"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. 

Buyer's Remorse

Wikipedia describes "buyers remorse"   to be rooted in various factors, such as: the person's concern they purchased the wrong product, purchased it for too high a price, purchased a current model now rather than waiting for a newer model, purchased in an ethically unsound way, purchased on credit that will be difficult to repay, or purchased something that would not be acceptable to others.  For fun lets see if any of that applies to the MSB assembly (less one lone NO vote from Keogh) who took the giant leap last week by eliminating any tower/tall structure ordinance in the borough. 


Too high a price?  We seem to be caught up in the national dialog that all regulation is too high a price to pay.  When you drill it down is it just today's piggy bank or should we be considering what the price will be later as we kill all attempts to be pro-active and get ahead of the potential problem now?  Are we not just sending the cost of correction down the bunny trail and on to  some other generations debit card with sky high interest when we decide then this supposed government over reach is a under reach?  Who really has the ability to say that by allowing anything to happen is a good outcome looking down the road in 5, 10 or 20 years?  Even Clark Kent doesn't have that kinda vision. 


Did the borough purchase the wrong product?  By their own testimony industry leaders were willing to work with some kind of ordinance.  Business is always going after things to be a little more to their liking and financial benefit but by killing any regulation as this pro business assembly has done are they doing business any favors? Is what the assembly is flaying around to protect really provide any certainty of investment?  Business wants assurance to plan for the future not by today's whims or sound bites. Even the biggest players know rules and regulations swing like a naked ring master on a trapeze in the political wind.  They want the certainty that logical rules are in place to make their long range decisions. 


Did we all pay too high a price?  Working groups of volunteers spent from 2007-2011 collaborating on this ordinance.  Let's all have a moment for a collective shudder at the staff time and resources that went into getting to this point.  Resources that could have gone to other things that went without. Volunteers from the industry and community that took the time away from their own projects to lend a hand and a voice to this one. 


Okay I'm really starting to itch...


Purchased a current model rather than waiting for a newer model?  The current assembly seemingly cares a diddle about what prior assemblies or public input wanted before the recent crowning.  Are we all forced to now watch the unraveling of all legislation that doesn't have this current assembly stamp on it?  What gives one body the power to decide for all former and future bodies that their way is best? 


Purchased in a ethical sound way?  With the ethics ordinance blowing in the wind who knows right?  Was it decided by text at the table? Was it traded for some other shiny object as part of a bigger agenda?  Yikes do we even want to know? 


Purchased on credit that will be difficult to pay or something that's not acceptable to others?  Legislation should be about the next generation not the next election or wrapped around the axle of a bigger personal or political ideology.  Our assembly is suppose to be non partisan and not follow a political party agenda. Doesn't killing off any and all regulation fall head first into a current political platform?  Yeah that's what I thought. 




The assembly additionally eliminated the need for a land use permit in the majority of cases in the borough.  Unless you live in what's considered a FEMA flood zone and don't plan on constructing less than 75 feet of a water body your pretty much good to go without a permit.  In excess of 600 permits were issued by the borough last year for the token fee of $25.00-$50.00.  Many of them were not because permits were required but by folks wanting to make sure they were building in the right location on their property and not too close to an easement, setbacks etc to AVOID problems down the bunny trail.  Taking the time and making the investment now to assure that when they were ready to sell they weren't sitting smack in the middle of a big expensive problem that prevented their sale or cost them a wad of cash. Again being pro-active to insure their property values were protected. 


So there you have it.  The tower ordinance is all over but the crying.  Or is it?  Will sensibility rise from the ashes and at least bring back the old ordinance for a place holder until cooler heads prevail? Will the assembly revisit the land use permit issue and decide that having the assurance that all things are where they should be when we build now instead of later might be just the ounce of prevention we should be encouraging as an investment in our future? 


Many more questions than answers.  Stay tuned.  Meanwhile we might think about adding to our shopping cart representation that give us a whole lot of  less buyer's remorse or really no remorse.  

Oh quit whinin

Its not even close to tax day but lets talk about those evil property taxes.  Since pretty much every decision our assembly is making these days is wrapped around the axle of cutting property taxes for the over burdened property owner that can't afford his simple abode, we really should pull up a chair and chat. Yep even though the cries of "we don't give a dang how they do it outside" are already swelling up in some throats lets just see what a little google search shows on how we size up.

A little pause for history..Alaska as we know has no state income tax which in many states holds down the local mill rates.  We did away with that little irritation shortly after oil starting gushing up out of the ground in Prudhoe Bay.  Up until that geyser broke Alaskans were paying 14.5% income tax the highest in the nation.  Now we are one of only 9 states whose residents pay no income tax. Nothing. Nada. North Dakota that we hear so much about?  You know the state we are worried might be ripping the drilling rigs right out from under us? Yeah well they aren't on the list of no pay states.  They pay up to nearly 5% in  income tax.

But since income tax is off the table lets look into that pesky property tax since were all being told that's the real Darth Vader in the lives of borough residents. It is just making some assembly members "boiling mad" and supposedly driving hard working folks out of their homes in droves. Forcing folks to leave the Mat Su Borough.  Didn't see the tango line of packed pick ups and U Hauls? Yeah me either.

Alaska is the only state in the union where a large portion of the state residents that live here are not subjected to property tax at all.  Set up that way many years ago with the rationality that there wasn't the tax base in those areas large enough to support a property tax and it is still so today with seemingly little appetite in the political landscape to change things. So of the 18 boroughs only 14 levy a property tax and only 11 cities located outside the borough's levy a additional mill tax. Palmer is one of them and Wasilla since it has become king of the strip malls and big box stores has replaced its small mill rate with a big fat zero counting on sales tax to fill the city coffers. Long and short of it is the "no stinking property tax" part of the state either supplements with sales tax or the state does the heavy lifting.

Another little piece of the factoid pie is deductions.  By state mandate homeowners 65 and older or surviving spouses are exempt from property tax on the first $150,000 in assessed value of their property.  This also applies to disabled veterans. Reimbursement from the state was supposed to be made up by this wildly politically popular mandate but that's where the bouncing ball stopped many years ago.  In just the last assembly meeting approval was given  to exempt 28 properties to take about $3,244,577  off the property tax rolls. And that is just the part that was asking for divine intervention from the assembly to include them in a much larger roll of exempt properties for various reasons. Since 1990 when the state decided to offer this tax break they have piled up over 37 million in unfunded mandates on the shoulders of the property tax payers of the borough. The check for reimbursement of this state mandate is not in the mail.  But in the list of state legislative priorities just passed by the sitting assembly among the wishes for rail, roads, bridges is there a priority to collect this debt and relieve the burden off local taxpayers? Nope.

Back to our friends in North Dakota where at least one big contractor based in the borough and frequently absent member of the port commission has gotten weary of waiting for the next big Alaska project and moved his toys where the rush is on.  According to the Tax Foundation  Alaska ranked in comparison to other states in local and state taxes with the highest rate of property tax being number 46 out of 50. Not the bottom of the ladder but just a few rungs up.  North Dakotan folks pull number 30 of the 50. They still have property tax, income tax, sin taxes and they don't enjoy that "hey maybe I can afford a big screen tv" permanent dividend  fund check every year given to folks for calling Alaska home.  Oh but wait there is a gold rush of good paying jobs.  That's the good news.  The bad news is there is no where to live in North Dakota and rent, food and just about anything else has doubled.  Too bad they didn't call the master of gold rush states for some advise. Could have told them to start printing that "please give us another chance to make millions" bumper sticker that they will need when its over and everyone pulls up stakes and leaves for another sucker.

The point is we are being fed this ongoing continuous drivel of "out of control property taxes" in between the rant of "out of control regulation" and we need to put a stop to it. The hand writing is on the wall that in order to set the foundation to lay off a whole host of people at the borough this budget season, this fairy tale must be continued and be repeated and there are plenty of talking heads on the now veto proof assembly that are more than happy to do it. It's not rocket science.  No regulation, no workers, no problem.


This is your borough its time to take the dialog back folks.

Surveyor Stimulus Bill

Tonight the Assembly takes up revisions to the mandatory land use permit, and general standards for flood hazard reduction by assembly member Colver whose full time business is as a land surveyor.  Colver dons his cape to bring part of his bigger plan to revise the subdivision code to "stimulate the economy of the borough through regulatory reform" .  Not sure how to put into words the implications of changing this process now in this increased era of eliminating anything and all things that SOME perceive as standing in the way of regaining or adding to their fat cat status and how its being done.  We do know that SOME assembly members have a pretty messy process and reputation for leaving a large stinky unwanted wake of the expected eventual outcome.

Special meeting starts at the borough at 6pm tonight.  Still seeing if I can muster the courage after what happened Tuesday with the tower ordinance to sit through another expected not so good outcome. Who knew there were limits to the weekly intake of the churning of local legislation.   Am hearing report there will be scouts on the ground though.. Before you head to the meeting you might want to thumb through the packet http://www.matsugov.us/assembly/assembly-e-packet

It's a dozy!

Martha pack up your ermines its time to leave...

Assembly meeting got off to a roaring start last night by Mayor Devilbiss informing the full audience that this was an historic meeting of the "only legislative body in the Matsu Borough" . Who knew right?  Sorry cities apparently your now just what might be honorable mention status?  Clearly the mayor is happy to have a majority number of his supporters at the horseshoe. 

First up was the Talkeetna Water and Sewer increase.  With only 188 users on the system there is a struggle to continue the service that operates in the red.  Not too many fireworks here and in the end Halter was able to buy some more time for the northern folks by postponing a decision until December 20th. Ah another kicking tin can.  Staff is instructed to come back with some suggestions for balancing the books that probably doesn't include more costs to users. Someone up the order of fairy dust.  

Remember that tin can disguised as a Tower Ordinance requested by the OTHER Assembly that has been kicked down the road since 2007 with working groups, hours of public and industry input, staff work, paid consultants, and no shortage of opinions?  Hope you didn't get too attached. And they say towers don't fall down.  This one did. 

The ham radio operators turned up the heat in the room with passionate testimony about the service they provide and the "why are you picking on us with these big guys" and they were quickly plucked out of the ordinance that was already gasping for air. There was more testimony from a lawyer/ representative from GCI and members of the working group appreciating the process and still hoping for a little more time or tweeking at the table before passage.  Assembly member Colligan was "boiling mad with this crap" and this "damn over regulated" stuff and was happy to share his feelings about how "view shed doesn't have a right"  and he would like to "vote to get rid of the thing right now". Alrighty then! Post haste those long arms from China (Arvin) seized the moment to offer a series of motions and amendments to put the carving knife in the tower ordinance. Colored that done. NO more tower ordinance in the borough at all.  The only regulations are what the feds that we love to hate impose. No local control or more importantly public notice for towers, their size, set backs or appearance what so ever. The only one more relieved than the industry big guns that left the room shaking their heads was assembly member Colver that was able to rejoin the horseshoe after successfully being able to recluse himself from the discussion.

Musical chairs continued as assembly member Colligan was able to avoid being boiling mad again and recluse himself from the next discussion on changes to the noise ordinance. Model airplane enthusiast lined up to successfully support their guy assemblyman Woods in shepherding that roll back.  No waste no haste in trying to find any middle ground here either. 

Sometimes all the real fun comes at the end with comments from the horseshoe when ego's get up for a real seventh inning stretch. Salmon having a new stint sitting in a chair not designated for the mayor (in case you were sleeping was a former MSB mayor) was "excited about the direction of the borough being open for business" which seems to be a required mantra for every meeting much like the pledge. Halter seemed to be in a bit of befuddlement and "didn't know what to think about the tower ordinance" defeat.  Woods was simply giddy about model airplanes.  Colver was quite spun up about regional port authorities after a recent trip to Georgia where it turns out is the home to more than hoop skirts. Colligan was still apparently boiling mad about towers and getting down the road of the previous assembly with a noise ordinance and both being "hideous" and "legal bullshit".  Arvin shared his continuing apparition to undo ordinances and codes brought about by "emotional factors". 

Mayor Devilbiss who is making the radio talk show circuit this week ended the comments by cheering on the assembly for being "bold" and working well together. Quite happy with the way the last shovel of dirt was spread over the tower ordinance to kill the "California zoning" concept. Although not boiling mad, not a fan of view sheds either.  Apparently when you start recommending view sheds and set backs there is no going back and trees are next.  

The eye rolling and chair squirming hit its peak when it was announced that cell phones and texting by assembly members at the horseshoe with the concern about the open meetings act will be tackled by Keough as part of the simmering legislation the mayor advises he is bringing forth to address "standard rules and procedures" of the meeting process. You know this and that plus taking a look at that pesky public hearings issue so we can "condense meetings to make them as short as possible". 

So much fun was had by this all boys club they get together twice this week.  Thursday brings on mandatory land use and flood plain reduction.  Really can you stand the fun? 

 

Assembly Meeting Tonight

Just a reminder that MSB Assembly meets tonight to chew up and spit out some interesting legislation.  The fun and frolic starts at 6pm and you can find the full agenda and packet at http://www.matsugov.us/assembly/assembly-e-packet

Cliff notes posted above of my quick run through  with some expected highlights.  If you just can't get away from the leftover Halloween candy and throw your coat on to come yourself you can always listen online at http://radiofreepalmer.org/ starting at 6pm. Something to do while the paint dries.  You wont get all the arm waiving, side glances, and lip reading but let your imagination run wild!

Word has it the mayor has had his veto pen busy again.  This time in regards of legislation that was narrowly passed last meeting regarding keeping a set amount in the general fund balance sponsored by Assembly members Halter and Keough.  Increasing  the reserve from $750,000 to 1.2M  for emergencies and to maintain the borough bond rating seemed pretty cut and dried and seemingly the self proclaimed fiscally conservative mayor went along with it.  Perhaps a trip to the wood shed changed his mind.  Your guess is as good as mine but when I pick myself off the floor after the meeting tonight will make an effort to let you know.

Tuesday..but dont expect tacos..

After kicking the can down the road since 2007 the assembly will take up the Tall Structures (towers etc) ordinance Tuesday sponsored by Assembly member Arvin who continues to show he has long arms from China. Changes in definitions, set backs, fees etc are up for discussion and is sure to attract the big guns from the telecommunications industry although it seems unlikely they will have much heart burn with anything this assembly will require.

While were up in the air ...Changes to the borough Noise Ordinance is under new business on this fun packed agenda. Not so long ago there were acceptable rates of decibels established to address the increasing noise in residential areas of the borough. Oh but that's right it was acceptable to ANOTHER assembly and it seems that RC airplane enthusiasts that weren't happy then with the levels established have found Assemblyman Woods eager to carry their water to have a change.  This ordinance is specific to self powered model vehicles airborne, waterborne or land borne which pretty much covers it and repeals the portion setting decibels for activities. After Googling RC airplanes on You Tube I'll leave you to get your own headache to see what the noise emitted sounds like but suffice to say its no babbling brook if you live next door. Expect the audience to have plenty of testimony about "we moved out here to get away from regulation", "my property rights" "good economics to the valley"  and well you get the drill.  I am hopeful there will be some conversation as to the impact on near by property values, wildlife and setting aside some borough land that might be appropriate for this activity.  The PC considered a similar change when it was referred to them earlier for consideration  and failed but listening to the planning commission hasn't been one of the strong suits in the last year or so.

An ordinance amending flood damage prevention standards and development permit are some other fun items under new business brought to the table by those long arms again and replacing language more on the line of "reasonably safe from flooding".  No definition of reasonably safe that I could find.

The consent agenda has assembly member Salmon throwing his first bit of business on the table by introducing a resolution to dissolve the citizens advisory committee on the new prison in Knik.  With the borough getting this new shiny object handed over to the state the advisory committee is getting handed their hat and shown the door. I guess its better than being locked inside.

Approval of a bunch late filed tax exemptions for veterans ( 14 properties) and seniors (20 properties) have a spot on the consent agenda.  While no one would argue that these are worthy programs the borough offers folks in property tax relief it would sure be a winner to all property tax payers if the assembly would take the state to task for not paying the borough back for this unfunded mandate. Now there is a resolution that would get some support! The borough and many other communities are owed millions from these programs.  But we'll save that rant for another day...

Establishing protocol is always important. There have been numerous changes in borough meeting protocol by the mayor since he was elected in October. For example adding a place on every agenda for mayoral veto's.  Changing how the consent agenda is read and accepted.  After years of starting public testimony on any subject promptly at 7pm it now falls when the assembly works their way through the agenda to it.   All changes in the name of  meeting "efficiency".  

In this weeks packet page 81-82 is a informational memorandum that addresses who takes up the gavel when the mayor is temporarily absent or disabled so that the mayor's "legislation for debate and move of the vacancy report" is accomplished.  Normally its the deputy mayor but this memorandum acknowledges that there are times that the Deputy Mayor is absent or attending via teleconference therefore the mayor has decided that there should be a back up to the back up.  So in the name of meeting "efficiency" the mayor is able to hand the gavel to a guy who is there in case the guy that normally gets the gavel isn't there.  

Okay...I am feeling more efficient already.. are you?

Probably a good reminder to fasten your seat belt a bit tighter before the next Assembly Meeting Tuesday.   Although the packet is only 771 pages for this meeting it has all kinds of nuggets of endless fun.  Unfinished business about a raise in sewer rates for Talkeetna and prioritizing the federal priority list. Turns out no matter how over reaching we still want our check from Uncle Sam for roads, rail, ferry landings, ski areas, food processing centers, visitor centers, fish passage, and  Palmer Hay Flats. At least those are in the starting blocks.  Good bet there will be a bridge thrown in there too and who knows "what else" and more importantly "how" the priority will be set.  

More in the next post on new business as we wade through the packet with the highlighter.  "Lime greed" this week doncha know.  

PS Here is the link to the packet if your fresh out of halloween novels. 

Assembly PC Kumbaya Meeting

The first official love fest of the new sitting MSB assembly and the borough planning commission was last night. Lots of back slapping, congratulations and glad your here got the night started.  Full horseshoe with most present plus the regular voice from afar, assembly member Arvin in what has become his normal way of attending assembly meetings via skype from somewhere in China.

First hot topic of the night was a concern a valley resident and retired state inspector raised regarding unlicensed plumbing contractors in the valley.  Seems that the lack of oversight  (no permitting etc)  that folks in the valley are getting ripped off by less than scrupulous builders and causing a big expensive problem with homeowners that have no recourse. Two members of the PC are respected borough builders and they were quick to chime in that they wholeheartedly agreed and that the borough needs to do more to protect contractors that play by the rules from those that don't.  However the suggestion of even mild regulation or oversight by the  borough brought screams of "growing government" and "starting more bureaucracy" from several members of both bodies.  Good guess it is as dead as guppies in boiling water. Sorry waitress that saved her tips for 20 years to buy a humble abode.  You'll be waiting on a few more tables if you want your toilet water not to come up in your sink.