Tom
Wednesday, 14 April 2010 18:00
ARTS Grounds Earth Day Event, Trolleys, Looks At budget
Amador County – The Amador Regional Transit System announced Wednesday that it will operate its business as usual as a committee works to resolve a projected budget deficit. ARTS Board Chairman Greg Baldwin said in a release that an ad hoc committee will be working on the transit system’s budget deficit for fiscal year 2009-2010. Baldwin said Assistant Manager Joyce Jones will be interim ARTS transit manager, until a replacement is found for former Transit Manager James Means, who resigned April 6th. Baldwin said ARTS will maintain normal service while the budget work continues. Communications consultant Terry Grillo said in a release Wednesday that “minor adjustments to essential services have been ordered” by Baldwin, “including a halt to the bicycle raffle and other Earth Day activities planned by Amador Regional Transit’s Mobility Management wing.” Grillo said the newly acquired ARTS “trolleys will be temporarily removed from service while costs to operate them are analyzed.” The trolleys operate on a dual fuel system, with tanks that hold both diesel fuel and compressed natural gas. The transit department must drive the trolleys to Rancho Cordova for compressed natural gas fueling, because it has the closest station. ARTS buses will continue to serve the trolley’s Jackson-Martell-Sutter Creek routes until further notice. Amador Regional Transit’s fiscal year ends on June 30th. The ARTS board of directors on March 17th granted past Transit Manager Means a 1-month extension on a budget update, and assigned a budget committee of board members to work with Means on possible changes to help balance the transit budget. The committee at the time was made up of District 1 Supervisor John Plasse and Sutter Creek City Councilman Pat Crosby. Baldwin said the transit system’s “financial difficulties are not unique to Amador County.” He said “sales tax is the primary method for funding public transit service under state law,” and sales tax is down statewide, and is down more than 25 percent in Amador County over the past 2 years. Baldwin said he was confident that ARTS “will survive this current budgetary setback and will continue to improve service to the public and to transit-dependent riders in the coming months.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 14 April 2010 18:00
Ione Policeman Collars Dune Buggy Driver Off Road, Foot Pursuit
Amador County – An Ione man was apprehended by authorities while attempting to make an off-road escape in an illegal dune buggy when his vehicle conked out while he was trying to take the vehicle off-road Tuesday night. Ione Police Department Sergeant Rocky Harpham said the incident began at about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, when Ione Officer Joshua Long “attempted a traffic stop near Ione Shopping Center on an unregistered dune buggy that was being operated on public streets illegally.” The vehicle is illegal because it was not fully equipped with safety items such as lights and mirrors. The driver of the vehicle, later identified as 39-year-old Timothy Nichols of Ione, refused to stop for the officer, Harpham said. “Nichols attempted to speed away and led police on a pursuit down Main Street” in Ione, “then out Highway 124 to the railroad tracks near Howard Park.” Harpham said “Nichols attempted to lose Officer Long by going off-road in his buggy along the railroad tracks but the buggy’s engine died.” Nichols then “feigned compliance with the police” before he “fled on foot into the woods.” Harpham said Long pursued the fleeing suspect and eventually placed him into custody without incident. Nichols was then booked into jail and his dune buggy impounded. Nichols was booked on charges of evading police and resisting arrest. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 14 April 2010 18:00
Jackson to Host, Sweet to Chair Amador Regional Planning Committee
Amador County – The Amador Regional Planning Committee selected a new chair last month, and with it will move its meetings to Jackson, starting with its April 28th meeting. Jackson City Councilman Keith Sweet was elected chairman of the committee March 24th, and on Wednesday he announced that “the committee’s Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) requires the chair to provide support staff – thus the change.” Sweet said the April 28th meeting, and all future meetings for 2010, will be at the Jackson Civic Center at 33 Broadway. Sweet, in an e-mail Wednesday to members and interested people, said he will attempt to have an agenda and supporting documents to the committee and interested people a week prior to each meeting. Agendas will be sent by Jackson City Clerk Gisele Cangelosi, via e-mail. Sweet requested that committee members send him the names of their alternates for 2010. He also requested that they send him any topics the members or their councils or groups may want the committee to pursue. Sweet said: “I would like to include as many subjects as possible in this next agenda so that the committee can review and agendize them for the coming year.” Any interested people receiving his e-mail were also invited to submit topics, as he assumed they have an interest in the committee’s activities. He said topics already submitted were “General Plan comparisons; revenue and/or personnel sharing,” and review of the Jackson wastewater study. In early March, Amador Regional Planning Committee members selected a new meeting day, and will meet 7 p.m. every 4th Wednesday of the month. Future agenda items discussed at the March 24th meeting included recirculation of the updated committee MOU and General Plan update presentations. Also discussed was drafting “a program document supporting the sharing of revenues from major new and relocated commercial developments,” as well as “establishing a system to share personnel and material resources between jurisdictions.” Amador Regional Planning Committee members are Sweet, Sutter Creek Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Murphy, Amador County Supervisors Ted Novelli (District 3) and Chairman Brian Oneto (District 5); Ione City Councilwoman Andrea Bonham; and Plymouth Mayor Pat Fordyce. For information, e-mail Gisele Cangelosi at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; call Jackson City Hall at 223-1646; or call Sweet at 419-3770. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 14 April 2010 18:00
County Assessor Urges Property Owners to Seek Assessments
Amador County - Amador County Assessor Jim Rooney is encouraging Amador County property owners to request assessments of their property in order to determine the fair market value. “Looking back over the past year, it is apparent that property values have continued to decline, resulting in further reductions in assessments for many of Amador County property owners,” said Rooney in a release. He said properties can request a review, resulting in a lowered value or one that remains the same. In a recent interview on TSPN, Rooney said the advantage to getting your property assessed is a potential savings of thousands of dollars each year. He said there are about 10 to 12,000 residencies in the county that are all affected by what his office does. “We don’t have a high profile sometimes…but everybody who gets a property tax bill is affected by the Assessor’s office,” he said. “We all know there has been a decline in real estate in recent years, and the office has proactively reduced assessments, and we did it with a reduced staff,” he said. Rooney said “the Assessors Office is obligated to reduce assessments when the fair market value of a property is less than the original adjusted assessment, more commonly known as the Prop 13 value.” Prop 13 was a 1978 amendment to the California Constitution which capped the tax rate for real estate. Rooney said the Prop 13 value will not be raised as a result of an assessment review. Rooney’s office is just beginning the task of reviewing all the assessments that may be too high. It is estimated that over 3,500 assessments were reduced last year, which is a substantial portion of the residential properties in the county. If an assessment has been reduced in the past few years there is no need to request another review as it will be reviewed automatically. “A goal of this office is to have no property in the county assessed higher than its fair market value and with the help of taxpayers reviewing their own assessments, we hope to achieve this goal,” said Rooney. For any questions or more information, visit the Assessor page on the county website at www.co.amador.ca.us, email the office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the office at 223-6351. If you believe that you are eligible for a reduced assessment, just contact the Assessor’s Office to request an Assessment Review, go by the office in Jackson, or visit the Assessor’s website. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 14 April 2010 18:00
Jackson Revitalization Committee Will Review Strategic Plan
Amador County – The Jackson Revitalization Committee makes an annual review of its strategic plan today, and will also discuss the “Shop Jackson” program, as well as discretion funding of $5,000 in “Measure E” funds. The committee’s annual review will look at updates of the strategic plan, and will identify action plans for accomplishing objectives. City Manager Mike Daly said the strategic plan will be reviewed for possible updates and discussion of new efforts to work on some of the listed goals. The 2008 revitalization committee’s strategic plan included improving visual appeal, creating a coordinator and/or facilitator position, and evaluating the use of public facilities and properties. Other strategies were to establish development areas, defining “connectivity corridors,” gathering and disseminating information, and identifying unmet business and service needs. Strategic planning will be among the subcommittee reports, which could include business recruiting, finance, community identity and public relations subcommittees. The agenda also includes a review of participation and a discussion of the raffle program for the 2nd season of the “Shop Jackson” program, being led by the Jackson Rancheria. The Revitalization Committee also has its “Clean It & Green It” event Saturday, April 24th, and it also will be one of the beneficiaries of the 32nd Anniversary Mother Lode Hot Jazz Party, Saturday, April 25th in Jackson. Nine bands will play at the Elks Lodge, American Legion Hall, Mel & Fayes, Thomi’s, Denny’s and Teresa’s Place. Benefits go to Jackson Revitalization Committee, and ARC of Amador and Calaveras counties. The Jackson Revitalization Committee meets at 6 p.m. today (Thursday, April 8th) in the Jackson City Council Chambers at 33 Broadway. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 15 April 2010 05:54
Tim Smith - Central Sierra Mining Association
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Wednesday, 14 April 2010 18:00
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 4-15-10
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Wednesday, 14 April 2010 18:00
ARTS Grounds Earth Day Event, Trolleys, Looks At budget
Amador County – The Amador Regional Transit System announced Wednesday that it will operate its business as usual as a committee works to resolve a projected budget deficit. ARTS Board Chairman Greg Baldwin said in a release that an ad hoc committee will be working on the transit system’s budget deficit for fiscal year 2009-2010. Baldwin said Assistant Manager Joyce Jones will be interim ARTS transit manager, until a replacement is found for former Transit Manager James Means, who resigned April 6th. Baldwin said ARTS will maintain normal service while the budget work continues. Communications consultant Terry Grillo said in a release Wednesday that “minor adjustments to essential services have been ordered” by Baldwin, “including a halt to the bicycle raffle and other Earth Day activities planned by Amador Regional Transit’s Mobility Management wing.” Grillo said the newly acquired ARTS “trolleys will be temporarily removed from service while costs to operate them are analyzed.” The trolleys operate on a dual fuel system, with tanks that hold both diesel fuel and compressed natural gas. The transit department must drive the trolleys to Rancho Cordova for compressed natural gas fueling, because it has the closest station. ARTS buses will continue to serve the trolley’s Jackson-Martell-Sutter Creek routes until further notice. Amador Regional Transit’s fiscal year ends on June 30th. The ARTS board of directors on March 17th granted past Transit Manager Means a 1-month extension on a budget update, and assigned a budget committee of board members to work with Means on possible changes to help balance the transit budget. The committee at the time was made up of District 1 Supervisor John Plasse and Sutter Creek City Councilman Pat Crosby. Baldwin said the transit system’s “financial difficulties are not unique to Amador County.” He said “sales tax is the primary method for funding public transit service under state law,” and sales tax is down statewide, and is down more than 25 percent in Amador County over the past 2 years. Baldwin said he was confident that ARTS “will survive this current budgetary setback and will continue to improve service to the public and to transit-dependent riders in the coming months.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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