Amador County – Sutter Creek resident Mimi Arata circulated petitions last week asking Sutter Creek City Council to balance its budget. Mimi and husband Ed Arata claimed a victory in October – “at least for now” – she said, in stopping the City Council from issuing bonds to repay itself $750,000 borrowed to make emergency sewer treatment system repairs. The Aratas’ latest effort is the petition for a balanced budget, after the council on November 2nd approved its 2009-2010 budget with a deficit of $250,000. Mimi manned a tent last Tuesday next to Bill Boitano’s barn on Boston Alley, across the corner from the city Post Office. They wanted to circulate the petition in front of the Post Office, but were told they could not do so on federal property. Mimi said they plan to take the petitions door-to-door, hoping to match the 350 signatures they gathered on a petition asking the City Council not to pass the bond issue for repayment of the $750,000 internal loan. The council tabled the bond issuance October 5th, to wait until decisions were made on the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort, even though their Bond Attorney Robert Norcross said the city council’s “reimbursement resolution” gives it full authority to reimburse itself with bonds. Finance manager Jeff Gardner said the $750,000 bond would put the city about $400,000 in the positive. City Manager Rob Duke said the bonds would repay funds spent to purge solid matter from the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which began to max out when service began for new Martell businesses. Duke said the city and Amador Water Agency split the total cost of the $1.5 million repair. He said the fix was needed because the Martell hook-ups immediately caused the system to be in violation of state law. Duke said repairs “took almost all of the sewer reserves, which are now upside-down.” Duke said a related state threat of fines had stopped because the city was working to stop wastewater violations, but quarterly violations continue. Ed and Mimi’s criticism has increased as city meetings address plans for Gold Rush. Ed in early November said “Gold Rush will not save us financially, now or in the future,” and urged the city to contract its police work with the sheriff. Mayor Gary Wooten said despite police making up the majority of the city budget, it was still most efficient for the city to have its own police department. He said most of the $1 million police budget comes from grants, including a $300,000 COPS grant. Wooten said it would cost more than $1 million to contract with the sheriff. Story by Jim Reece This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it