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Monday, 02 March 2009 |
 Amador County – The Plymouth City Council rejected a water rate study because of its cost last week, and asked staff to try to get a lower price on the work. Staff proposed Bob Reed of the Reed Group Incorporated do a water rate study, at a cost of $19,000. Consultant Richard Prima said Reed would look at establishing a tiered rate structure. Mayor Jon Colburn said he was “fearful that we might spend $19,000 and then decide that this might not be feasible.” Councilwoman Patricia Fordyce said a $15 dollar service charge should be dropped to $1 dollar. Prima said he didn’t “see the service charge being reduced to a dollar; maybe 2 or 3 dollars. Councilman Mike O’Meara said he would like to see lower water costs and Councilwoman Pat Shackleton said she would like to see the service charge and the rates both lowered, so all users can save money. Mayor Jon Colburn said the price of the study would equate to spending $38 dollars per Plymouth customer. He said the previous rate study should be used, and they could plug in new numbers. Prima said the last rate study by Reed used 2006 numbers, and this would use 2007 and 2008 data. Fordyce asked if financial officer Jeff Gardner could do the study. Gardner said Reed is a water engineer. Prima said he had not done such a study before but could probably do it, but he was not sure how quickly he could finish. Colburn said “we don’t care how fast you are, it’s how cheap you are” that matters. Councilman Greg Baldwin said he thought they should look at what other cities are doing. He said “it’s not rocket science; some of our staff can probably do that.” City Manager Dixon Flynn said he or Prima could likely do the study, but not in time to have it before the summer. Baldwin said he thought Reed’s talk of the new study meant “plugging in some numbers, not $19,000 dollars. If that’s the case, then we need to fire him too.” The council sent Flynn to talk to Reed about the work and lowering the cost. Story by Jim Reece
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Last Updated ( Monday, 02 March 2009 )
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