News-Miner Editorial
Energy funds
Mayor holds emergency money cards
Published Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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Stumble It!The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly’s decision to extend for two months its suspension of public-spending rules on energy-emergency funds speaks to a good relationship between the assembly and borough Mayor Jim Whitaker.
This was a move that required a degree of trust.
Apparently, the majority of our assembly members are of the mind that Mayor Whitaker will spend the money wisely.
And it is a fair wager that he will. He has a good track record.
Similar amounts were set aside for quick spending in 2004 to tackle forest fire issues on short notice and again in 2005 to deal quickly with the Base Realignment and Closure Commission hearings and the well-known Save Eielson Air Force Base effort.
In May, the mayor and Borough Assembly approved a declaration that soaring energy costs constituted a public emergency. The cost of fuel and electricity certainly has not decreased since then.
A two-month extension will take us into the days of our first frosts of autumn.
The mayor reasons that, with innumerable unknowns facing us as winter approaches and a state legislative special session on energy solutions about to take place, we should be prepared to react without taking time for requests for proposals or drafting and passing ordinances before money can be spent.
Possibilities for expediting projects like a waste-to-energy pilot project and a coal-and-biomass-to-synthetics plant may arise within weeks.
And if the mayor doesn’t find places to spend the money, it will go back into the borough’s pool of funds. That’s what happened after BRAC, with about $200,000 in leftover funds.
The moniker of “emergency spending” might make some wonder why this isn’t money spent directly on aid to the ailing — as in a natural disaster of some sort — but the nomenclature just means there is a pressing need to free up the funds, as it did for the Eielson and wildfire issues.
Those efforts, too, were for long-term community benefit rather than direct immediate aid to individuals.
And while rules are suspended that require lengthy request-for-proposal processes or drafting and passing ordinances to spend money, the mayor has not been handed a blank check. All the spending is regularly accounted for in reports to the assembly. The public will know how and where he spends the money.
If the mayor can find ways to use expedited funds for short-term or long-term benefit to the borough as a whole as we struggle with energy costs, then more power to him — and to us.
Community Discussion
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and what a success "save eielson" was. If I recall, the BRAC commissioners never saw anything CLOSE to what we did here in fairbanks, not even in the same league.
Eielson received a MAJOR hit in the BRAC process - they lost their fighter wings. Ted Stevens saved the rest in some back room deal. It had nothing to do with Whitaker or the "Save Eielson" debacle. Eielson is at significant risk during the next BRAC process.
FEDCO,Port Authority, and Vision Fairbanks are just a few reasons that Whitaker cannot be trusted.
I hope the assembly members show some backbone and not bow to Whitaker on this.
"Possibilities for expediting projects like a waste-to-energy pilot project and a coal-and-biomass-to-synthetics plant may arise within weeks."
Would someone please explane how a borough mayor in Faribanks, Alaska is going to do what no one in the entire WORLD can do ? A waste-to-energy pilot project, there have been THOUSANDS of such projects around the world, they have done one thing,, cost money.
Coal-and-bioamass-to-syntetics, ,is that something like the power plant in Healey?? Come on people use your head... just another scam.. amen Big Mike
yeah this sounds stupid postpone meetings for 2 months that need to be addressed like yesterday. i quarantee the governer dont have no problem with getting free fuel and electricity for his big ol house.
i meant mayor, that was my bad
At least they knew to only to extend his power for 2 months, just about the time we all have our property taxes to pay. Exactly what is the interior delegation planning on doing to introduce alternative energy proposals?
Sure he isn't using the trips for job interviews, since his plan with the Port Authority didn't work out? I support alternatives, but let's get some people who have the ability to get things done and know what they are talking about , not the good old boys club again.
FEDCO & Alternative Energy - why does that sound like a bad combination?
After a million dollars and a few years....FEDCO announces that alternative energy projects are not viable for Fairbanks. They also announced that there is a few accounting issuues with how the money was spent.....
How about developing a comercial-grade geothermal plant at Manly Hotsprings? Or why not a row of solar panels allongside ye olde pipeline? How about a study looking into the feasability of developing a local hydrogen distribution system, like the people at Chena Hotsprings wanted to do? Since we have natural gas coming down the road (and cars that are built to run on natural gas can easily be converted to hydrogen down the road).
Or, less pie in the sky... why not use the money to improve efficiency in public buildings and offices? I'm sure the state or feds might have a program to offer matching funds...
Improving efficiency should add money to the budget not cost more. Alternative energy plans should add energy to the system not use more. Unless the borough wants to reduce or wave our property taxes, there is nothing they can do to fix the problem with the public emergency resulting from soaring energy costs.
I'm giving odds that whatever "energy" program emerges, Bernie Karl will be involved - probably already is.
I do not agree with this and it has nothing to do with the mayor's skills or lack of skills or his relationship with the Assembly. The wildfires were an emergency. What we are experiencing with fuel prices is not an emergency. Any proposals to act on a biomass plant or things of that nature should go through a public process. It can be an expedited process, but they only have to give 5 business days' notice for public meetings. Fine to expedite the request for proposals too, give 'em a few weeks to submit things. No one makes major purchases for their home without getting estimates and checking out the vendors. This is not a natural disaster where there is an emergency like a fire or earthquake.
I agree that this is not an emergency, I simply paraphrased the borough's use of the term to point out that even wisely spending money for capital projects won't solve the problem. Conservation of our property tax dollars will help. If they can save some money then maybe they can reduce the mil rate more next year.
The reason that this is considered an emergent concern is because there are a large number of Borough residents that will not be able to afford energy this winter. As such they will likely make the decision to leave Alaska. Many will say good riddance to them and gloat about how much bigger thier dividend will be. But, when the econonmy crumbles and even those who are left are suffering from the resulting effects they will be singing a different song. When the Borough and the city do not have enough funding to porvide the basic services because the tax base is gone we will all be in a bad place.
I think it is a good thing that Mayor Whitaker is aggressivley addressing the problem and seeking a solution, even if he doesn't find one, it is better than sticking his head in the sand and pretending there isn't a problem.
Will a waste-to-energy or biomass plant project at least be on line before spring? And will the borough building codes apply?
One energy emergency to consider is funding the cost of fuel for school buses, school heat, fuel for winter road maintenance and volunteer fire services, as well as borough bureaucracy. What will the school district fuel bills look like this winter???
I guess property taxes and our Juneau pals can cover it all; haven’t seen much other discussion on the FNSB fuel needs.
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