[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6612774,"mediaKeyId","2887375-504a8aa8d3e68df9d78d48a470c63ad3","parentId",2887375,"title","Council says it may enforce Castle Oaks lease if lessee closes golf course; mediation still an option","audioSeconds",102,"startMs",3729230,"endMs",3831845,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2887375-504a8aa8d3e68df9d78d48a470c63ad3&start=3729&end=3831","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2887375-504a8aa8d3e68df9d78d48a470c63ad3/thumbnail_3729230.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6612774/California/Council-says-it-may-enforce-Castle-Oaks-lease-if-lessee-closes-golf-course-mediation-still-an-option","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6612774-638ebc24f3f73777bea23151152869d9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770903550&Signature=W9LCyq2K4Cz5ygpUOYUQql7V3oCxAH0EDNe1od7ne915S22knwUyOdcW3TstpjFGan4g4qUejMcnPLM6mC3eyzWqoJRGpJEG8SoR1wrdIs9HkXXxXFMP4ZugV1gpSQovf7HfSdltlXJU2y-Yf4CUqlSdV26GkUshDejNUakAGGriHt51ZW1dQsF3KUkl7fdqoBt4BewXXwrGeSwAxN1FoeUOCxkd8drD3Di3~y4zxddGTftNWzxBZ2qIpCyonjJCug6OBBpPGw799OCXMqDIylF~~v2hxVYBeJSdzAajMP9uzKDcF0kHdVFtzLiD3SuYe68GVOyPdIUrIS6tw6A~8Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-05T19:37:09.343Z","article","The Ione City Council returned from a closed session on April 1 with a report from legal counsel about the Castle Oaks Golf Course lease. Legal counsel summarized the city’s position that if the lessee shuts down the golf course before the lease allows, that would constitute a breach and the city would be prepared to exercise its rights under the lease.

“It’s our position that the lessee is obligated to run the golf course. Shutting it down early would be a breach of the lease,” legal counsel said during the report out, and noted the city’s preference to avoid disruption in operations.

Legal counsel added that the council had expressed “full willingness to try to go into mediation or arbitration with this lessee to try to sort out any disagreements,” but that mediation or arbitration had not yet occurred.

The closed-session report was framed as consistent with positions shared in prior council meetings and was not accompanied by a council vote during the special meeting. The council paused and later adjourned the special meeting; the second closed-session item was to be held after the regular meeting.

Why this matters: The Castle Oaks lease affects local amenities and the city’s contractual rights; a shutdown could interrupt services and potentially trigger lease-enforcement actions.

Looking ahead: Legal counsel’s statement indicates the city may pursue lease remedies if the lessee stops operations, but the council also signaled interest in resolving disputes through mediation or arbitration before taking enforcement action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Special Council Meeting 4/1/25","oneSentenceSummary","After closed session April 1, Ione legal counsel reported the city’s position that an early shutdown of Castle Oaks Golf Course by the lessee would breach the lease and that the city is prepared to exercise its rights; the council also expressed willingness to pursue mediation or arbitration.","taxTitle","Ione, Amador County, California","taxId",79263,"location","California","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6612778,"Contract operator says Ione wastewater upgrades saved city millions; residents and auditor raise financial concerns",436,964365,1400655,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2887375-504a8aa8d3e68df9d78d48a470c63ad3&start=964&end=1400","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2887375-504a8aa8d3e68df9d78d48a470c63ad3/thumbnail_964365.jpg","/articles/6612778/California/Contract-operator-says-Ione-wastewater-upgrades-saved-city-millions-residents-and-auditor-raise-financial-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6612778-d493a01b6c6c86e238f7a9c448ed4eb7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770903550&Signature=NtGHT2RWDC-kmZ4YjqTfmdZ~CfpLh-b3ci21xRIbqTrY2AlAQs5Wvdmi9nI8OTLIMhULehinLKb5-EpI6plqU~95~QlqgsjjhsJLq6O8Bl4WwMnBYsMg311q~H~UGvzAjZBcU~uESMSzVCnDdk7sybrvxBds~jtgQ-hq34tpzp3lC8nZnX1X4WmvyRHetqYcFOUsS~Ep3EIO~II~HP-CBJVOK91B~1~OQJ9fAMHExxa10ahnOibPa-ddHjtpc-YEE4AXwBahp942Vz7XYEgQWzPpv9GkGjHyoNfHRu8Xni1XQv9jYNca1vAvj-o3h-k5FtqhJq1oZggjpBlxuNZ-9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Contractors who operate Ione’s wastewater facilities told the City Council on April 1 that they have reduced costs, completed major repairs and are working toward compliance with regional water board requirements. At the same meeting, a resident who obtained financial records said accounting irregularities and delayed audits have left the city unable to determine available funds.

“During the course of this past year, we have reduced our price, thus saving the city a hundred and $20,000 a year,” said a contractor representative, who added the operator had inherited aged infrastructure and had completed projects to return facilities to compliance. The speaker said the regional board has “noted the proactive approach” and that without remediation the plant could be shut down.

The contractor said specific projects yielded substantial savings compared with initial vendor bids: a project originally bid at $283,000 was completed for $179,000; a 14-inch mag flow meter and readout panel installation cost $48,000; and sand-filter repairs that had been quoted at $1.1 million–$1.6 million were being completed for under $600,000. The contractor also said the city had paid about $1,018,000 to date for necessary upgrades and that the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) upgrade was 40% complete at a cost so far of $191,000.

The contractor representative also said the company had prepared a capital-improvement plan (CIP) that could save the city about $2,000,000 and identified potential grant funding of $15,000,000; those figures were presented as the operator’s estimates and were not audited or verified during the meeting.

Separately, Susan Priest, who said she lives in the Cash Lokue subdivision, said she obtained the city’s financial statements as of Dec. 31 and distributed copies to the council. Priest said the general-fund statements contained account balances in unexpected places and that about 38.5% of balance-sheet items appeared misclassified. “This is probably one of the reasons the audits are behind,” she told the council, and she listed missing documentation items auditors typically request, including bank reconciliations and contract copies.

City manager George Lee and other staff were present during the public comments. No formal council action on contracts, CIP adoption, or grant acceptance occurred during the special meeting; the contractor said they would return with supporting quotes and backup documentation if council members wanted to review them.

Why this matters: Ione’s wastewater plant is subject to regional water-board permits; failure to remedy violations can lead to enforcement, fines or shutdown. At the same time, accounting irregularities and missing audits can limit the city’s ability to budget or to demonstrate that contract savings have materialized.

Looking ahead: The contractor asked for item(s) related to the SCADA upgrade to be considered on a future agenda. Council members did not take a vote on funding or contracts related to the wastewater plant at the special meeting.","Contract operators and residents reported cost savings and progress on Ione's wastewater plant upgrades during public comment; separately a resident who obtained city financial statements said accounting errors and delayed audits leave the city unable to determine unrestricted funds.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6612783,"Public commenters press Ione council over censure policy, alleged emails and Brown Act concerns",1525,75415,1600440,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2887375-504a8aa8d3e68df9d78d48a470c63ad3&start=75&end=1600","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2887375-504a8aa8d3e68df9d78d48a470c63ad3/thumbnail_75415.jpg","/articles/6612783/California/Public-commenters-press-Ione-council-over-censure-policy-alleged-emails-and-Brown-Act-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6612783-09d96b724ad7571da278fc02c3d1a83f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770903550&Signature=g-CUwPTUDaPGD8ofF-uBbwXqQFrZUXBnDQkFkhc3ZlsqpvevwbdoFn6NngE8uZEYScvnqFGfB-6IzOPcshTnhsfbns-5cn9Cok-e62Ku58HNR73y1slJC7HZWcnDiNtE-hclmwjK-MmeOxcaNw~7NsYylW1eSbhvj8hb~nFxqD5n6C39IhQbRw13GDONSV4~tNvfMCD~rdYfN48lVTCJviuasVIg20GNVqx5azDl4VY1BLZwsB72pYflE~MtzK0nIrD8dy5UrIvW7tDZgVrjCLT-sqf5VvbB4MsdIXoBuEnV9tUqb-pS~0w6tpdUiULXm2fCqn2b~3~fW9bveum-2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a special meeting April 1, residents used the public-comment period to criticize a recently adopted censure policy, to urge the resignation of a council member over alleged email exchanges, and to raise potential Brown Act violations.

“Thank you, mayor and council members. I am against censure... I think that council member Lisonbee Lafane should resign,” said Gary, a resident who spoke during the public-comment period. Multiple other speakers referenced the same packet of emails and questioned whether council members had discussed the matter outside a noticed meeting.

The concerns about possible violations of the Ralph M. Brown Act were voiced by Marsha Edick, who identified herself as a Castle Oaks homeowner. Edick read from an audio record and said she was “wondering, how is it that Stacy, Jodie, and Jack came to a decision to call such a meeting to censor Allison and get it put on the agenda unless there had been a meeting or a discussion beforehand, which would be a violation of the Brown Act.”

Other commenters pressed similar themes. One public commenter said the city attorney had applied a “reach back or retroactive action” in implementing the censure policy and invoked the U.S. Supreme Court and the California Constitution in arguing the process violated procedural due process protections. That commenter also cited staff reports dated Feb. 18 and March 18 as the documents framing the council’s action.

Several speakers tied the censure discussion to local disputes involving past employees and litigation. Marsha Edick and others referenced Laurie McGraw and a prior criminal case and potential civil litigation; other comments accused council members of making public accusations without sufficient evidence.

Mayor Rhodes paused the public comment period at several points to remind speakers of time limits. Council members did not take formal action on the censure policy during the special meeting; the comments occurred during the public-comment portion of the session.

Why this matters: The Brown Act requires that public business be conducted in meetings open to the public, and allegations of off-agenda deliberations or retroactive application of policy can trigger legal challenges and additional costs. Public commenters repeatedly tied the dispute to local governance and potential litigation costs for the city.

The council moved into a closed session later in the meeting. No formal censure vote or final action on the censure policy was reported out during the special meeting.

Looking ahead: The public comments signaled continued community attention to the censure policy, email disclosures and process concerns. Any formal council actions that respond to these complaints or that implement administrative hearings would be reflected in subsequent agendas and minutes.","At a special Ione City Council meeting April 1, multiple residents raised concerns about a newly implemented censure policy, alleged private emails involving a council member and possible Brown Act violations; several speakers called for resignations and for the council to follow due process.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council says it may enforce Castle Oaks lease if lessee closes golf course; mediation still an option

Contract operator says Ione wastewater upgrades saved city millions; residents and auditor raise financial concerns

Public commenters press Ione council over censure policy, alleged emails and Brown Act concerns