As already reported in our local paper, I sent the following e-mail to the municipal clerk this afternoon:
Madam Clerk,
Please distribute this to all members.
I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Wheeler this afternoon and discuss his report and our follow-up to it. At this point I would like to cancel our work session on this subject (scheduled for January 8 ) while continuing our work on suggestions stemming from that effort [e.g. ordinance(s) clarifying and standardizing fiscal reporting requirements]. To the extent our efforts require continued contributions from the Municipal Attorney’s office or other Administration officials I would gently remind my colleagues to please ensure they respect any confidentiality applied to those communications in order to minimize the municipality’s liability risk.
I welcome any questions and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!
Regards,
Patrick Flynn
On Thursday, December 17, Eagle River resident and former mayoral candidate Bob “The Joker” Lupo pitched his proposal for revamping Anchorage’s tax structure to the Budget & Finance committee. (Editor’s note: “Joker” is not used pejoratively here, instead it is the moniker bestowed upon Mr. Lupo by his motorcycle club.) In a nutshell, Mr. Lupo’s plan would replace Anchorage’s property taxes with a 5% payroll tax, “payable from any wages paid from within the municipality to anyone living anywhere, so those who earn here but live elsewhere will still contribute (emphasis from Mr. Lupo).” According to Mr. Lupo’s analysis a 5% payroll tax would yield $263.3 million from Anchorage residents and $25.3 million from non-residents for a total of $288.6 million, which exceeds current property tax collections by more than $40 million. Lupo touted this, noting, “This is more than enough to finance the current municipality’s budget, pay off the deficit, and have a surplus to boot!”
One of my neighbors recently e-mailed me with an update on efforts to establish a new dog park on this side of town. I always appreciate folks keeping me in the loop on these sorts of things as it better enables me to spread the word and keep others informed. Then, at the end of the e-mail, came this question:
P.S. Why does Downtown only have one assembly seat?
Toward the end of this evening’s relatively quiet meeting my colleagues decided to change Assembly leadership. That resulted in my shifting three seats to my left, to the center of the dais. Indeed, at the close of an unprecedented year in Anchorage politics I’ve been asked to serve as chair until the next election (or until there’s another move to change the leadership). I’m honored at the opportunity, appreciate the excellent work performed by my predecessor, Debbie Ossiander, and will do my best to lead the Assembly in a collaborative, collegial manner during the months ahead.
Tonight, December 8, the Assembly is about to pass a municipal budget for 2010. I spent a great deal of time on this one and the version that ultimately passed had my name on it, but it wasn’t really mine.
In a late breaking development fans of the Anchorage Senior Activities Center have launched an eleventh hour campaign seeking an extra $100,000 to fund their 2010 operations despite the fact that, unlike virtually every other municipally-funded entity, the mayor’s budget proposal doesn’t cut their funding below 2009 levels. Nevertheless, I’ve been inundated with calls and e-mails seeking more dollars, including one from my mother (who called at the behest of another ASAC supporter).
The street upon which I live doesn’t meet the municipal definition of a street – it’s narrow, isn’t “crowned” (meaning water collects in the center, rather than at the curb), lack curbs and has nary a sidewalk. None of this bothers me since, as I once explained to a new neighbor, it remains quiet enough that sometimes it feels like time stands still. Indeed, I commented, sometimes the 72 hours by which the city typically plows all roads can feel like 96 hours, or even a week on our little street – primarily because it often takes that long for crews to find their way past my home. Again, I don’t find this particularly bothersome, but others are less patient.
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