"We came away from our meeting ... reassured very much so by their forthright and strongly felt position to stay with us in making sure we get a river crossing," Sevier said.

He said the county was prepared to enforce the "601st rule" -- which requires a river crossing before the county approves construction of the 601st home in the South. That threshold should be reached in the next year.

"What we did try and get a sense of ... their clear intent to enforce their ordinances," Sevier said. "And the one ordinance they clearly intend to enforce is the 601st rule."

He said RMA representatives planned to meet again with the county 40 days after the September meeting.

Director Mike Schieberl, chairman of the Ad Hoc School Committee, said the association had been in talks with the Operating Engineers Training Center about doing the work necessary to bring Stonehouse Road up to the standard required for school access.

"They have given me a letter of intent saying they are willing to actually do the work on the project," he said. "The funding (for materials) has not been finally secured for that project at this time. So if it's going to start is still questionable."

Schieberl said the work would "remove the roadblock ... and allow the (Elk Grove Unified School District) to move ahead" with plans to acquire the property at Escuela Drive and Stonehouse Road and build an elementary school there.

General Manager Greg Vorster said the board had approved publishing a draft version of the development agreement. The RMA has been negotiating the agreement with Murieta Holdings developers Robert J. Cassano and Gerry N. Kamilos and the Pension Trust Fund of the Operating Engineers, the property owner, for two years.

The 50- or 60-page document will be available at the RMA later this week, Vorster said. A 30-day public comment period will be capped by a meeting on Nov.19 at 7 p.m. at the RMA Building.

Other board action:

2003 budget approved

The board also approved the 2003 budget developed at the Budget Workshop last month. Monthly dues will be $101.50, an increase of $4, or 4.1 percent. Treasurer Chuck Christian said insurance costs had increased in the past year, which added $4.91 a month to dues.

Options for North Gate location

The board meeting started with a presentation by architect Chris Davis of R & D Design Solutions. The firm has been hired by the Community Services District to design a new North Gate. Davis made substantially the same presentation to the CSD board last month. (See that coverage here.)

Packets outlining the four options for the placement of the guard station and managing the traffic flow are now available at the RMA Building and the CSD Building.

Davis said the appearance of the structure is still to be worked out.

CSD General Manager Ed Crouse addressed the meeting, saying the district is moving ahead with the North Gate project at this time without developer participation because it didn't want to be tied to a developer's schedule.

"First and foremost, we want to manage our own destiny when it comes to the North Gate," he said.

The CSD's other goals are to enhance the community, accommodate growth, maintain security and provide residents with an entrance that's easy to use and welcoming, Crouse explained.

He said the CSD is not advocating one option over another because it wants residents to consider all four options and add their comments to the decision-making process.

There will be another opportunity for public response at the RMA's Annual Members Meeting Nov. 21 where the alternatives will again be presented. That meeting will be held at the Country Club at 7 p.m.

Scouts work on citizenship badge

In addition to a contingent from the CSD and most of the candidates for the RMA board, the audience at Tuesday's meeting included a group of Boy Scouts from Troop 633 who are working toward their citizenship merit badge. Four Scouts spoke on issues in the community-the proposed school, a river crossing and development. Each received a round of applause.

The Scouts also received permission to conduct a food drive to benefit the needy. They will be distributing bags to households on Oct. 26 and picking them up on Nov. 2. "It's a very good cause and we're all in favor of it," said Director Frank Dininger.

New broadband price option

The board approved a new level of pricing for the RMA's broadband service. The plan costs $49.99 a month for Tier 1 service, with no installation fee or modem cost, with a 12-month contract. After 24 months, service could be changed to Tier 1 or 2. A $200 charge applies if the service is canceled in the first 12 months. The new tier pricing is in effect until the end of year.

Resident Steve Courtney engaged the board in a half-hour discussion about the business plan for broadband and projections for business in the future.

The broadband service now has between 215 and 218 customers.

A subcommittee of the Communications Committee has been formed to develop a contract that can be put out to bid next year for the position of Internet technology manager. The contract, now worth $60,000 a year, was awarded to the Murieta Group without a bid this year after the head of the Murieta Group, Ryan Fogleman, developed the specifications for the position for the RMA.

Limits on RV parking OK'd

A non-architectural rule governing the parking of RVs and similar unauthorized vehicles was approved by the board with President Jack Copeland abstaining from the vote and Christian voting against it.

Several residents protested that the time limit in the rule of three non-consecutive days per month gave them inadequate time to load and unload their RVs when they take trips. Sevier said no further changescould be made in the rule without changing the CC&Rs. (The rule is available here.)

Kiwanis donation for skateboard park

The board thanked the Kiwanis Club for a $300 donation to the skateboard park fund. The previous balance for the fund was $800. The park would be constructed at Stonehouse Park.