Ledger-Dispatch

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

Maureen Funk, left, and Toni Fancher = were=20 successful in making their case for Measure E funds for the Amador = Council=20 of Tourism and Historic Jackson Business Association from the = Jackson City=20 Council Monday night.

Photo by: Jerry=20 Budrick
A total of $34,310 in Measure E = funding,=20 also known as the Transient Occupancy Tax, was distributed by the = Jackson City=20 Council Monday night.

An alliance between the Amador Council of = Tourism=20 and the Historic Jackson Business Association drew the bulk of the = funding:=20 $11,000 will go to the HJBA, $14,310 to ACT and $9,000 to the Amador = County=20 Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

The amounts allocated = were=20 recommended by the Measure E Advisory Committee, which bore the = responsibility=20 of weighing the needs and desires of the applicants against the = available funds,=20 which were 5 percent less than last year.

City Manager Mike Daly=20 presented the somewhat grim figures that make up Jackson's budget for = fiscal=20 year 2008-09.

In a total absence of public comment, Daly provided = the=20 council with the unsurprising news that sales tax revenues for the year = will=20 likely be down by half a million dollars, from $1.3 million to $871,000. = Fuel=20 costs have risen substantially.

The city's water and sewer funds = are=20 suffering major shortfalls. The water fund is reeling from the large = increases=20 in wholesale rates for water from the Amador Water Agency. The sewer = fund has=20 been hit with increasing regulatory compliance costs. Both funds are = victims of=20 the city's recent inability to raise either the water or sewer = rates.

A=20 somber city council approved the budget as presented.

On a = lighter note,=20 there will still be a volunteer firefighters' dinner. Jackson Fire Chief = Mark=20 Morton noted that there are presently 28 volunteer members in the=20 department.

Also in the budget is allocation of $21,750 to the = Amador=20 County Recreation Agency. ACRA Director Tracey Towner-Yep gratefully = accepted=20 the city contribution.

Earlier in the evening, Towner-Yep = presented a=20 PowerPoint outline of ACRA activities, plans and budget. Last year, = Jackson's=20 contribution made up 13 percent of the ACRA budget. Daly explained that = the=20 lower amount this year resulted from a drop in Jackson's = population.

In=20 its few years of existence, ACRA has become a force in providing = recreational=20 facilities and activities all over Amador County. Among its many = highlights,=20 ACRA has had 100 acres donated to it, worked on 38 parks in the county = and=20 sponsored a "Battle of the Bands" and a skate event at the county=20 fairgrounds.

Coming soon for the agency is "the largest movie = screen in=20 three or four counties," according to Towner-Yep - 30 feet high, usable = only in=20 gymnasiums, large churches or outdoors.

An ambitious project has = been=20 launched by Walter Guerra, a young man from the Upcountry, who wants to = be the=20 Kids' Activities advocate. Guerra's plan is to have a central clearing = house for=20 information important to the children of Amador.

Walter invites = all kids=20 in the area to send information about what's happening to=20 pioneertrail@volcano.net

Jerry = Budrick