FACTS? WHO NEEDS 'EM?

The famous quote that “everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts” set the tone for the  Assembly work session last week.  Even though the ceremonial Mayor cancelled respected state economist Neil Fried’s scheduled appearance in December, Mr. Fried was here last week for the first time ever speaking to the Mat Su Borough Assembly and a packed house. And his facts shoulda left some marks like a good towel snapping in a locker room on most of the good ol boys at the horseshoe.

That’s because after a couple years of a nonstop tirade from the majority of Assembly members about the financial sky falling in the Borough with that tired “closed for business” mantra was laid to rest. The data is clear-IT ISN’T and more importantly IT HASN’T BEEN. Mr. Fried presented the evidence that the Mat Su version of “Chicken Little” should never have had a perch here.

Big fat FACTS like:

¨      The Borough, unlike every other area of Alaska has seen a balanced employment growth in every sector from 2000-2010. 

¨      The second highest percentage of the Alaskan work force on the slope is folks from the valley. 

¨      Real Estate is still robust and hasn’t changed that much since 2007.

¨      It’s not the 80’s again! Foreclosures are but a blip in the radar in comparison to everywhere else.

Now we all know money doesn’t go as far as it used to for us here in the valley and nationwide.  But the reason for that can be almost entirely tied to the cost of basic goods.  A big chunk of that expense is fuel.  But are the fuel suppliers making any less? Nope.  Wages just aren’t keeping up with inflation except for the very few. And if you notice the majority of members of this Assembly aren’t about to do a thing about that. In fact, they are chomping at the bit to cut more jobs, especially if they are union jobs. 

We could go on and on but if you missed it you should hear it for yourself because the recording can be found at the Radio Free Palmer website.  Find out for yourself what the real state of the Mat Su Borough economy is and not what a bunch of loud voices have been telling you it is.  Another famous quote comes to mind; “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.”  Following Fried’s talk is one by Alaska Gas Line expert Larry Persily and well worth the listen as well.

No wonder they think things are as bad as it was in the 80’s. 

Instead of continuing down a road of improving the Borough through endorsement of solid planning for quality communities and support for small business the ceremonial Mayor and his veto proof Assembly continue to walk us..no leap us back to the past. They are spending their time passing resolutions in support of Sharia law and the Cordova Coal Party of 1911 among other useless resolutions so aptly described by Doogan as “letters to themselves” about things that do nothing to move the Borough forward.

The important take away is what many folks have been saying for a couple of years.  There are people sitting at the table making decisions based on their own interest or their party’s ideology and not what the facts call for.  Organized groups such as the Mat Su Business Alliance and Conservative Patriots have been promoting this discord and helping elect office holders with loud voices that have no plan to act in the best interest of the rest of us. With that voice this misguided group has managed to eliminate any tower ordinance for the Borough, allowed for gravel extraction into the water table, eliminated the land use permit and if they have their way again they will completely gut the subdivision code at a special Assembly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 1pm in Assembly Chambers. And you can be sure as soon as all the damage is done (think about the national debt the previous administration left the current one) and the handful of their supporters are in place to reap the benefits they will ride out of town on the next dust cloud.

The Conductor..

Guiding this train wreck is legislation recreating the subdivision code orchestrated by Assemblyman Colver, and he has plenty of backup singers on the Assembly. They will be working to adopt the latest draft of what was handed to them and written by the Mat Su Business Alliance a for profit corporation of invisible faces. By comparison, in 2010 the then sitting Assembly adopted the Matanuska Borough Economic Development Strategic Plan drafted by a working group of citizens and business people that set aside personal agendas and came together for a good roadmap to the future for the Borough. Of course it was adopted by that other Assembly which makes it ripe for throwing in the nearest dumpster by the current Assembly.  There is nothing in the plan that instructs one of the top strategies to rewrite or roll back Title 27. What it speaks to is the need to provide business certainty.  What it speaks to is building a capacity to conduct economic development in the Borough by marketing, business advocacy and infrastructure improvements. What it speaks to is focusing on quality development to improve the appearance (our current ceremonial Mayor vetoed the last junk ordinance) of the Borough.   What it speaks to is the “threats” of unmanaged growth. We should not be making up new goals or be rewarding a few that bought cheap property and want to develop it on the backs of others.

The fact that the upcoming Assembly meeting is being held in the middle of the day (again Tuesday Feb 28^th @ 1pm) about such an important subject pretty much guarantees it will be rammed through. Almost like it’s part of the plan doncha think?

Doubt you’ll have trouble finding a seat to watch.  But you still have time to let your voice be heard by contacting Assembly members by phone or email and tell them to keep their mitts of Title 27 and tell Mr. Colver to stop “colverizing” one of the best guides for subdivision development we have.

Just In Case You Thought It Couldn’t Get Much Worse

Shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that by a vote of 6-1 your Assembly voted to adopt an inferior and what might just prove to be dangerous Ethics Code, in what appears to be a continuing quest to set bad policy. A mish mash of amendments were offered largely by just two members, Mr. Colver and Mr. Arvin, who actually made his first physical appearance in Assembly chambers in months. Less shocking should be that the majority of this Assembly who are marching in lockstep with your ceremonial Mayor chose to blatantly ignore all the public input from years of public testimony and diligent work by the Ethics board.  They turned a blind eye to correspondence by current and past members of the ethics board, and past Assembly members who strongly suggested that the Ethics board take the opportunity to craft a model code for the Borough. Citizen Lobbyist will revisit this when the code that was adopted at the special meeting is available (along with the audio file) from the Borough. Suffice it to say the weakening of this code is shameful and does not serve our Borough well, although it is pretty easy to see that it is exactly what those that voted for it had in mind. Precious nuggets such as striking “personal interest” out of the code and making sure “financial interest” was increased from $200.00 to $1,000.  The code on the books before this charade, stipulated $50 for the financial interest benchmark.  Another classic case of “always follow the money.” You can look forward to a full report soon.  Hopefully it will help you at the voting booth in October.

Assembly “We Really Do Work” Session-Tues/Feb 21^st 3:30pm-

Although listening isn’t what we would call a strong suit of this Assembly, they have asked to hear from two respected and prominent speakers to start their meeting day early. Scheduled to speak is State Economist Neil Fried who often shares growth and labor area statistics, demography and trends to groups all over the state, and respected Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects, Larry Persily. Who better to listen to about the real state of our local economy?  You know people who are actually educated and qualified to give us the real scoop.  Our guess is that the State Economist actually has factual evidence that our Borough is doing well and is and has been open for business all along.  The ceremonial mayor and Assembly could learn much about innumerable issues if they can set aside their personal and political agenda’s long enough to do so.  A tall order for a majority of our Assembly and our Mayor it seems.  You should be there to listen as well. Somewhere sandwiched in there will be a discussion on transit services that the Mayor has already shared he doesn’t feel the love for taking us up to the regularly scheduled meeting fun at 6pm.

Assembly “you can never have too much fun” Meeting

Highlights of the 950 page packet for this meeting contain the bounced back resolution in support of the legislation pending in Juneau this session establishing a “Susitna State Forrest”.  The assembly wanted more information last meeting on this because it’s not as easy to understand as say Sharia Law is.  So back it comes.

Public Hearings will be offered for as much as you can cram in to talk about in three minutes on Houston and Willow area historic plans, numerous natural gas and local road improvement projects, donations to the Borough animal shelter, acceptance of monies from the state to fund transit planning and fed money for additional share a vans (that might get a kick to the curb earlier in the special meeting consistent with previous meetings actions and the will of the ceremonial Mayor) and approval, acceptance and appropriation of $591,800 community revenue sharing again from the state for 22 community councils should their projects qualify.  An additional resolution includes approving financial software that enhances online paying options. This would bring our Borough that is badly behind in technology into this century.  At about $400,000, not cheap but a bargain if you live in Big Lake, Willow, Talkeetna or beyond Sutton and want to pay for your business license, pool pass, library fees along with a host of other things online. Another resolution supports the South Big Lake Road re-alignment phase 2 that has been a high priority of residents in that area. Residents and others have long experienced increased dangerous conditions on a twisted hot mess of a road that is only getting worse as the area grows and connects up with port traffic.

Who Needs Water? Duh!

In a little de’ja vu action Resolution 12-023 is being brought forward to allow the Assembly members a second chance to do right by the 22,000 water well owners in the valley and vote to authorize a public awareness campaign by way of adding information to the borough website, press release and public service accouncments all done by existing borough staff.  Reassurance from the gravel industry that got the blessing from the Assembly to drill into our water table hardly offers protection to landowners that find out they have no assurance of water rights without filing with the state.  The gravel industry, if they really support doing the “right thing” should be at the table testifying for this water rights campaign too. While we should all be supporting correcting the dangerous road connections in our communities we should also be waving the flags of support for this resolution that for a measly $1,000 of taxpayer money authorizes the manager to establish the water rights public awareness campaign. The ceremonial Mayor spent somewhere in the area of $3,000 on a meager business owner survey mail out of which one side was totally blank without Assembly approval.  Let’s hope Assembly members hold the “we’re not everyone’s mother” remarks and how “hideous” this all is and just allow it to go forward.  If not we should be asking who they are protecting huh? 

Corporations should not buy elections

Lastly and not without pause, Resolution 12-024 supporting adoption of House Bill No 244 before the legislature that prohibits corporations from contributing to and influencing elections is up for vote.  The bill amends state law that allows corporations to be recognized as persons. The sponsor statement for the house bill can be found here.  Government bodies and states all over the country are passing such legislation recognizing the dangerous implications for all elections.  It just won’t pass the red face test for those that voted to support the bill on Sharia law and other Borough resolutions that don’t really pertain to the Borough and vote against this one that would protect our state and local elections.  And if they choose to not support this resolution it will tell you a lot about who they are as well as where their support comes from. 

That’s the line up of the fun for this Tuesday.  You should either be putting on your spring coat and being there yourself, listening to the Radio Free Palmer live stream it or at least weighing in with the Assembly before hand on your thoughts by the links provided to the right. 

Lack of public participation and feedback is what keeps the door ajar for serious skullduggery that at some point you won’t be able to ignore because it will affect you.  Besides the ceremonial Mayor and some Assembly members seem to have the market on “what’s best for us” corner and are keeping the seat warm on paying no attention to all but a few.

AND SO THE WHEEL TURNS....

Time’s a wasting to report on last week’s Assembly meeting and get you up to speed on a series of meetings that are headed our way possibly like a dark storm cloud.  So, hang on, take notes and weigh in, cuz here we go on the next roller coaster ride.

For your attendance score card; it was a full table at the  horse shoe at the Feb 7^th Assembly meeting except for Mr. Halter who was excused for a big sled dog race.  Assemblyman Arvin was in his standard mode of participation, attending via teleconference.  We can’t recall what Mr. Arvin looks like other than a big speaker in the corner of the room.

SCHOOL BONDS ARE ROLLIN OUT…

The School District report, delivered by Dr. Paramo contained the good news that the state has pre-approved projects for approximately $169 million dollars worth of bonds as part of the $215 million voters supported last fall.  It appears the School District and Borough are communicating well so far on this big buffet of projects that will allow the bonds to be sold and line up a couple of years of work on the long list of projects. Bond projects can be found at the district website.

TAXPAYER EXPLOITATION AGAIN & WHO NEEDS ETHICS

The start of the Assembly meeting brought forward discussion on the upcoming Borough Ethic’s code set for a special meeting this Thursday/Feb 16^th at 4pm.  The original scheduled time was at 6pm. However,  Assemblyman Colver who is still seeking some support for his “Colverization” (our new word  for your dictionary) of the current, albeit “the bad road & taxpayer exploitation act” subdivision code would like to be able to attend the Local Service Area Advisory board the same evening to obtain their support for his “Colverization” of the subdivision code. Reportedly and for good reason members of this board are none too happy about proposed changes in our current subdivision code proposed by Mr. Colver. Changes that your citizen lobbyist has referred to here as the “Bad road and taxpayer exploitation act”. An ordinance change that could bring serial waivers (no, not cereal wafers) back to their road service areas, expand Borough land sales to properties with no road access etc. and in our opinion create not only more headaches but possible serious financial ramifications to the service areas they represent and in the end taxpayers (you know you and me).  The ceremonial Mayor would like to attend this meeting as well and probably defend his desire to allow road service areas to opt out of being a road service area at all.  Assemblyman Arvin (cue visualization of speaker box in the corner) chimed in that during the now scheduled 4pm Feb 16th special ethics meeting he was planning to request the body “consider the value in creating a board or committee to give feedback” on ethics. Isn’t that what the Ethics Board is for?    After two years of work, the Ethics Board delivered a rewrite to the Assembly in January 2011, along with mountains of testimony during the Board’s public hearings.  That is hardly a lack of “feedback.”  We would suggest that perhaps another punt to give it the opportunity to get it right with a model code is what is needed.  The state is examining parts of its own ethics code this session and has bills in the Senate and House on the move. The importance of taking this opportunity to craft a strong independent ethics code cannot be understated. We will just have to see what the man in the speaker box has in mind for “creating feedback” and the agreed upon process by the Assembly to do so.  

CEREMONIAL MAYOR STRIKES AGAIN

The changes to code for the Aviation Board that allows the Mayor to be “flexible” with appointments ironically just flew as if on its own wings through this Assembly meeting with a vote of 6-1 in favor of the ceremonial Mayor’s ordinance.  The long term consequences of loading the board with political appointments are such a disservice to the Borough we hardly know where to start. There were absolutely no good arguments for making this change other than the one that wasn’t voiced when it was approved. The change in code allowed the two applicants brought forth by the ceremonial Mayor that weren’t qualified at the start of the meeting according to the current code to now by magic be perfect with the new “flexibility” the Mayor enjoys with this board now. That’s right they were confirmed at the same meeting as the changes were made. Blinding coincidence huh? Cue your furrowed brow.

BONUS POINTS

As another Assembly meeting bonus for the Mayor and empire builders sitting alongside him, the ordinance brought forth to change who can cancel calendared joint meetings of the Assembly and School Board ended up in the ceremonial Mayor’s favor again with a little help from his deputy Mayor Mr. Arvin. All the language that had been brought forward to clarify that the Mayor could only act to cancel in case of emergency or lack of quorums was cancelled out itself with new language added allowing the ceremonial Mayor or School Board President the power to cancel meetings pretty much on a whim. That apparently is how 6 of the 7 Assembly members interpret how democracy works to just hand the gavel to one guy.   Preferably their guy.

Need more or has your acid reflux kicked in enough for this report?

THE FUTURE; BE THERE

There is plenty to weigh in on coming up.  Including the special meeting on Ethics @4pm this Thursday which might be short and sweet but hugely important none the less. An Assembly work session Feb 21^st starting at 3:30pm (before the normal 6pm assembly meeting) includes a presentation from respected state economist Neil Fried on the Borough economy and demography, transit services and presentation from Larry Persily on the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Project.  Both presenters are excellent in their fields, interesting and well worth putting on your radar. Since consideration of the facts doesn’t seem to be a strong point with some Assembly members let’s hope this group listens to half of what they have to say.  As far as the transit services component in this meeting, expect the Mayor to bring something forward to pull the plug on the agreement worked on for years with prior Assemblies for a regional transit authority between the Borough and Municipality of Anchorage.  That pesky public wanting services again.

So there you have it.  Citizen Lobbyist wishes it were made up but yet it’s real.  You have a veto proof Assembly that some of which would sell their grandmother to a Somali Pirate if he claimed he was from a corporation. 

How’s it working for you so far?  Whenever you are confused as to why the majority of this assembly seems to be doing something that makes no sense or is crazy, you really need to come back to this. The goal of this ceremonial mayor and some members of this assembly is not good governance. The goal is to make governing only done for and by a select few.  Pure and simple.    


Once again. It can’t be said enough so we will say it again.
Elections matter people.  They really do. 

Always, always follow the money...

Watching local legislation roll like the wheel of a wringer washer isn’t the only important task at hand.

You should already know that the noise in the room during the 2012 election season will be loud enough to scare Joe Hazelwood sober. It will be a lot less scary for a few potential candidates and their handlers if they paid attention to a full day of “here are the rules of the road” that the APOC (Alaska Public Office Commission) laid out when they brought their educational road show to the valley this week.  Citizen Lobbyist was there for a three part training day covering “Group Campaign Issues”, “Candidate Campaign Issues” and “Public Official Financial Disclosure”.

APOC was the result of the Watergate kybosh that served as a big wake up call to our state to look more closely at the way campaigns are monitored.  A 1973 citizen’s initiative started the ball rolling for the final legislation that created APOC and currently it thrives as part of the state Department of Administration. It’s important to know that the PEOPLE of ALASKA are its boss under Article 1, Section 2 of the State Constitution.  All of the staff decisions (some 31 people statewide) are subject to a commission review and decisions can be appealed all the way to Superior Court.  Who knew, right? 

How people are elected and are supposed to behave in doing so is pretty important stuff. You can learn a lot about how someone will govern by the quality of their campaign. Just who they surround themselves with, depend on for advice, put trust in, plus just how hard they work to get elected are big fat clues. If they are hopelessly lazy on the campaign trail, they won’t be a workaholic diving into your concerns and issues once elected. If the candidate is all “show pony” surrounded by campaign workers that are holding their breath and turning blue on a regular basis hoping they can get the candidate over the finish line without a major gaffe that will derail the campaign and send it hurling down the drain chased by an economy jug of draino…well you get the picture.  If candidates are on the fence with the rules while out trying to get elected, blatantly ignoring them or seemingly just unconcerned with what is lawful, that should indicate how they might govern should you elect them.  Perhaps if better attention had been paid to “how” some got elected we wouldn’t have spent a bundle changing their wardrobe to all stripes or forcibly altering their zip code. 

It was an interesting mix of attendees for the one day APOC training.  The names of the innocent and not so innocent will be kept tucked under the citizen lobbyist clipboard for now.   Suffice it to say  Dems, R’s  and the fastest growing sector of our voters Non Partisans were in full force to get up to speed on the latest and greatest changes in the rules of the game.  Even with the room largely filled with politico’s, more than a few eyebrows were raised as some of the regulations and questions from the attendees were presented.  Regulations discussed that  that have been in place all the time. There are new regulations that are now more fully explained and in some cases thanks to the Citizen United Ruling much murkier.  But one thing is clear, the fines, if ENFORCED, are nothing to sneeze at (from $50.00 to $500.00 a day) and the statue of limitations is “5 years”.

For the first time ever, a sitting MSB School Board President will try to run for re-election to that seat and at the same time attempt to unseat a sitting state Senator for another office and it’s perfectly legal. Wow, how conflicted is that?  Candidates will be running that hardly ever warm a seat at the table in person but spend the bulk of their time in other countries attending skypelike and telephonically and think that’s perfectly fine.  Is it in the best interest of Mat-Su residents and Alaskans?  The voters will have to decide that.  One thing is decided for you, and that is with state redistricting, 59 of the 60 state legislators will be up for re-election in November along with the Presidential seat and one Alaskan Representative House seat in a battle for the old and the new. Starting in April, Anchorage has a city-wide election for Mayor, Assembly and School Board.  In October here in our borough the Mayor, 3 Assembly seats, and 2 School Board seats will be up for grab. Are you starting to feel the noise vibration and your mailbox hinges creaking yet?

Yes, this will be a noisy year and there will be some old tricks and new ones no doubt.  There is no Elizabeth Warren standing with a flashlight on the cockroaches.  In our state we must all have our flashlight ready to wield with a little bit of back up by something everyone should be familiar with, APOC.   Go there, check it out.  You need to know, because those that don’t have our best interest at heart will know, find the loopholes, fine lines or hope no one is watching and will use it to wreak havoc. 

Elections have consequences this year more than ever.

Didn’t see that comin...

  

Quick someone better check your Citizen Lobbyist for bedsores! Not only did the assembly gavel out at 9pm this week offering the opportunity to get home early in the frozen dark of night, but there was a BIG BONUS! Settle in and read on for your lobbyists report.

Every meeting needs a pre-meeting doncha know..

No matter how much Assembly members Arvin (from his rickshaw in China) and Colver (from his sandy beach in Hawaii both via Skype) try to convince everyone that there are problems with the borough procurement process, they just keep coming up with nothing. Staff and management were called to the carpet again for a special 4PM meeting on Procurements. Probably Assemblyman Salmon who breaking from his normal practice of agreeing with the boys club said it best by asking near the end, “I don’t understand why we are even here? I don’t believe in the Assembly micro-managing”.  Exit Assembly stage left shortly after.  Maybe it was beginning to get hard to ignore those smells of hot tax payer paid pizza arriving for dinner.  No one asked for another chest puffing meeting to discuss the topic.

Got Ethics? Let’s kick this can down the road a little farther..

The Ethics Code that has become the subject of a long Assembly badminton game without much discussion again was postponed until Feb 16^th by Assembly member Arvin. Nope, it wasn’t passed nor referred back to the Ethics Committee to bat around. No real substantive reason we could grasp other than just a case of the   “We can’t think about this today, we’ll think about this in February”.  At least it leaves us limping along with a dated ordinance (as opposed to no ordinance for towers or tall structures) and an opportunity to convince the decision makers to take the immense amount of public input they have and pass a good healthy ethics code then.  Stay tuned!

On to the show stopper ..or Bring on the duct tape to quiet those pesky citizens ordinance

Mr. Manager and whichever Assemblyman put him up to it (and unsurprisingly no one is likely to fess up to it) got their first  trip of the year  to the woodshed on ORD-12-002 which attempted to limit to one hour the maximum time for public testimony at during audience participation at future Assembly meetings. Citizen Lobbyist made it pretty clear in previous posts why this is a bad idea and encouraged leaders to leave the duct tape in the drawer next to the WD 40.  There was some pretty robust public testimony on the subject.  Important points on reserving the public’s right to speak and what a “chilling effect it would be to the democratic process,” ,the importance of encouraging public input and not discouraging it.  There were poignant reminders to the Mayor on his campaign promises for an open and transparent government and ease of testifying particularly for our neighbors in the north who are geographically challenged to personally attend. The Borough Attorney reminded the body that by state law they are not allowed to vote on an ordinance before everyone that wants to be heard is heard although it’s sadly not the case on resolutions brought forward which seems to be a favorite ploy of Mr Mayor and other Assembly members. Assemblyman Colver speaking from the sandy beaches in Hawaii made some weak attempts to support the ordinance with statements like look “we have to get our business done” which apparently means he didn’t get the memo that its “the people’s business” he’s elected to do.  Assemblyman Arvin not surprisingly seemingly getting more user friendly by the day now that its an election year added a comment that he didn’t even like the current 3 minute rule on the maximum time to speak.  Perhaps that was just his warm up for later in the agenda when he pulled a couple consent items to comment on what great projects they were and hand out a few atta-boy’s which is not the normal practice or reason for pulling items on the consent agenda.  You get the picture.  The important thing is the PUBLIC with perhaps some help from the common sense editorial in the Frontiersman forced the band of Assembly boys to have a rare and lucid moment.  We didn’t see it coming but we’ll take it!

                             

Yet  another can kicked down the road…or We don’t need no stinkin water rights

For no real reason, a resolution brought forward by Assemblyman Keogh was not greeted with enthusiasm or supported by the ceremonial Mayor or his brethren.   Let’s remember that the ceremonial Mayor has his own stack of resos about every meeting and is practically giddy with anticipation to pass and sign them on the spot.  RESO 12-004 would authorize the manager to establish a water rights public awareness campaign. It would be done through radio public service announcements (which Assemblyman Colligan seemed surprised were FREE) and the rest of the campaign accomplished at a minimum cost through the existing budget.  This would include in-house staff posting information on the borough web site on how to link to DNR to obtain water rights. This just wasn’t good enough to some Assembly members who insisted on a “solid dollar amount for the campaign” before they accepted the resolution. Quite amusing when you consider those same Assembly members want to tack on special meetings and additional attorney time for some pet project, or their own senseless legislation that’s doomed to fall flat with no mention of a solid dollar amount or cost. But now that they have allowed lots of big shovels to be waved about in the borough ready to dig in the water table in an unmapped aquifer and potentially negatively impact homeowners domestic ground water supply or mine in open gravel pits practically in folks back yard, well “Whoa Nelly”!  Some Assembly members and the ceremonial Mayor don’t seem to want to be rushed into helping residents that have 22,000 private wells supplying their drinking water how to protect their rights which seems odd for a body so wrapped around the axel of the people’s “rights”. Who knows what they “boys in the band”are thinking?  Maybe it needed further vetting by their corporate warlords but it won’t see the light of day until Feb 07^th. Never mind that two other resolutions on the agenda regarding gas development in Cook Inlet, and one other regarding a Visitors Center in South Gateway slid through like a kid on a icy hill. 

The rest of the meeting isn’t really worth the ink. But the ceremonial Mayor promises more upcoming changes to the agenda and the aviation board (please for the love of fairies someone get this man into a book club or suggest a new hobby) and a hard look at business and inventory taxes (who knew we had them) so we can continue to open the borough for business.  Guess he didn’t get the memo ITS NEVER BEEN CLOSED.  Sigh…..

Breaks over! Schools back in session!

Okay all you patrons of “Citizen Lobbyist” for the greater good, the holiday break is about to be over.  It’s time for your cliff notes for the next Assembly meeting Tuesday, January 17^th @ 6pm.  Packet won’t be out for a few days but here is the warm up to get you in the mood from the “introductions” and what should appear under “unfinished business”.

Got ethics?  Kicked down the road, this is a whopper piece of unfinished business and is bouncing back from the sparsely populated ethics board due to requested changes made by the Assembly, and should be the first item in unfinished business of the night’s agenda. 

We ask you. Can an issue that determines the moral and practical philosophy of our Borough get any more important?  This should be an opportunity to redraft the existing dated code to a foundation that would save taxpayers money, time and frustration.  However, you don’t have to read tea leaves to believe that the majority of this Assembly will not have an appetite for anything other than kicking it a few more times and trying to put the issue to rest with some watered down version that mirrors an already weak and challenged state code. That kind of pointy boot punt in the rear end creates more problems than it solves.  It remains to be seen if more public testimony is allowed, but it’s not too late for you to email your Assembly your thoughts.  Without input, the fate of any ethics code could end up in the ordinance bone yard keeping the tower ordinance company.  Remember the tower ordinance? Hmmm..most residents don’t even know its in the bone yard.  They will though when the 300’ tower goes up next door.

“Please Zamboni me” ordinance-12-001 appropriates $30,000 along with some left over monies from some other tourism building repairs that came in under budget from the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau fund. They want to use the money for replacement of a zamboni ice buffer for Brett Ice Arena.  Important to note here: Tourism collects nearly a million bucks a year for our Borough in bed tax by way of taxing themselves, which is not the norm for any other industry in the Borough. This is important to remember as we travel down the road to the budget.

“Sit down and WE WILL tell you when to speak” ordinance- 2.12.090.  The hits just keep on coming by the ceremonial Mayor and some Assembly members that seem to now have the Borough Manager doing their bidding to pass yet another ordinance to change the way public comment is received at public meetings.   This gem sets a maximum time limit of one hour for public participation with an OPTION of a time certain where more than an hour of public comment is heard per ordinance.  Changing the way the public weighs in on Borough business by the Assembly and manipulating the agenda has been under constant revision since the swearing in of this ceremonial Mayor.  Perhaps we should suggest another hobby other than public process gerrymandering for Mr. Mayor.

Showing some love for the Sutton Library” ordinance-12-003.The friends of the Sutton Library have done an amazing job of raising donations to contribute to the building of a much needed new library and community center for the area.  This ordinance transfers a big fat donation of $60,000 that was raised by the Friends of Sutton Library for fencing and children’s benches among other things to assist in the completion of the facility.  This is an example of the way communities should work to support the important projects. Let’s hope it gets a green flag and not that some political grandstander at the horseshoe steps into muck it up.

Your Assembly take their seats early (maybe even from China via skype ) by meeting before the regular meeting by what’s become an all too regular spot for a special 4pm meeting.  The Assembly will take another stab at the “procurement code” that Assembly members Colver and Arvin keep complaining needs some sprucing up.  Now aren’t they just the guys with the paint can and brush?  This is a continuation from a meeting on the same subject at the end of last year that mostly consisted of staff instructing Assembly members how the procurement process works.  See earlier CL posting “Assembly doing their duty despite fa la la time of year” of December 15^th. There will be much more slipped into the finished packet including the consent agenda and introductions for the upcoming Feb 7^th regular assembly meeting. So we’ll keep you posted. 

Meanwhile, thanks to Radio Free Palmer, the audio recorded by the Borough of the December 29^th Assembly Planning Session can be accessed at their site to keep your skills as sharp as your watchdog eye teeth.  And while you’re at the RFP site hit the “donation button” and give up some greenbacks to support the efforts of our community radio station. Streaming and podcasting all the regular borough assembly and school board meetings is a huge service this non-profit provides to our area and deserves to be at the top of your list of monetary support vehicles. You should have clicked, picked and given to RFP when you filed for your PFD, but here’s your opportunity to do so again.  Besides, Radio Free Palmer provides a standing invitation to Citizen Lobbyist every Wednesday 8:30am to share the microphone and get the word out on what’s happening in local government.  You can listen at 89.5 FM in the Palmer, Sutton area or stream it live from their website from anywhere in the country..heck there are some regular listeners as far away as Florida that would rather listen than run through the sand or local strip mall. So tune in.

Most of all remember to practice your CL New Year’s Resolutions. Throw on your parka and come warm a chair at the January 17^th Assembly meeting at 6pm!  These cowboys need a tight coral and you’re just the folk sitting high in their saddle that can keep em’ from mowing more of the fence posts down. 

Hark! Welcome 2012!

The New Year is a time to reflect on the changes we’re itchin to make. It’s the time to draft our list of wishes and intentions for the New Year.  While it is wildly popular to vow to go on that life changing diet, quit drinking (which by the way won’t be on CL’s list while reporting on this assembly), take up a new hobby, get organized or out of debt, we trust that you will come up with that lofty personal list if you choose to do so. 

And it would be tempting to come up with a laundry list of resolutions we WISH the Borough Assembly would make, but perhaps it’s a good opportunity to pen a few that we WISH the citizenry of the whole Mat Su would adopt.

1.      Get out of that snuggy, put down the remote, and pay attention!  You really don’t expect only a few folks to do the heavy lifting of engagement in local issues do you?  Local governance is the place where folks can make the biggest difference. Throwing up your hands or penning a letter to those who participate in the political theater in DC doesn’t get you much more than a form letter in return.  Here, closer to home at least you can get a personalized scoff or nod of approval at your suggestions.

2.      Participate in the public process by starting with your own voice. The opportunity for you to speak out in public meetings in the Borough appears to be slowly but methodically gerrymandered out one ordinance, one change at a time.  Participate and hold those on the Assembly accountable that would diminish the time allowed for this important part of governing.  You give the doers of evil a bonus by allowing the assembly chambers be filled with those that only agree with a few assembly member’s personal ideology.  Be your own cheering section for the sane.  If you just can’t be there in person, and let’s face it, not everyone lives shouting distance away, listen to the live stream on Radio Free Palmer for each meeting or download the podcast on the site.  Really no excuse to miss it! And then call or send the Assembly an email with your thoughts on their actions.

3.       Pay attention to things that you believe in like public education, borough planning and economic development. You know the cornerstones of what makes us a viable, livable, prosperous community. Let your views be known by public testimony, emails and phone calls to your assembly members. Too often the excuse for assembly action or inaction is not hearing from the public otherwise on an issue. Waiting for “your issue” to be in the forefront is too late.  We need to go to battle for each other’s issues.  It is a well known fact that some or all of the Assembly keep scorecards of who is for or against an issue and use it as their rationale for lame logic and poor votes.

4.      Word of mouth is still one of the best vehicles to get the word out. Email is an amazing tool without the cost of a stamp or the time of a phone call. Use it.  Contact your neighbors and other members of the community to inform them or better yet drag them with you to Assembly meetings and share the bevy of knowledge.

5.      Demand that your Assembly members be present.  Continuously “phoning it in” is not an acceptable way to represent your constituents. Those that step up to lead shouldn’t be able to do it from a perch in another country or even from an area of our own country. We don’t allow our state or federal delegation to participate in voting on issues or testifying by phone, so why are we settling for less?  Insist on more.

6.      Pay special attention at budget time at the Borough, which by the way, is right around the corner.  Budgets have become the red herring of governments.  Don’t allow the starving of the beast to set the agenda.  Insist that your taxpayer money is well spent but be realistic about the cost of those services.

7.      Demand a Borough iron clad ethics code.  If your city within the Borough doesn’t have one get the ball rolling to get one in place.  Be adamant that the Borough adopt a better one (they will get a chance at the Jan 17^th Assembly meeting) and that it sets the bar high.  Lip service on this one doesn’t cut it. A good solid, easily understandable ethics code will make the rest fall in place.  It will guard the Borough like those fancy lions you see at multi-million dollar mansions.

8.      And last, but certainly not least, regularly read this blog, share it with your friends and neighbors and always follow the golden rule of exercising your right to VOTE! 

     Have a safe last holiday of the year weekend.  Swill some good champagne, be good to yourself and mindful of your neighbors whose cat, dog or family member might not enjoy the fireworks as much as you do.  

    Best of 2112 to you all! 

Twelve Days Of Christmas in Mat Su

On the first day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have a veto proof Assembly and a ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree,

On the second day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial  Mayor in a birch tree.

On the third day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have 4 subdivisions without water from mining in the water table, 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have 5 voting nonresident property owners in community council areas, 4 subdivisions without water from mining in the water table, 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have 6 subdivision plats with no road access, 5 voting nonresident property owners in community council areas, 4 subdivisions without water from mining in the water table, 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree,

On the seventh day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have 7 hour Assembly meetings, 6 subdivisions with no road access, 5 voting nonresident property owners in community council areas, 4 subdivisions without water from mining in the water table, 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree,

On the eighth day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have a new neighborhood coal mine, 7 hour Assembly meetings, 6 subdivisions with no road access, 5 voting nonresident property owners in community council areas, 4 subdivisions without water from mining in the water table, 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree,

On the ninth day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have limited public comment, a new neighborhood coal mine, 7 hour Assembly meetings, 6 subdivisions with no road access, 5 voting nonresident property owners in community council areas, 4 subdivisions without water from mining in the water table, 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree,

On the tenth day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have an ethics code under attack, limited public comment, a new neighborhood coal mine, 7 hour Assembly meetings, 6 subdivisions with no road access, 5 voting nonresident property owners in community council areas, 4 subdivisions without water from mining in the water table, 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree,

On the eleventh day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have no place to park their new ferry, an ethics code under attack, limited public comment, a new neighborhood coal mine, 7 hour Assembly meetings, 6 subdivisions with no road access, 5 voting nonresident property owners in community council areas, 4 subdivisions without water from mining in the water table, 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree,

On the twelfth day of Christmas the people of Mat Su have a big bright open for business sign that always was aglow, no place to park their new ferry, an ethics code under attack, limited public comment, a new neighborhood coal mine, 7 hour Assembly meetings, 6 subdivisions with no road access, 5 voting nonresident property owners in community council areas, 4 subdivisions without water from mining in the water table, 3 gravel pits on each side of their property, no tower ordinance, a veto proof Assembly and ceremonial Mayor in a birch tree,

The Citizen Lobbyist wishes all a Happy Holiday Season!

***Some of the content in this article is a figment of the CL’s vivid imagination.

They don't always save the best for last..

It’s a wrap.  And I don’t mean the kind with turkey, beef, lettuce or other condiments. The last regular assembly meeting with a side of a special meeting for 2011 is all over but the mopping up by citizen lobbyist. And since it tis the season to be frantic, in short order here are the highlights or should I say low-lights.

 

The special meeting described here as the Bad Road and Taxpayer Exploitation Act was taken up, and lived up to the name we have coined for it.  Your assembly has voted to give "43" the new number to this ordinance.  You know the sum of the two ordinances (16 and 27) they are trying to keep together in a loveless marriage? Like giving it a new number should make us all feel better?  That’s about the least harmful action that was taken.  Regardless of the numerous cautions from more than one borough attorney (and it should be noted here it takes at least 2 clerks and sometimes 2 attorneys to try to keep this bunch in the corral at almost every meeting) to not renew an old practice contrary to state law of serial wavers, the majority (other than Keogh, Halter and Woods) voted to do it anyway.  Assemblyman Colver led the charge to continue throwing the dice on serial wavers since it “hasn’t been challenged” and “we haven’t been sued” and “my outside council is better than yours” wooed the boys of the band to a yes vote.  Just as in committing a crime until some are caught, they don’t know how that prison jumpsuit will look on them.  There were a couple other ugly amendments that passed including one that sure looks like it ties the hands of future assemblies on a couple of counts. The kabuki dance continues on this one in early February at yet another special meeting.

Folks in Talkeetna won’t have to pay increases in their sewer and water rates just yet.  By unanimous consent the assembly decided to bounce that back to the manager and staff to come up with some other suggestions to pull the utility out of the red. Like perhaps using a portion of the bed tax (about $900,000 that is collected borough wide) to apply for more grants or perhaps include a couple of the outstanding notes in the capital budget. Then  the borough could collect a smaller increase from the users. All options that need to be looked at before it makes its way back to the assembly.   

Who said the all boys club of an assembly wasn’t in the holiday spirit? The rest of the agenda which included set back requirements for the Alaska Railroad that the assembly again was at odds over with their attorney on his opinion passed unanimously.  This topic will be at the forefront with the expansion of the railroad line at Pt Mackenzie. 

Assemblyman Colligan representing the Wasilla area successfully sponsored his first piece of legislation in a resolution supporting HB 88 regarding individual rights under the constitution.  Mr. Colligan was doing some lifting for Representative Gatto on this anti-“sharia law” bill that ran out of steam in last year’s session. I guess because big issues like where to park a ferry we own and driving on the most dangerous roads in the state aren’t as pressing, Colligan picked this one to shepard and sponsor.  There was some flag waving public testimony that you might expect from such legislation.  Basically it invokes a reaction from citizen lobbyist of “keep on walking, nothing to see here”.  

Reconsideration on the gravel ordinance made a pass through at the end of the meeting.  There were a few technical changes and a bit of foot stomping but it was given the Assembly stamp of approval.  Assembly member Keogh did advise the body he was troubled by much of the ordinance as passed and will be bringing forth an amendment on bonding which is sorely lacking from both the state requirements and borough for reclamation.  Heck if you’re renting a school gym you have to have proof of insurance but drilling in the water table or reclaiming a gravel pit..yeah not so much.

Next up will be a meeting December 29^th from 10am-2pm at Assembly chambers for the yearly assembly planning session.  Normally an all day Saturday event well into the New Year held at various places in the borough has been an opportunity for the Assembly to prioritize and get their act together.  However, to share the love this year in the name of efficiency ala Assemblyman Colligan it will be a held at the borough during the day, during the holiday week between Christmas and New Year.  That outta invite a huge crowd for input doncha think?  But alas if you can’t make it, there will be some snow boots on the ground for a report.  Next regular scheduled meeting after that is January 17^th and there will be some juicy topics on that agenda. There will be the update of the ethics code.  Perhaps you have seen folks sporting buttons that say “got ethics”.  And then the ever popular “let’s limit public input and participation”new code ordinance in the big bunch of fun headed our way.  If you care to have your voice heard on all things “Borough” you just have to make the time to let the ceremonial Mayor and Assembly know you do not like this code change that limits the public’s voice.  We’ll see if our assembly has any other surprises at their first meeting of the New Year on January 17^th . 

This meeting wrap up without condiments also puts the bow on citizen lobbyist’s work for 2011 except for the upcoming last post of the year  …the 12 days of Christmas.  It will be under your blog tree before Santa comes to visit.  You can ignore the don’t open to Christmas label. 

Thanks for reading and sharing.  Now get out there and agitate and participate!

Bad Road and Taxpayer Exploitation Act...

Members of the Assembly must have all their Christmas shopping and chestnut roasting out if the way because they have scheduled an action packed agenda for their regular assembly meeting Tuesday December 20th. And since a regular meeting isn't enough fun 5 days before a very large man in a red suit comes calling they are extending the entertainment by having a special meeting starting at 3:30pm the same day  to address Ordinance Serial No. 11-072: AN ORDINANCE REPEALING MSB TITLE 27 AND ADOPTING MSB TITLE 16, SUBDIVISIONS. 

But what it really should be called is the Bad Road and Taxpayer Exploitation Act. And here's why.

Subdivision code guides how our communities and our neighborhoods develop.  It affects the quality of our roads, emergency access, suitability of soils to accept effluent without entering the water table, inter-connectivity of our transportation system, provision for utilities, and so on…… countless ways that the code affects our day to day lives, and our wallet.  The Assembly is undertaking an overhaul of the subdivision code.  Maybe the Assembly calls it “overhaul.”  Most, though, call it “gutting.”

One would think that something this complex and with such far-reaching effect on the citizens of the Borough would warrant much thought and care, with broad public participation and plenty of time to understand and consider the ramifications. 

Unfortunately, the Assembly is proceeding with very little chance for the public to participate or be heard; except for the Mat-Su Business Alliance.  The Mat-Su Business Alliance has proposed a new subdivision code, and it is that version that is currently before the Assembly.  We wonder what became of the recommendations of the Planning Commission.  We wonder what became of the recommendations of the Platting Board.  We wonder why the Road Service Area Boards, the Fire Service Area Boards, the Community Councils have not been informed and asked to participate.    Here are a few tidbits:

1.  Relaxed subdivision road standards means bad roads (you know…. mud holes, bad drainage, poor road material, etc.), which the taxpayer must ultimately pay to fix, while the subdivision developer enjoys umbrella drinks in Vegas.

2.  Relaxed standards for ensuring proper easements and constructability for utilities raises the specter of future need for utility relocation, at potentially significant cost to the taxpayer.

3.  Reducing public notice and comment period to 15 days from 21 days means that the public, in particular the Road Service Area Boards, the Fire Service Boards, and the Community Councils, is, as a practical matter, deprived of the opportunity to be heard on Platting actions.  [due to meeting schedules, mailing time, need for receipt of comments by Platting in time to prepare the packet, etc.]

4.  The current version of the Bad Road and Taxpayer Exploitation Act, specifically allows an “unlimited” number of “serial waivers.”  Let me explain:  A Waiver Subdivision (referred to as “waiver”) is the division of a single lot into up to four lots, as allowed under Alaska State Statute, where normal subdivision rules are “waived.”  A “serial waiver” is a series of waivers of previously waivered parcels, creating far more than the four lots.  Serial waivers may facilitate the development of a full fledged subdivision without having to comply with normal subdivision development rules.  This has the potential for significant negative impact to road quality, access, utilities… the full Monty.  And, to boot, the practice of serial waivers, according to the Borough Attorney, is “illegal under state law.” 

5.  To make it all that much worse for the taxpayer… this serial-waiver-end-run-around-normal-subdivision-rules would be allowed WITHOUT PUBLIC NOTICE; NO NOTICE TO ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS, NONE TO ROAD SERVICE AREA BOARDS, NONE TO EMERGENCY SERVICES; NONE TO COMMUNITY COUNCILS.

6.  The Assembly proceeds, making amendments piecemeal to specific sections of the proposed MSBA version of our subdivision code, without any apparent regard for how a particular amendment of one section may affect another section of the proposed code.  The word “chaos” comes to mind.  And it’s being done without really hearing from the public.  No evidence that the Assembly cares much about coming up with a subdivision code that makes sense and where the public is well served.  The Assembly is taking us down a very, very ugly road, and we are all going to be paying for it for years and years to come.

Those are some of the big reasons in a nutshell destroying yet another planning tool Title 27 is a awful idea. It’s like using a bulldozer when maybe a hand held hoe would remove a few weeds.  It might serve as a economic stimulus tool for some developers and surveyors but to the rest of us it’s just a Bad Road and Taxpayer Exploitation Act. Use the links to the side of the blog and contact your assembly. And while you’re at it tell them your thoughts on mining in the gravel table since that will be back before them in this regular meeting later the same night.  

You just can’t count on this assembly to be awash in holiday joy and reason to do the right thing for the folks of the borough.  Even Santa would say that’s too much to wish for.