Ledger-Dispatch

By Jerry Budrick (jbudrick@ledger-dispatch.com= )=20

Jackson and Amador Water Agency = officials came to=20 an accord over sewer rate increases during a meeting Wednesday at = the=20 Jackson Civic Center.

Photo by: Jerry=20 Budrick
After more than a year of bitter = battles,=20 there was a palpable sense of relief at Wednesday afternoon's = reconciliation=20 between the Jackson water and sewer rate committee, city officials and = the=20 Amador Water Agency.

In August 2007, the AWA raised the price of = treated=20 water that it sells wholesale to Jackson by 22 percent. The city = attempted to=20 pass this cost on to the ratepayers, sending out notices to ratepayers = of a 17=20 percent increase in water rates. This water rate increase was = accompanied by a=20 similar increase in the sewer rate.

In the old days, these rate = increases=20 would probably have been accepted without protest by a reluctant = citizenry.=20 Those days went away with passage of Proposition 218, which took effect = in 1997.=20 According to the California Legislative Analyst's Office, the drafters = of=20 Proposition 218 intended to include most fees commonly collected on = monthly=20 bills to property owners, such as those for water delivery, garbage = service,=20 sewer service and storm water management fees. Local governments must = mail=20 information regarding assessments to all property owners. Each = assessment notice=20 must contain a mail-in ballot for the property owner to indicate his or = her=20 approval or disapproval of the assessment. If 50 percent plus one = property=20 owners indicate disapproval, the rate increases cannot be = imposed.

Along=20 with the rate increases in 2007, the city sent the required ballots. = When the=20 ballots were returned and tabulated, it was determined that nearly 50 = percent=20 were opposed. Arguments raged about the process, the tabulation and the=20 validation process. Rather than face litigation, the city council = decided to=20 withdraw the rate increases and take steps to form a committee to = research and=20 possibly resolve the issues.

In January, the city council = approved=20 formation of a Water/Sewer Rate Study Committee, naming Joe Assereto, = Bill=20 Condrashoff, Kathy duBois, Judy Jebian, Jim Laughton and Ron Regan as = members.=20 Since its formation, the committee has spent many hours compiling data = related=20 to the AWA rate increase that precipitated the increases to Jackson = ratepayers.=20

In the meantime, the city has been suffering from budget = deficits for=20 both water and wastewater. "The city has lost something like $200,000 = over the=20 last 15 months," said AWA District 1 Director Madonna = Wiebold.

The=20 committee's research led it to conclusions that became issues of = controversy=20 between it and the AWA. Chief analyst for the committee, Condrashoff, = came to=20 believe that the rate increases were tied to both the Amador = Transmission=20 Pipeline and the Plymouth Pipeline. During many rancorous months, = Condrashoff's=20 analyses and conclusions became the center of contention between the = city and=20 the agency, to such a degree that rate increases appeared to fall into a = state=20 of permanent postponement.

Meeting moderator, Jackson City = Councilman=20 Wayne Garibaldi, told the assembled committee members and AWA = representatives=20 that the council had decided it wanted to talk to the agency in hopes of = breaking a committee deadlock.

Shortly into the meeting, = Condrashoff=20 said, "There's a lot going on here. Jim (AWA general manager = Abercrombie) and=20 Gene (AWA engineering and planning manager Mancebo) and I came to an=20 understanding yesterday over the water supply assessment. Things have=20 changed."

Water supply assessments were prepared by consultants = for the=20 agency as steps in the processes aimed at approval of both Gold Rush = Ranch and=20 Golf Resort and the Wicklow Way subdivision. Condrashoff, who is running = against=20 Wiebold, and the agency had been locked in disagreement.

"We = should have=20 had discussions long ago," Abercrombie added. "We should be able to move = forward."

In short order, the gathering worked its way through = all of the=20 contentious issues that had been raising hackles and preventing rate=20 increases.

The Plymouth Pipeline Project, one of the focal points = of=20 contention, was discussed and its issues resolved. The proposed new = Tanner water=20 treatment plant was shown to be far less costly than previously = estimated and=20 the reduced cost financing plan was explained to mutual satisfaction.=20 Projections for use of the agency's remaining water supply were = considered and=20 amiably accepted.

Plans were discussed concerning means to = perpetuate=20 this newfound accord. "We've been participating in more cooperative = discussions=20 with the county and the city of Sutter Creek," Abercrombie said. "I = think we've=20 reached a point of agreement, and the city can move forward with its = need to=20 raise rates."

Now that Jackson and the AWA appear to have reached = an=20 accord, Sutter Creek will become the next city announcing sewer rate = increases=20 to its ratepayers.

At Monday night's meeting of the Sutter Creek = City=20 Council, Dec. 15 was announced as the date for a public hearing to raise = retail=20 wastewater rates. The hearing is required by Proposition 218. As = occurred last=20 year in Jackson, rate increases mailed to ratepayers will be accompanied = by=20 ballots that are intended to indicate approval or disapproval of the = rate=20 increases.

Proposed rate increases will be from the present = $50.05 to=20 $60.57 in January, with further increases in July 2009 and July 2010. = Combined=20 increases will total 40 percent and reach $72.57 per ratepayer when all = three=20 increases are in place. There would be significant increases imposed = upon Sutter=20 Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant customers in Amador City and Martell as = well.

Jerry = Budrick