Assembly Diary

Monday 8/23 is our regular Assembly meeting. We will have hearings for putting two measures on the October 5th ballot. The first is about a bond issue for renovating Auke Bay elementary school. The second is about committing sales tax dollars to finance a second crossing of Gastineau channel. I am always in favor of putting big ticket items to citizens for their vote on the matter.

We also have an ordinance for public hearing to increase our water/sewer rates. This is never a popular thing to do – but to maintain our water system takes continued investment. We have also called for a managerial review of Public Works to ensure we are running the most efficient system possible.

The Assembly Public Works Committee meets at 5pm Monday. \I asked the manager to get an estimate of what it would cost to extend bus service to Costco/Home Depot rather than just stop at Anka/Glacier Dr. I am told that such an extension would mess up the whole bus schedule and cost lots. I will be asking a lot of questions.

The Assembly Human Resources Committee meets at 6pm and will appoint members to the new Aquatics Board to help manage the pools. They will also appoint new members to the Youth Activities Board that awards grants, and discuss our panhandling ordinance.

Tuesday is the state primary election. Remember that even if you are not interested in the primary candidates, there are propositions on the ballot regarding abortion and lobbying that may become law. Make sure you vote.

Finally, the Alaska Department of Labor has published its August issue of Alaska Economic Trends. The subject this month is the Cost of Living in Alaska. We always talk about it, but here is some good data. It is a worthwhile read. http://labor.state.ak.us/trends/aug10.pdf