In This Issue:
Plymouth Council Tables Garbage Increase
AWA Annual Audit Update
AWA Responds to HJTA Letter
AWA Board Rejects Internal Loan Policy
AWA to Hire Temp Employee
AWA Board's Reputations at Stake
Help Needed with Rate Protests
About RPA
Ratepayer Protection Alliance (RPA) was formed to support the rights of the people of Amador County against
unfair rate increases, which are usually used to subsidize special interests. Recently, RPA has assisted
citizens who successfully protested several water rate increases. RPA is committed to ensuring that water,
wastewater and garbage rates in Amador County are justified, and do not unfairly burden local residents.
Donations
RPA works hard to minimize
costs of informing the public of unfair rate increases.
RPA operates on the donated time of volunteers and no one is paid for their efforts.
Donations for postage costs can be sent to:
Ratepayer Protection Alliance
P.O. Box 51
Pine Grove CA 95665
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Plymouth Tables Garbage Rate Increase
At their May 24 meeting, Mayor Sandy Kyles said that City Manager Jeff Gardner requested that the
Plymouth City Council table the decision to raise garbage rates until the June 14th meeting. Attorney
Laura Hollender said the purpose of tabling the garbage item is to give the Council a more in-depth
review of the rates and why exactly they need to be increased.
More...
5/24/12 AWA Board Meeting Summary
- AWA Annual Audit Still not in Agreement with 66013 Fund Report (Again)
AWA’s General Manager Gene Mancebo still did not explain problems the public found in AWA financial reports on March 22, 2012. AWA staff said the
problems were corrected during the lunch recess. The independent auditor said the draft audit would be easily corrected, but nothing more has been said for
9 weeks. An approved audit is supposed to be submitted to the State Controller by July 1.
At the May 24th meeting, Mancebo asked the Directors for $7,900 to contract an outside accounting firm to do an independent
financial review of the Agency. Two weeks earlier Mancebo said the contract would cost $5,500.
More...
- AWA Responds to Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Letter
AWA Attorney Steve Kronick presented a
draft response letter
to a
letter that Howard Jarvis Taxpayers
Association (HJTA) wrote to AWA. The HJTA letter
claims that AWA resolution 2012-04
that was enacted by the AWA board in
March is contrary to the California Constitutional Amendment Prop 218.
Details...
- Internal Loan Policy Sent Back to the Drawing Board
The AWA board rejected a resolution that gave procedures for establishing internal loans. The Policy Committee recommended the
resolution in order to prevent AWA systems from having negative fund balances. Both the public and some board members were not satisfied
with the resolution.
Details...
- Board Gives OK for General Manager to Hire Temp Employee
AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo asked the board for direction to hire an additional employee to “assist with the
work load created by the volume of public information requests.” A week earlier, Ken Berry asked for information that would justify
the time spent on requests. Even though Berry was promised "what information we can provide" on May 17, nothing has actually been provided as of May 31.
Details...
- Board’s Reputations are at Stake
Several people at the meeting expressed that the AWA board members are putting their reputations at risk by seemingly ignoring the seriousness of AWA
financial problems. Bill Condrashoff urged the board to be sure that they completely understood the seriousness of the 66013 suit and the discrepancies
between those reports and the annual audit. The 66013 suit arose because the Directors voted not to provide Condrashoff with a report that would have
shown the Directors that AWA was in financial trouble. Condrashoff first asked for the report in August of 2011.
Details...
The next regular AWA board meeting will be Thursday June 14th at 9am. If you would like to receive the AWA agendas or full informational packets
before each meeting, email cthompson@amadorwater.org.
Help Needed with Rate Protests
RPA is currently gearing up to help ratepayers stop unjustified rate increases.
We’ll need volunteers to walk their neighborhoods collecting protest signatures.
Donations for postage will reduce the need to walk door to door.
Click here to help
Learn how you can protest
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