Amador County Treasurer-Tax Collector Michael E. Ryan is reminding property owners that they have until Monday, December 13, 2010 at 5 pm, to make the first installment payment of their annual secured property taxes for the 2010-11 fiscal year. The first installment would normally be delinquent after Friday, December 10, but due to County Office closures every Friday for furloughs, the delinquent date is being extended to the next business day.

The first installment of secured property taxes was due and payable on November 1, 2010, and will become delinquent if not paid by 5 pm on December 13, 2010; thereafter a 10 percent delinquent penalty will be added.

Ryan notes that payments may be made by mail sent to the Amador County Tax Collector, 810 Court Street, Jackson, CA 95642, and must be postmarked by December 13, 2010 in order to avoid late penalties. Payments may also be made in person at the Amador County Tax Collector's Office, which is located on the second floor of the County Administration Center, 810 Court Street in Jackson, between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm, Monday through Thursday, holidays excepted.

For the convenience of taxpayers, a payment drop box is located on the outside wall of the alcove to the immediate left of the main entrance to the Administration Center. Additionally, payments may be made with a credit card in our office, or over the telephone by calling 1-800-609-4599. Credit card and e-check payments may also be made over the Internet by visiting the web-sites shown on your tax bill.

Amador County property tax information is available on-line. To view your tax information, visit www.co.amador.ca.us, select “Online Services”, and then “Public Tax Information”.

For additional information, please contact the Tax Collector’s Office.

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Amador County – Tempers flared at the Amador County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday when outgoing members of the Amador Water Agency board of directors raised questions about the process of repaying a loan owed by their agency to the county.

On May 13th, the county agreed to extend a loan of $900,000 to the AWA to be repaid no later than December 31st, using grant money the agency expected to receive for its Gravity Supply Line project. The AWA has not yet received any funding, as it must work on a financial plan for a related federal loan attached to the grant.

AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo recently met with board members to determine if the county would be willing to extend the maturity date of the loan until August 31st, 2011 because AWA anticipates it will not receive the USDA grant until next summer.

Bill Condrashoff, speaking as AWA board president and as “a public servant,” said the “agreement takes away the ability of the AWA board to make prudent decisions.” Condrashoff and AWA Vice President Debbie Dunn, also in attendance, were the two dissenting votes on the issue when it was discussed by the AWA board. He said he is “not going against the vote (of the AWA board) because…it’s what they needed to do to get the money,” but criticized the decision anyway and said he “wants to put it on record why our board was split on some of these decisions.”

He said there is “no guarantee that the project will go forward and the grant will be obtained,” and repeatedly said they “need to memorialize the loan and figure out the amounts.” He said the county is “trying to ensure the water agency goes for the grant.”

Supervisor Richard Forster said the county is only “trying to ensure repayment of our loan,” and Supervisor John Plasse said: “We’re not tying your hands or forcing anything.”

Supervisor Ted Novelli, visibly upset, told Condrashoff: “We’re not forcing you to do anything. Pay the loan that you took out from the county. It’s that simple. It ends everything.” Novelli later told TSPN that Condrashoff was “undermining” the decision of the board by “talking as the AWA president and then coming to us to shoot down his board’s decision.”

Novelli, the former District 3 AWA director, said the “GSL discussion has lasted four decades. It’s nothing new to the people upcountry.” He urged it be “presented in such a way that people were educated as to why this is a necessity.”

The board voted 5-0 to extend the loan repayment date until August 31st, 2011. Plasse said he is “willing to allow more time” for AWA “to get its finances in order.”

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

Amador County – Tempers flared at the Amador County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday when outgoing members of the Amador Water Agency board of directors raised questions about the process of repaying a loan owed by their agency to the county.

On May 13th, the county agreed to extend a loan of $900,000 to the AWA to be repaid no later than December 31st, using grant money the agency expected to receive for its Gravity Supply Line project. The AWA has not yet received any funding, as it must work on a financial plan for a related federal loan attached to the grant.

AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo recently met with board members to determine if the county would be willing to extend the maturity date of the loan until August 31st, 2011 because AWA anticipates it will not receive the USDA grant until next summer.

Bill Condrashoff, speaking as AWA board president and as “a public servant,” said the “agreement takes away the ability of the AWA board to make prudent decisions.” Condrashoff and AWA Vice President Debbie Dunn, also in attendance, were the two dissenting votes on the issue when it was discussed by the AWA board. He said he is “not going against the vote (of the AWA board) because…it’s what they needed to do to get the money,” but criticized the decision anyway and said he “wants to put it on record why our board was split on some of these decisions.”

He said there is “no guarantee that the project will go forward and the grant will be obtained,” and repeatedly said they “need to memorialize the loan and figure out the amounts.” He said the county is “trying to ensure the water agency goes for the grant.”

Supervisor Richard Forster said the county is only “trying to ensure repayment of our loan,” and Supervisor John Plasse said: “We’re not tying your hands or forcing anything.”

Supervisor Ted Novelli, visibly upset, told Condrashoff: “We’re not forcing you to do anything. Pay the loan that you took out from the county. It’s that simple. It ends everything.” Novelli later told TSPN that Condrashoff was “undermining” the decision of the board by “talking as the AWA president and then coming to us to shoot down his board’s decision.”

Novelli, the former District 3 AWA director, said the “GSL discussion has lasted four decades. It’s nothing new to the people upcountry.” He urged it be “presented in such a way that people were educated as to why this is a necessity.”

The board voted 5-0 to extend the loan repayment date until August 31st, 2011. Plasse said he is “willing to allow more time” for AWA “to get its finances in order.”

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

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors in November discussed selling raw water from Lake Tabeaud to Jackson and the Jackson Valley Irrigation District, and directed staff to see if the city wants to pay for additional study.

Jackson City Council in October authorized City Manager Mike Daly to request an estimate from AWA for the cost to have its attorney research issues he identified in September as needing evaluation, “in connection with a potential sale of untreated (Amador Water System) water to Jackson Valley Irrigation District,” by releasing water into Jackson Creek.

In a September 15th letter to AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo, agency attorney Stephen Kronick wrote that any proposed contract between AWA and JVID for sale of raw water “would trigger environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act.”

He said state water code allows using a “watercourse to convey water so long as the rights of other diverters are not impaired,” and the “rights of other diverters along Jackson Creek would have to be evaluated.”

“Analysis would have to be undertaken to determine what the potential conveyance loss would be,” he said, and “depending on the extent of the loss, the conveyance may constitute a waste and unreasonable use of water” under the state Constitution and state water law.

Contracts with East Bay Municipal Utility District and PG&E would need to be evaluated to determine if the sale “would impair their expected benefits,” Kronick said. He said the most work would likely be evaluating PG&E’s waters rights. The proposed sale “could be considered a change in place of use of such water,” and “then would be necessary to address whether or not others would be injured by such change.”

If the sale lasts long-term, “it should be evaluated whether or not the conveyance could create habitat along the Jackson Creek which would make it difficult to cease the conveyance at the end of the contract term.”

Kronick said “at present, the law is unsettled as to whether any approval would be needed from the Regional Water Quality Control Board.” He said: “Litigation is pending as to whether or not a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit is necessary for the discharge of water from one watercourse to another.”

Another issue was that if JVID “plans to resell the delivered water for domestic purposes, then it is possible such could trigger evaluation of the source water by the California Department of Public Health.

He estimated further study could cost up to $5,400, and the AWA board directed staff to see if the city wanted to fund more study. (end) pm.

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