.”

Director Art Toy asked about the $150,000 grant that The Amador County Board of Supervisors pledged to Camanche for repairs at its system. Mancebo said Supervisors have said they will honor that grant offer as long as a rate increase for water is approved in Camanche.

In public comment, one woman asked about insurance being canceled due to hydrants. Robert Burdick said a standpipe outside his home in the Upcountry is on a 3-inch line, and it was fixed by simply putting a hydrant on it. He said AWA should hire a grant writer to help fix the system.

Paul Johnson of Pine Grove Community Facilities District said experts have told him, “you might prevent a forest fire with hydrants but you are not going to fight it with hydrants.”

Mancebo said they have grant applications filed to do replacement of distribution projects. They are also trying to see if they can get the responsibility of all the small districts placed under county oversight. He said the first step with the county is working with the County Health Department.

The 50 projects on the list included 15 that had applications for grant funding or identified grants as a funding source.

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Amador County – Adam Dalton gave his weekly report on the Amador County Parks and Fields Restoration Project, saying work Volcano is reaching an end. ¶ Dalton said he and his crew from the Jackson Band of Miwuk Indians likely will be finished with their efforts this week and will be taking a few weeks off from the restoration project to attend to some much needed work back home on the Rancheria.

Dalton said: “I’d like to thank the good people of Volcano for being such wonderful hosts. You’ve made the work crew and I feel welcome throughout the entire time spent transforming this wonderful town.”

He appreciated the residents’ kindness in offering assistance and with the many food donations they supplied to volunteers on the crew. Dalton said: “I couldn’t help but get a little choked up today as walked through town in realization of just how much I’m going to miss working in Volcano.”

He said he would also like to “thank Amador County for the respect and support that you’ve given to me and my family.”

He said to continue checking the local newspaper and look for updates on TSPN for announcements regarding the next project destination with the Amador County Park Restoration team.

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Amador County – Ione City Council made an offer to one of its finalists for the City Manager position recently, and is awaiting a response.

The council had a closed session meeting Wednesday to discuss the issue, and Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff said Thursday that the council had made an offer, and awaits response. The council had narrowed the finalists and conducted interviews to replace Butzlaff, who said he “becomes extinct” at the end of the month.

He said the council may schedule a special meeting Monday to field the response and go on from there. The issue is still confidential personnel dealings. Butzlaff said hopefully there is an overlap between his tenure and the new manager so they can work together.

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Amador County – Jackson City Manager Mike Daly last week gave the Jackson City Council an overview for the city’s coming fiscal year budget.

Daly said it was a quick synopsis and he plans to present the draft budget for consideration at the next council meeting.

Daly said the council expected to see a budget that comes in at a balanced level, and this year will probably go over just a little bit because of fuel cost impacts and other costs. The fiscal year is pretty close to targeted numbers.

The new city budget “will be folding in the costs” of operating with full time employees at the Jackson Fire Department, including the training, testing of equipment and the “things you begin to work with when you have full-time folks that are in tune with the National Fire Protection Authority.” NFPA establishes what fire departments do in terms of testing, training, and staffing.

Some of the increases will be in Measure M funding and quite a bit in the volunteer side. Daly said the city uses Measure M for salaries and benefits for full time firefighters, and pays for some volunteer support and incentives. Daly said Ione used its Measure M funds the first year to pay volunteers a stipend, and now has full-timers. Daly said most of Jackson’s money is focused on full-time pay and benefits.

Last week, the Jackson City Council also swore in a new full-time fire engineer, Jesse Digirlomo, a long-time volunteer for the department. Daly said he is the fifth full-time employee at the fire department.

Daly also went over capital improvement projects planned for the coming year, including bridge replacements at South Avenue, French Bar Road. The one-lane bridges are going to be replaced, and will go through environmental processing and pre-design this year. The Cal-Trans Pitt Street Bridge project will include initial survey work, and is about a year behind other two.

Another capital improvement is the expansion of the intersection of Court STreet and Highway 88. Bids were opened and should be awarded at the next meeting. Daly said the project should start in July, and the Federal Highway Safety Improvement program is awarded through Cal-Trans and provides 90% of the funding, with the other 10% coming from the Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee Program, run by Amador County Transportation Commission.

The project will realign the exit from Highway 88 to Court Street, and cut back the slope so the medical plaza people have better access. Daly said Court Street will be widened to allow both right and left turns off Court Street onto 88. It will also repave New York Ranch Road to the highway.

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Amador County – Sutter Creek City Council on Monday reaffirmed a May vote to keep the city welcome sign at its Highway 49 gateway park, but asked staff to work on a signage Master Plan for the Sutter Hill area, and alternatives for two similar signs there.

City Manager Sean Rabe said the issue was brought back because Mayor Linda Rianda received complaints of a Brown Act violation when the Council voted May 21 to keep the sign where it is. Rabe said City Attorney Derek Cole advised that the Council had not violated the open records act.

Rianda wanted to revisit the issue because she had heard from some who want to keep the sign and some who want it moved. Rianda said Lisa Klosowski of the Sutter Creek Business & Professional Association sent her results of a survey of Association members. Rianda sad 68 voted to not move the brick wall sign, one vote said move the sign, and two people said keep the sign but remove the letters, which spell Sutter Creek. Two respondents were “not sure.”

Marie Hobbs, a member of the Association, urged the council to adopt a “master plan” for signs requiring a uniform look. Councilman Tim Murphy said they could leave the sign where it is and come up with some sort of plan for off-site signage. He wanted to avoid sign pollution, such as having three banners on a building all saying the same thing.

Councilman Jim Swift agreed there is a problem with sign pollution, and suggested removing the letters from the brick wall and placing the other sign on that wall. He said both signs at the welcome park at 49 and Old 49 say “Sutter Creek.” He wondered if they needed Cal-Trans permission to make changes.

Councilwoman Sandy Anderson said the Promotions Committee has spent years working on branding Sutter Creek, and though some people may not like John Sutter, the biggest reason people come to Sutter Creek is for history. She supported removing the letters from the wall and placing the sign on it, but they should make sure the letters fit the city’s branding.

Swift said the item was to affirm the vote to not move the sign, and they cannot motion to move the sign. Swift suggested considering gateway signage in a master plan. Rabe asked that they vote on the affirmation issue first, which was approved 4-0 with Councilman Gary Wooten absent.

Rabe said the Council gave staff direction to look at whether “it was possible to remove the letters from the rock wall and move the new sign to that location. The Council also directed me to look at creating an overall master plan for signage in the Sutter Hill area.”

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Amador County – Ione City Council on Tuesday heard that its General Fund revenue could end very close to projections for the year.

Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff said a report showed $142,000 in revenue at the end of May, and the general fund was $64,000 under budget, with June income still to come. He said June revenue last year in tax and fees alone totaled $54,000 and the city is really close on overall general fund forecast for the end of the year.

Butzlaff said: “I think at this point things are looking pretty good.” We’ve got a handle on the situation and the “variances are very modest if anything.”

Quarterly payments, such as police communications will draw down the budget, he said, but it is much more favorable than the $330,000 budget deficit that adopted last December. It is now in balance, he said, and it “was a challenge during his tenure to deal with the financial collapse as best we could.”

Butzlaff said the city is far from the sudden revelations of last year, when it was found the General Fund was $500,000 off or $1.5 million off. “Those days are behind us,” he said. “We’ve stabilized” and established a new understanding and data that is accurate to a reasonable degree.

City Financial Manager Jane Wright went over years of data in roughly 30 different city funds, to clarify where borrowing occurred and see where it was owed. City liabilities and assets in the data show what funds owe other funds, he said, and Wright’s work “brought the entire budget into focus for the first time since I have been here.”

She unraveled and reconstructed the funds and found some funds where money was taken out and no offsetting replenishment or repayment was made. Butzlaff said those are now brought into clear focus and can be restored.

Butzlaff said impact fees are part of developer fees, making up $375,000 in the general fund when they are ultimately collected, and will become a positive impact on the General Fund as “accounts receivable.” They also have about $180,000 in impact fees related to fire station development that were borrowed from police impact fees, and will be paid back.

Ione enters a transition year, he said, going from the old level of operations to reduce to a level that is more consistent in keeping with current realities of revenue limitations. This year ends as a bridge year, building back the general fund reserve, and beginning to pay back some of the funds that were represented as being part of the General Fund reserve when they were not.

By January, when they get a midyear report, Butzlaff said, they will establish a system to get monthly reports on a regular basis and will be able to substantiate that more reliably.

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