This is my first entry for myAssembly diary. My intent is to informally share my thoughts about local government process and what has been going on.
There are two big things at the moment-- the electricity crisis and the annual budget process. The electricity crisis seems to be winding down. AEL&P says the lines should be up in another week and our rates back to normal. The City set up a grant program to help lower income people pay their electric bills and that seems t0 be working. The best information on that is found at http://www.juneauunplugged.com It has been great to see how much energy we have conserved. I hope that can continue.
I had encouraged the Chamber of Commerce to come up with a proposal for how the Assembly could help everyone, particularly smaller businesses and they proposed we allocate 2 million from our Budget Reserve (where we currently have 9.8 million) to help pay electric bills across the board. Unfortunately, only Johan Dybdahl and I supported the proposal and it did not pass.
We were also voting on all the requested increases in the budget and we approved a number of items. I was very happy about an increase in funding for the Youth Activities Board. I have been lobbying for that for several years now. The whole budget will be forwarded to the full Assembly for final approval. It can still be changed, but it is not likely to happen.
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“We must recognize the full human equality of all of our people – before God, before the law, and in the councils of government. We must do this, not because it is economically advantageous – although it is; not because the laws of God command it – although they do; not because people in other lands wish it so. We must do it for the single and fundamental reason that it is the right thing to do.” – Robert Kennedy, June 6, 1966