Ione council holds preliminary censure hearing for Mayor Stacy Rhodes amid water, Title 22 and easement disputes

The Ione City Council on June 4 held a preliminary hearing on a censure request filed by Council member Lisonbee Lafaine against Mayor Stacy Rhodes, with much of the public comment and council discussion focused on alleged undisclosed negotiations over a proposed easement to convey tertiary-treated (Title 22) water and on whether an application tied to US Mine prompted renewed state review of the city's Title 22 compliance.

The hearing followed the city attorney's outline of procedure and allowed each council member to speak to the complaint, then the mayor to respond and public comment before deliberations. Council member Lafaine presented a multi-page complaint she said was prompted by an easement that surfaced on a council agenda; she told the council she had used public records requests to gather supporting documents.

Lafaine said the current Title 22 review by state regulators was triggered not by the city’s plan but by a permit application submitted on behalf of US Mine and that the Amador Water Agency (AWA) project documentation showed the mine could receive tertiary water at no charge while the city continued to pay existing costs for parks. "That Title 22 was not triggered by our plan. Title 22 was triggered by an application submitted to the water resources board on behalf of US mine,"…