According to county ordinance, which dates to the late 1980s, a pedestrian/bicycle trail and river crossing connecting North and South must be in place before the 601st building permit can be issued for construction on the South. That number, about half the total of homes planned for Murieta South, is expected to be reached this spring when construction begins in two new subdivisions.

Reynen & Bardis claims it cannot come to terms with the Country Club on the use of the Yellow Bridge, which is the crossing specified by the county. The RMA has offered plans for a new bridge, at a cost of $1.3 million.

“I think it’s really important for the community to gather together to hold the developer accountable," Director Paul Gumbinger said. "We don't want to wait another 15 years for a connection. We need it now."

He added, "It’s important to the North just as it is to the South. ... It should be a condition on the North developer that the North developer perhaps participate in this also.”

The county process will bring the decision before the Planning Commission and then the county supervisors. Hearing dates, when set, will be announced by RanchoMurieta.com.

To sue or not to sue

Resident Steve Courtney made a formal request of the board for a copy of the Mutual
Benefit Agreement and any changes that have been made to the 50- to 60-page
document since it was released last fall.

The MBA has been negotiated between the Pension Trust Fund of the Operating Engineers and the Rancho Murieta Association. It has not been signed, although the RMA board voted to accept the document at its January meeting. At that time, the board characterized the MBA as the final settlement of a decade-old lawsuit with the PTF.

Now it is said legal issues on both sides are holding up signatures on the agreement. No one will specify the issues involved.

Courtney has raised questions about the board’s authority to enter into the agreement and other issues. Last month, he requested that the state attorney general’s office investigate the matter. The office declined to pursue the matter.

Recently he wrote a series of letters to RanchoMurieta.com about the attorney general's decision, and Courtney invited the community to contribute to a legal fund to fight development issues.

After answering several of Courtney’s questions, board President Mike Schieberl called Courtney back to the microphone to ask questions of his own. The exchange:

Schieberl: "Steve, I'd like to ask you one last question. There've been numerous posts by yourself (at) the dot-com, so I have a question for you from the board: Are you going to sue the Rancho Murieta private nonprofit mutual-benefit corporation? Yes or no."

Courtney: “We’re pursuing our legal interests in this.”

Several board members: “Is that a yes?”

Courtney: "That is not a yes."

Schieberl: "So that's a no?"

Courtney: "That is not a no. We haven't got a final decision yet, so I'm not making any inference as to what we're doing."

Director Elliot Sevier: “Who’s 'we'?”

Courtney: “People that are involved. I don't think you need to know that at this time. Let’s say that we’re working in secret the same as you are. Let’s leave the playing field level, OK?”

Earlier, Schieberl said he would consult the RMA's legal counsel to see if Courtney can receive a copy of the MBA as it exists now.

Crossing bill has sunset clause

The two-year review for the bill that would legalize crossing state Highway 16 in a golf cart or Neighborhood Electric Vehicle is actually a sunset clause, said General Manager Greg Vorster.

“We’d hate to have to go through all this again,” said Vorster.

It’s been more than a year since the practice, a way of life in Rancho Murieta for over 25 years, was discovered to be illegal and subject to a $300 fine. The bill, which is sponsored by state Sen. Rico Oller, made it out of the Transportation Committee early this month. The committee recommended adding the sunset clause.

In a press release from Oller’s office, the provision was characterized as a review of the crossing after a two-year period to evaluate safety.

Vorster said Oller’s office is working on getting the clause modified or removed.

Director Paul Gumbinger urged residents to support the bill. Director Donna Newell pointed out that Oller would be in the community on April 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Community Services District Building. She advised anyone interested in attending to contact Dick Taylor at 354-9776. The meeting is being hosted by the Optimist Club and the Rancho Murieta Women’s Club.

Neighborhood Watch signs revisited

The Architectural Review Committee will consider requests for Neighborhood Watch signs on a case by case basis, said Director Paul Gumbinger, who chairs the committee.

The ARC refused to approve the signs when General Manager Greg Vorster presented the 18 by 24-inch signs at the committee’s meeting recently and said there could be as many as 40 in the community, depending upon how many groups are formed. The signs also come in smaller sizes, although the larger size is the one most readily available.

“Typically, a street is considered a neighborhood in the program,” Vorster explained at Tuesday's board meeting.

The ARC approved the orange and black stickers Neighborhood Watch participants
place on the windows of their homes.

MTI/RMA committee back

The joint Murieta Townhouses Inc. and RMA ad hoc committee formed to resolve
landscaping issues related to the townhouses is back in business and looking
for members. Director Pamela Haines, who chairs the committee, said a meeting
will be held within the next month. Anyone interested in serving on the
committee should contact the RMA at 354-3500.

Summer rec cost to increase

The RMA summer recreation program cost for participants will increase this year, said Director Pamela Haines, who chairs the Facilities/Recreation Committee. The goal is to move the program closer to being self-supporting, Haines said.

School sites being considered

The school site at Escuela Drive and Stonehouse Road is still being considered for an elementary school, President Mike Schieberl reported. The Elk Grove Unified School District is also considering other sites. District officials have no timeframe for making a presentation regarding the site to the school board, Schieberl said.

Expenditures approved

The board approved emergency cable repairs totaling $6,357. The repairs include a damaged section of cable plus another section which hasn’t failed yet. The cable is direct-buried, meaning it is not protected by conduit. That, plus its age -- about 30 years -- resulted in staff and Communications Committee recommendations to replace the additional section at the same time as the damaged section.

The board approved the outright purchase or lease/purchase of a broadband shaper to control traffic on the RMA broadband Internet system to get more efficiency from the three T-1 lines providing bandwidth. A shaper has been on loan to the broadband system for about 60 days. The cost to lease the equipment for 24 months and then buy it for $1 is $13,560 and the cost to buy it outright is $12,109. The Finance Committee will determine whether to buy or lease the shaper.

The board also approved the purchase of replacement reserve items for the Maintenance Department. The purchase of two flail mowers used to mow common area, at a cost of $7,542, and two chain saws, at a cost of $1799, was approved. Both costs were below the amounts reserved to replace the equipment.

Parks fee increase proposed

Due to the reduction in density proposed by Murieta Holdings developers, $3.4 million in parks contributions will no longer be available to the Parks Fund, Director Paul Gumbinger said. The Parks Committee is considering doubling the parks fees paid by home builders and RMA members to make up the loss.

Currently, developers pay $2,193.81 per lot and the association pays $625.88 per lot through dues. The amounts are tied to an index and adjusted annually.

Murieta Holdings developer Robert J. Cassano is looking into the suggested increase and will report back to the Parks Committee at its next meeting, 8:15 a.m. April 28 at the RMA Building.

The Parks Committee consists of five voting members -- two RMA directors, one Community Services District director, and two members of the development community.

Accounting change

The board voted to keep the interest received from the reserves investments in the reserves account instead of putting the interest into the operating budget. The change will take effect with the 2004 budget.