Tom
Friday, 09 July 2010 06:21
AWA Talks Budget, Sees Cash Flow Slump Worsen
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors Thursday discussed revenue shortfalls that were bad in April and worse in May, leaving a gap between budget revenue and expenditures. General Manger Gene Mancebo said May 2010 numbers show revenue down $500,000 compared to last May, and this April was $200,000 down from April 2009. He said that should be taken into account as they discuss the budget July 22nd. The board approved the budget last week, with layoffs equivalent to 4 full-time employees. Mancebo said the board on July 22nd will look at whether to make a 4% rate increase in the service area known as the Amador Water System. They must also look at “debt service coverage” and whether they can lower the amount they pay toward Amador Transmission Pipeline financing. The board must also look at a cash flow problem, which Mancebo said “has the potential to be much more significant than the other 2 items.” Vice President Debbie Dunn said May “actuals” were e-mailed to the board by Finance Manager Mike Lee on July 1st, and she would have liked to have had those numbers before approving the budget earlier that day. Lee was on vacation this week, but last week warned of eminent cash problems, saying agency “operating money,” or total cash, was $500,000. He said the agency was “marginally close” to being able to pay July bills, and it was a “critical juncture” to “be able to make the bond payment in 6 months.” Lee said “cash isn’t there,” due to the fact of “what’s coming in the door, what’s going out the door.” Also last week, Mancebo said “we know we are at the ragged edge,” and options to cut costs could potentially come from furloughs, but he did not know how much more they could reduce costs, other than salaries and benefits. In a staff report, Engineering Manager Erik Christesen announced some development moves, including that the Wildflower Subdivision in Ione has a new owner. He said Wal-Mart is ready to take water, and Pine Bluff has sought to extend its permits. Quail Ridge owners heard about the AWA’s 5% conditional will-serve fee payments, and applied for 10 of those, instead of 82, in “first phase” developing. Christesen said a Big 5 sporting goods store has taken over about 5 Martell storefronts including the former home to Mountain Mike’s Pizza. The storefronts are between Save Mart and Triple A Insurance. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Water
Friday, 09 July 2010 06:19
Grape and Gourmet Honors Some Amador Wineries
Amador County – Numerous Amador County winemakers were present to share the fruits of their labors at the 15th Annual California’s Grape & Gourmet, which took place Wednesday evening at the Sacramento Convention Center. The event honors excellence in the California wine industry, as determined by the 2010 State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, noted by event coordinators as “the oldest and most prestigiously judged wine competition in North America.” Proceeds from the Grape and Gourmet will benefit the California State Fair Scholarship Program. An estimated 3,500 paying guests were on hand to sample products at strategically placed table groups in the giant building. Competition for business and recognition was stiff, as evidenced by the 2,786 wine entries from more than 600 participating wineries. There were also stations for 80 featured restaurants and caterers and 25 award-winning California micro-breweries and cheeses. The event is solely for the purposes of networking and featuring the awards different brands receive, although select wines were also available for purchase. Various bands provided a soundtrack to the event on the center stage, and guests were treated to complimentary wine glasses and food plates. Lorraine Nichols, a resident of Roseville, said she comes to the event every year and is shocked by just how many quality wineries our state has to offer. “I’ve sampled wines and food from Mendocino to Lodi to Paso Robles, and I’ve yet to try something of inferior quality,” she said. Amador County wines were featured prominently, including familiar names like Renwood, Wine Tree and Sobon Estate. Seventy-two professional wine judges awarded 1,915 medals this year, including 37 Double Gold, 195 Gold, 1,073 Silver and 610 Bronze awards. The awards were announced early Tuesday. Among the top honors for businesses from Amador County, Casque Wines took Double Gold in the category of Best Microwinery for its Vermentino; Deaver Vineyards won gold for Best of Sierra Foothills Red with its 2007 Zinfandel; and Jeff Runquist Wines won Gold for Best Barbera. “The State Fair’s Wine Competition has helped shape the California Wine industry for many years and we remain committed to showcasing the best of the best,” says Norbert J. Bartosik, California State Fair CEO and General Manager. Judging by this year’s winners, this event is sure to thrive for decades to come. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Local
Thursday, 08 July 2010 06:00
Ione Pool Open For Business
Amador County - The hot weather is here and the Ione pool is open for recreational and lap swimming as well as day and evening swim lessons. The City provides certified Red Cross swim instructors and lifeguards with up-to-date swimming lesson techniques and safe recreational swimming. Lap Swim is provided for the enjoyment and fitness of swimmers and is open from 12 noon to 1:00 PM and 5:00 to 6:00 PM.
Swim lessons are offered from 10:30 to 11:30 AM and 6:00 to 7:00 PM. Two week and one week sessions are offered. Registration forms are available at City Hall. Cost is $20 and $40. Six levels from non-swimmers to proficient are offered.
For a two hour swim party, with lifeguards, the cost is $50 plus $1 per person. Party times are offered after regular swim hours. For more information, contact City Hall at 209-274-2412, ext 100, or visit www.ione-ca.com. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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News Archive
Thursday, 08 July 2010 06:03
Huber Meth Bill Passes Major Hurdle
Sacramento – AB 640 by Assemblymember Alyson Huber is one step closer to becoming law after passing the Senate Public Safety Committee. AB 640 would enhance current sentences on individuals convicted of selling methamphetamine by imposing a minimum jail term of 120 days as a condition of probation, similar to penalties currently faced by cocaine and heroin dealers. “Methamphetamine use is at a crisis point in the state, and in my own district meth has a greater impact on public safety than other drugs,” said Assemblymember Alyson Huber. “One of the ways we can break the cycle of use is by cracking down on the dealers that sell the drugs. If the meth pushers are behind bars, drug addicts and drug infested communities can cleanup and break the cycle of drug abuse.” Californians make up 40 percent of all meth treatment admissions nationwide. While estimates are difficult to confirm, data suggests that more than two million Californians age 12 or older (7.3 percent) have used methamphetamine at least once in their lifetime. In Assemblymember Huber’s district, a narcotics task force team in Amador County reported 118 investigations in 2008, 46 (39%) of which involved meth. By contrast they had 8 heroin cases, 1 cocaine case. “I have seen first hand the devastating impact meth has on our communities. Like so many other communities in this state and in the nation, we have found methamphetamine to be the underlying cause of such criminal offenses as domestic violence and child endangerment, “said Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan who supports the bill. “I applaud Assemblymember Huber for her commitment to public safety and look forward to continuing to work with her to improve the safety of our communities.” Current law requires those convicted of the sale of cocaine, heroin, or PCP to serve at least 180 days in jail as a condition of probation, but existing law does not have a similar provision for those convicted of the sale of methamphetamine. Therefore, a person convicted of the sale of methamphetamine could be granted probation and not serve one day in jail. Supporting AB 640 are County Sheriffs from Huber’s Assembly District, Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan and San Joaquin County Sheriff Steve Moore. In addition, the California District Attorneys Association, California Peace Officers’ Association, California Police Chiefs Association, California State Sheriffs’ Association, Peace Officers Research Association of California and the San Joaquin County District Attorney James Willet are also supporting the bill. AB 640 will now go to the Senate Appropriations Committee. TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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News Archive
Thursday, 08 July 2010 06:01
AC Commercial Wine Competition Judges 450 Regional Wines
Amador County - On Saturday, June 5th, the Amador County Fair offered more than 450 wines for judging in the highly regarded annual Amador County Commercial Wine Competition. Entries were restricted to wines that can be identified as originating in the Sierra Foothill AVA, or American Viticultural Area. The Sierra Foothill AVA runs for 170 miles along the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This designation can be claimed by wines derived from grapes grown from any of following California Counties: Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Tuolumne, and Yuba. With only 6,163 acres in vineyard production, The Sierra Foothill AVA crushes less than 1 percent of the State’s total wine grape production. However, the topography and generally infertile shallow mountainside soils combine with a Mediterranean climate to create moderate stress on the grapevines produces low to moderate yields of very high quality grapes. That quality was on display in the 2010 Amador County Commercial Wine Competition. Seven panels of some of the State’s most experienced judges spent nearly seven hours, swirling, sipping and spitting 464 wines from 72 different wineries. Their time was spent in a concerted effort to determine the “Best of Class” in 34 separate varietal categories plus an additional nine awards that terminated in awarding the Best Red, Best White, Best Blush, Best other Wine and finally the overall Best of Show. As the wines in this competition so aptly demonstrate, the Sierra Foothills is a unique AVA with numerous wineries having a well deserved reputation for delivering well crafted high quality wines that typically are recognized at the California State Fair competition. For a complete list of results, go to www.amadorcountyfair.com. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 08 July 2010 06:04
Vice Mayor Murphy to Lead Sutter Creek Grand Jury Response Committee
Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council made brief comments on the recent Amador County Grand Jury report on Tuesday and formed a response committee to answer the findings by September. Mayor Gary Wooten asked Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Murphy to lead the committee to draft the city’s official answers to the Grand Jury report. He said Murphy had been there the longest of any council members. Murphy said he “will be glad to” lead the committee, and he “was here when a lot of it happened.” Wooten said the committee will write a draft response, for council consideration in a public meeting, hopefully by the council’s August 2nd meeting. Wooten said it the council would openly determine its answers, whether to agree, totally disagree, or partially disagree with the report. Councilman Pat Crosby handed out copies of his own written responses to the report. Wooten urged people to speak during the public comment period, saying the council would be appointing a response committee. The committee will include Acting City Manager Sean Rabe, Finance Director Joe Aguilar and City Attorney Derek Cole. Ed Arata said he “was actively involved in the complaint that was sent to the Grand Jury,” and he said: “If there will be citizens on the committee, I would like to be considered.” Wooten said no citizens will be on the committee. Some topics getting brief comments included the Grand Jury calling it a conflict to have a joint city manager and police chief. Wooten said former before City Manager Rob Duke was hired, the council received “a compendium form the state attorney general that said it was not a conflict.” Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha said it was “great to have a lot of new faces,” but “in trying to attend every city council meeting in the last 6 years,” he found that the Grand Jury report had “nothing really new.” He said when Arata wrote a September 2009 letter to the editor, “we had been discussing these issues for a long time,” and asking for changes, which the new council has made in the last year-and-a-half. Cunha said he wanted to “commend the post-2008 council on their hard work.” Councilwoman Sandy Anderson said Councilwoman Linda Rianda (who was absent) wrote a matrix that addresses “almost every one of these issues,” and citizens will be seeing the results of a lot of hard work by the council. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 08 July 2010 06:06
Sutter Creek OKs Preliminary Budget With $72K Deficit
Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council on Tuesday approved a draft city budget that was shy $72,000, but also OK’d a line-item repair to balance the budget concessions to be made through employee negotiations. Acting City Manager Sean Rabe said the budget included no raises for employees and only half of what the Amador County Recreation Agency requested for the city’s annual, optional membership fees. Rabe said if the council wants to pay all of the fees to ACRA, they are “going to have to sharpen the pencil further.” The council agreed to do just that, voting 4-0 to approve the preliminary budget and to pay all ACRA fees. Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Murphy pushed the council to pay the full amount, noting that other cities were paying half or even none of the costs. Councilman Pat Crosby agreed, saying he would “like to throw that up as a challenge to the other entities to come up with the full amount.” The council OK’d the ACRA budget of $13,405, and will come back to verify the numbers, along with the entire budget. Rabe said he was not recommending approval of a negative budget balance, but instead recommended approving the budget with a $59,000 deficit, and a line item to make up the difference with concessions to be determined. With the ACRA fees, it became a $72,400 deficit. Asked for more detail of the preliminary budget, Finance manager Joe Aguilar said “this is a process” and “we still need to talk to employee groups,” then they can publish finalized details to the budget. Rabe said: “When we started the budget process, we anticipated a $300,000 shortfall.” That dropped to $59,000, which the city will try to even out with negotiations, along with the ACRA membership fees. Resident Bart Weatherly asked if Sutter Creek would be looking at combining police coverage with Amador City, which he said is ending its law enforcement contract with the Amador County Sheriff’s Office. Rabe said “it is definitely a worthwhile thing to look at.” Sutter Creek’s preliminary budget included $1,437,000 in general fund expenditures, down $237,000 from the previous year. Revenues were estimated at $1,378,000. Rabe said “full time equivalent” workers included 4 in administration, office and parks & recreation; 5 in the police department (with 2 paid by grants); and 4.4 workers handling water and sewer. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 08 July 2010 06:17
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 7-8-10
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