"VETO" Latin for forbid...

MSB assembly meeting Tuesday is another big fat VETO from our borough ceremonial mayor. This time the wrath of the veto pen is an ordinance that was passed by that other assembly and sponsored by assembly member Halter.  But as we know that other assembly is out the swinging door and now the mayor has a new full set of back up dancers. 

So what is the ordinance that has gotten the mayor's crown knocked a little sideways so that he wants yet another “do over”? Well it's the borough residents’ insurance fund in case of a natural disaster. You know the cash that is waiting when Mother Nature decides to get our attention without a reservation.  Not that we have many of those being a earth-quake, wind, volcano free zone and all. Yeah no chance of any or those leading to any financial, environmental or human losses. 

The adopted ordinance raises the disaster reserve from $750,000.00 to $1,250.000.  That's the money the borough holds under lock and key just in case a local catastrophe occurs. That means the borough has ready cash to come to the aid of citizen's instead of waiting for someone's helicopter to warm up to check it out and cut loose the state or fed pocketbook. If they do. Of course we all know that's a lightning quick process right?  

Apparently the mayor is convinced that the borough already tries to "anticipate" disaster and the lower limit is good enough. Heck, we don't need any extra cash if he's wrong. Him being a carrot farmer and all with expertise and a P.H.D. in disasters. Oh and in his memo to the clerk his description of disasters are "man made or natural" with a pair of parenthesis around "or supernatural for that matter".  Holy cow bat man!   I see dead people. 

Our mayor is confident that the borough "has insurance".  Something we should note a third of Alaskans don’t enjoy.  Those of us that do have insurance all know how easy that claim and reimbursement thingy is and how insurance companies have a history especially of late, of coughing up cash like a cat with a hairball.  Plus our ceremonial mayor has complete confidence in a "can do" attitude that lets him pull the Scarlet O'Hara “I just can't think about that today I'll think about it tomorrow” card out of his deck and bet that communities will “deal with issues as they arise".  

But now we get to the soggy patty of beef on the issue. 

Mayor Devilbiss advises that he has "experts" although he doesn't identify them, tell him that having a bigger reserve for disasters is an excess and is just another case of ....Wait for it.  "Over Taxation".  

Ah.  The real burr in the saddle of this carrot farmer.  We can't be filling the coffers with any tax money.  No sir.  Even if it’s a savings for that disaster our ceremonial mayor can see isn't coming.

Time to get out your Ouija board and make sure there are enough roots in the cellar.