MEMORANDUM 07-73

TO:                     MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL

FROM:                COUNCILMAN DOUG STARK

DATE:                 COUNCIL MEETING OF 14 MAY 2007

SUBJECT:           TRIP REPORT: JUNEAU, 24-27 APRIL 2007

The trip went very well.  As far as project funding, our January 25th trip secured funding for the $1.3M water treatment plant in the Governor's supplemental capital budget, which I confirmed by telephone with the Director of OMB.  I then confirmed with a number of legislators that being on the Governor's list was semi-automatic approval.  The legislators

felt that the money wasn't available for additional stand-alone projects.  The U. of A. funding to buy City Hall was a non-starter because of lack of U. of A. lobbying.  The hospital funding was too much for District 35.  That left our smaller projects to be funded in Homer's $200,000 share of District 35 discretionary funding: the senior trail, the Spit trail, the Ohlson Mountain rope tow, and the Pratt museum oil tank.  I won't break out the funding, because it changed from earlier conversations with Rep. Seaton and Sen. Stevens to later ones.

Since Councilmembers Novak, Roberts, and Wythe had a schedule on Friday with 12 Senators/Representatives, the Coast Guard, DEC, DOT, and an aide to the Governor, I went with that group.  I saw their 8 am appointment with the Senate Finance Vice Chair which had been cancelled.  I made it a point to see 22 senators/representatives and a Governor's aide not on their list the 3 days before they arrived.  I picked the list carefully (for instance avoiding the legislator who was indicted for corruption the next week).

I passed out 20 copies of Anne Marie's packet and received rave reviews on the quality of her work.  Since the capital projects list for Homer was basically set in concrete, I discussed it and added recommendations for revenue sharing and PERS funding.  I did a lot of coordination with AML staff and we had a Board teleconference May 2nd.  AML cut a deal with Senate Finance on the 4th, which I approved telephonically, which hopefully will get $306,000 for revenue sharing and a total of $1,019,000 for combined revenue sharing and PERS for Homer.  The PERS contribution rate will be 22% of salary.

One of the highlights of the trip was a party Friday late afternoon in one of the Capitol offices.  Music was 5 guitars, a mandolin, and a harmonica.  In attendance were Senators,

Representatives, staffers, (including a former Homer Council Member), and lobbyists.

I've always said that politics is people, and it continues to be true.  Scuttlebut is that next

year's capital budget will be bigger, in spite of less money.