I would like to applaud the Amador county news - www.boitano.net for covering the city of Sutter Creek's loss of $150,000 in valuable tax revenue this budget year (Nov. 21, "Sutter Creek revenues continue to slide,"). Combined with last year's deficit, the city of Sutter Creek has lost over half a million dollars, which provides police services and maintenance of our city streets.

The city's finance director is quoted as saying the shortfall results from a "lack of sales tax revenue." This is the result of the fact that our local businesses are not selling enough and are not, thus, producing the resulting taxes to pay for the vital services we need.

While I am sure our city elected officials have many ideas on how to address the shortfall, I hope they do not overlook the obvious opportunity that Gold Rush Ranch and Golf Resort represents for us to shore up our finances at no cost to taxpayers. The project will provide new funding for maintenance of city streets, maintenance and required improvements in wastewater treatment and police protection - all at no cost to local taxpayers. We are fortunate to have a project before the city that is willing and able to work with us to help meet our many financial needs while preserving our quality of life.