Amador County – Amador County faces budget losses including a “triple flip” that could take $1.1 million from the county, though that and other issues might be fixable by the Legislature.

Amador County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Iley said Wednesday that the county budget problem is simple, the county does not have enough money. And most solutions are unknown. He said the county has “been hit in a number of places” by the state budget practice changes.

A change in the designation of the Amador County Unified School District to being designated a “basic aid” district would take money from a “triple flip” that is normally taken from the county and from cities, dispersed to the school district and then given back to cities and the county. Iley said the change leaves “no mechanism to give it to us,” though Legislative action could change that.

The triple flip change will likely cost Amador County $1.1 million, and it will likely cost the five cities in the county a combined $100,000. He said the county is “hoping it will be fixed,” but “right now, we’re looking at losing about $1.1 million in the general fund.

The flip takes vehicle license fees, then returns it through the school system. He said the cities lose their portion also. Iley said “the whole triple flip thing is a big convoluted mess.”

One of biggest losses was about a $900K cost increase in personnel retirement costs, through the Public Employement Retirement System. Another problem was a draw-down of the “cash carried forward from last year.” The bulk, untouched cash totaled $5.4 million as carried forward last year, and now it is down to $4.2 million.

Despite the budget problems, Supervisors did approve $12,500 for the county’s booth at the California State Fair. The funding was approved Tuesday for the Amador Council of Tourism. Iley said the board had set aside $5,000 in the budget for the state fair booth, and supervisors agreed to each put in $1,500 of their district discretionary funds to reach $12,500. The approval was short of the requested $12,800. It includes paying for fair admittance and parking passes for 150 volunteers who staff the county’s fair booth throughout the fair.

Amador Council of Tourism’s Maureen Funk said the booth will give out coupon books and “phone apps” to help show the supervisors the “return of investment” on the fair booth’s effectiveness for encouraging tourism in the county.

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Amador County – Amador County faces budget losses including a “triple flip” that could take $1.1 million from the county, though that and other issues might be fixable by the Legislature.

Amador County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Iley said Wednesday that the county budget problem is simple, the county does not have enough money. And most solutions are unknown. He said the county has “been hit in a number of places” by the state budget practice changes.

A change in the designation of the Amador County Unified School District to being designated a “basic aid” district would take money from a “triple flip” that is normally taken from the county and from cities, dispersed to the school district and then given back to cities and the county. Iley said the change leaves “no mechanism to give it to us,” though Legislative action could change that.

The triple flip change will likely cost Amador County $1.1 million, and it will likely cost the five cities in the county a combined $100,000. He said the county is “hoping it will be fixed,” but “right now, we’re looking at losing about $1.1 million in the general fund.

The flip takes vehicle license fees, then returns it through the school system. He said the cities lose their portion also. Iley said “the whole triple flip thing is a big convoluted mess.”

One of biggest losses was about a $900K cost increase in personnel retirement costs, through the Public Employement Retirement System. Another problem was a draw-down of the “cash carried forward from last year.” The bulk, untouched cash totaled $5.4 million as carried forward last year, and now it is down to $4.2 million.

Despite the budget problems, Supervisors did approve $12,500 for the county’s booth at the California State Fair. The funding was approved Tuesday for the Amador Council of Tourism. Iley said the board had set aside $5,000 in the budget for the state fair booth, and supervisors agreed to each put in $1,500 of their district discretionary funds to reach $12,500. The approval was short of the requested $12,800. It includes paying for fair admittance and parking passes for 150 volunteers who staff the county’s fair booth throughout the fair.

Amador Council of Tourism’s Maureen Funk said the booth will give out coupon books and “phone apps” to help show the supervisors the “return of investment” on the fair booth’s effectiveness for encouraging tourism in the county.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Sutter Creek City Council received an inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions and discussed the meaning of the report, and next steps Monday.

The report said the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 “which requires the state to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.” A “Scoping Plan was developed to identify strategies for meeting the AB32 goal.” The Act, in part, recommends that local governments reduce their emissions by 15 percent below current levels, by 2020.

Sierra Business Council prepared the report for Sutter Creek, and SBC Program Director Nancy Richards attended the council meeting and took questions.

Mayor Tim Murphy said the study was a long time coming, and he and other council members thanked SBC for the report.

Richards said the inventory establishes the city’s base of emissions, with which emissions requirements for new development can be set. She said SBC can provide software so the city can update its emissions inventory. She said the city could also make a community-wide inventory.

Councilwoman Linda Rianda said the report was good, and very thorough, and asked about requirements the city faces.

Richards said AB32 establishes guidelines to be met by 2020, to reduce to 1990 levels. But she said since data is typically not readily available from 1990, they suggest getting back to 15 percent of emissions levels of 2005. She said “it’s a guideline. The mandate is still in the works.”

The inventory counted emissions for the city hall building, the civic building, and the Monte Verde Store, the former Sutter Creek Brewery. Councilman Jim Swift said he was all in favor of putting in efficient lighting, but he did not like the portion of the inventory that compiled data on employee commuting habits.

Swift said: “Whether they walk to work or drive a one-ton dually, that’s none of my business.” Richards said the survey looked at employee travel habits and practices. City Manager Sean Rabe said the state is ratcheting back the emissions footprints with the questions. Swift said driving to work is not done on company time, because they are not driving company vehicles.

Richards said “there are no laws in place that require” any of the inventory or emissions reductions. Murphy said people will tend to “not get excited about recommendations,” as compared to reactions to requirements.

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Amador County – After public persuasion Tuesday, the Amador County Board of Supervisors decided not to change the speed limit on Consolation Street in Volcano.

A traffic study determined the speed limit should be 35 mph on Consolation Street, but could be lowered to 30 mph. County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Iley said the issue was whether it would be an “enforceable” speed limit for the California Highway Patrol, through use of a radar gun. He said leaving the speed limit at 25 mph would in effect make it unenforceable by CHP using radar.

The board voted to keep the speed limit the same after a “great confirmation among” the public in attendance, who asked that the speed limit be left the same.

Iley said the “speed study showed that the speed should be raised to 30 mph,” and “CHP would not enforce it without a speed study.” Since they kept it at 25 mph, based on radar, CHP cannot write tickets, but they “can write a ticket for traveling too fast for the circumstances.” Iley said Sheriff’s enforcement of the speed limit on Consolation Street was not brought up during the meeting.

Many Volcano residents spoke in support of keeping it the same. They also wanted a larger CHP presence, and thought people were going too fast on the road. Iley said Amador County staff had already decided to place a stop sign at Main and Consolation Streets. Some people in attendance asked for a second stop sign, with requests for a sign at either Consolation and Plug streets, or Consolation and Church Streets.

After discussion, the Board said it would go with just the one stop sign for now.

Stantec Consulting senior project engineer Roger Stuart in a Feb. 18 letter said the traffic study showed that the “current speed limit for Consolation Street is not consistent with the process outlined in California’s Speed Trap legislation, which dictates the procedures the county must follow to set or retain speed limits.”

Stuart said “speed zones unenforceable by radar are difficult to manage,” and “violation of the existing 25 mph zone will continue to be widespread.” He said “a large portion of speeding tickets may be appealed to the court, resulting in time loss from traffic enforcement. In some cases, courts have ordered local agencies to raise speed limits or discontinue all enforcement.”

“Unrealistically low speed zones also have unintended effects by increasing the variation in speeds,” Stuart said, and “it is generally accepted that posting a speed zone in compliance with the state law and nationally accepted procedure will result in the safest speed zone for roadway conditions.”

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Amador County – The Amador County Planning Department on Tuesday announced that a joint meeting of the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors has been set for April to look at the preliminary draft of Amador County’s updated General Plan.

Amador County Planner Heidi Jacobs announced the meeting, set for 1 p.m. Monday, April 4, with the next day set aside for a continuation of the meeting, to April 5, also at 1 p.m., if needed. The meeting will be held in the Supervisors chamber.

Jacobs in a release Tuesday said “as part of Amador County’s ongoing General Plan Update process,” the “preliminary drafts of the general plan, glossary and implementation plan have been prepared for review at a joint meeting of the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.”

“The purpose of this meeting will be for the Joint Panel to review these documents to ensure they contain the information and items on which direction was given at the previous joint meetings held in late 2008 through 2009,” the release said. “This review is not for the purpose of taking public comment on the merit of what is contained or proposed in the documents. That discussion will take place during the public hearing process which will be forthcoming when the final version of the Draft General Plan is released for public review along with the Draft EIR for the project, expected to occur later this summer.”

The documents are posted on the “Amador General Plan Update page” website. Documents are also available for viewing at the Jackson branch of the Amador County Library, the Planning Department office and the Board of Supervisors’ office.

A limited number of printed documents are available for purchase.

Text and maps developed to date in the General Plan Update process may be reviewed. The release said the “update process is ongoing,” and urged people to “continue to monitor the website and watch for notices of future public hearings, as changes to the proposed General Plan can, and will, be made up until the last meeting.”

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Amador County – Federal authorities received a fifth guilty plea last week in a wide-spread bid-rigging scheme related to foreclosures in San Joaquin County.

The justice department said a real estate investor pleaded guilty Friday in Sacramento U.S. District Court to “conspiring to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions held in San Joaquin County.

Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General of the justice department’s Antitrust Division announced that Yama Marifat, 38, of Pleasanton, “pleaded guilty to conspiring with a group of real estate speculators who agreed not to bid against each other at certain public real estate foreclosure auctions in San Joaquin County.”

According to court papers, the “primary purpose of the conspiracy was to suppress and restrain competition and to obtain selected real estate offered at San Joaquin County public foreclosure auctions at non-competitive prices.”

Varney said: “After the conspirators’ designated bidder bought a property at a public auction, they would hold a second, private auction, at which each participating conspirator would bid the amount above the public auction price he or she was willing to pay. The conspirator who bid the highest amount at the end of the private auction won the property. The difference between the price at the public auction and that at the second auction was the group’s illicit profit, and it was divided among the conspirators in payoffs.

Marifat participated in the scheme from about April 2009 to October 2009. To date, five individuals, including Marifat, have pleaded guilty in connection with the investigation, including Anthony B. Ghio, John R. Vanzetti, Theodore B. Hutz, and Richard W. Northcutt.

Marifat pleaded guilty to bid rigging, a violation of the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Marifat also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

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