Ledger-Dispatch

By Kelly Enos (kenos@ledger-dispatch.com) =

Ione resident Jack Brotherton backed = former city=20 council hopeful Skip Schaufel for council vacancy = Monday.

Photo by: Kelly=20 Enos
The need for a tie-breaking vote was = apparent=20 at a special Ione City Council meeting Monday night, when a quorum of = council=20 members deadlocked on both agenda items.

Councilman Jeff Barnhart = tendered his resignation during the March 18 city council meeting, = prompting the=20 special meeting to decide how to fill the vacancy. The choices the city = council=20 had included filling the open seat by appointment or waiting until the = November=20 election for voters to decide. A special election was ruled out along = with the=20 upcoming June election, the deadlines for which had = passed.

"Whatever you=20 do has to be done by April 18," said City Manager Kim Kerr. Barnhart's = term was=20 set to expire in December 2010, leaving more than two years remaining. = If an=20 appointee was to be named, he or she would serve the rest of the term = and be=20 eligible for re-election by the end of it.

Councilman Jim Ulm = said he=20 had run across Ione Business and Community Association President Skip = Schaufel=20 at a recent association meeting where Schaufel, a former council = hopeful,=20 expressed interest in the vacancy. "I would like to make a = recommendation for=20 Skip to be appointed to council since he had the next highest votes = during the=20 last election," Ulm said. Ione residents Rick Kraft, Dominic Atlan, Jack = Brotherton and Loretta King all spoke in favor of appointing Schaufel to = the=20 council.

Board of supervisors Chairman Richard Forster, whose = second=20 district includes Ione, also supported Schaufel's appointment to the = council,=20 saying the city "could not ask for a better person." Reminding council = members=20 of the board's recent experiences with 2-2 votes on the Buena Vista = casino=20 issue, he joked that someone should be appointed as soon as possible. = "You don't=20 want to be two to two," he said. "We all know the problems we have with=20 that."

Kerr explained that no nominations were to be made and = that she=20 had received letters and phone calls from individuals who were also = interested=20 in the position. "I have told those who call that, at this point, we do = not know=20 where council is going with this," she said.

Vice Mayor Lee Ard = cautioned=20 about going forward too quickly, reminding the audience that a position = on the=20 council would be a full time job with challenges that include water, = sewage=20 capacity and predicted growth. "In my view, we should follow the = democratic=20 process and open this to the citizens," he said. "I have mixed feelings = on which=20 way to go and don't think we should make a decision = tonight."

After a=20 motion to appoint Schaufel deadlocked, the council instead agreed to = accept=20 submission letters from interested residents before making a permanent = decision=20 at its April 15 meeting. Letters must be received by April 3 for=20 consideration.

The council also deadlocked on an amended = development=20 agreement with JTS Communities Inc. that could have benefitted the city=20 financially. The amendment would bring in maintenance fees for parks, = fire and=20 police enforcement, and increased traffic fees. The Ione Planning = Commission had=20 already recommended approval of the amended development agreement for = villages=20 eight and nine of the Castle Oaks housing project known as Traditions, = but=20 council members Jerry Sherman and Ulm blocked passage.

Sherman = said he=20 objected to some things the city manager did with the document and = wanted=20 further time to study it. Kerr said she hadn't made any changes and = requested=20 clarification from Sherman on his objection. "I have no more comment and = no more=20 clarification," he responded.

The agreement now resorts back to = the=20 original document, which makes no provisions for water connections or = increased=20 fees.

Kelly = Enos