ON PARADE – Children dressed as their favorite animals hold a Sitka Spruce Tips 4-H Club banner as they march down Lincoln Street on Earth Day, Monday. The Parade of Species was held in recognition of Earth Day. It was hosted by Sitka Conservation Society, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service and the Sitka Sound Science Center. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly its regular meeting Tuesday approved dou [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
“We want to hear from the public, what they value i [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Sitka schools were notified at around noon today that the city administrator had re [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s track and field athletes faced off aga [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
Alaska is getting an infusion of nearly $125 million to build and [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
The Alaska Senate voted unanimously on Monday to make it easier f [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
The Alaska House’s Rules Committee has eliminated, at least temporaril [ ... ]
By DAVID A. LIEB
The Associated Press
A conservative quest to limit diversity, equity and inclusion in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Alaska’s three-member, bipartisan congressional delegation is sid [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 23
At 3:14 a.m. a downtown bar report [ ... ]
Vaughn Blankenship
Dies at Age 91
Vaughn Blankenship, a longtime Sitka resident, died Tuesday at SEARH [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
With about a month left before the end of the regular [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city will hold a public meeting Wednesday for pub [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
With only days to go before the statewide Native Yout [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Daily Sitka Sentinel and KCAW-FM Raven Radio won awards Saturday at the [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
To address a surge in mental health problems among young Alaskans [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill passed Thursday by the Alaska House of Representatives wou [ ... ]
City to Conduct
Relay Testing
The city electric department is conducting systemwide relay testing th [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Another lawsuit that has implications in Southeast Al [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly on Tuesday will consider final reading o [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Competing in their first home games of the season, Si [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
Citing what they characterized as unacceptable risks to wildlife [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
The Yup’ik village of Newtok, perched precariously on thawing permafro [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
JKT Enters Bill in Bid To Cut Spending of PF
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins introduced a bill Wednesday aimed at protecting the Alaska Permanent Fund earnings reserve so it won’t be used by the Legislature to close the budget gap.
“If we leave it as it is, I think the Legislature or future Legislatures will squander the money and spend it down,” Sitka’s representative said this morning.
Kreiss-Tomkins introduced the bill (House Bill 165) to transfer $4.35 billion from the Permanent Fund’s Earnings Reserve account into the principal of the Permanent Fund. The earnings reserve can be spent with a simple majority vote.
“Most people think the entirety of the Permanent Fund is protected constitutionally,” the Sitka Democrat said. “That’s not the case.”
Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. (Sentinel file photo)
Kreiss-Tomkins said the Legislature has made up the budget shortfalls by spending savings instead of balancing the budget through generating revenues and cutting spending.
“But now that we’ve spent down every last dollar in savings ...” he said. “I have no confidence that the Legislature or future Legislatures won’t spend down the permanent fund itself.” He noted that the earnings reserve is part of the permanent fund.
As to what it will mean if and when $4.35 billion is transferred from the earnings reserve into the protected part of the Permanent Fund, Kreiss-Tomkins said, “It means we’ll have to pass a tax, cut the budget and rewrite the Permanent Fund Dividend (formula).”
Kreiss-Tomkins said the Sitka Assembly makes the same types of tough decisions every year in order to close any budget gap, and doesn’t look to spend the city’s Permanent Fund. He hopes in introducing and passing the bill it will “take the money off the table to force the hard decisions.”
He said a similar bill was introduced during the last Legislature by him on the House side, and Sitka’s Sen. Bert Stedman on the Senate side. The bill passed in both houses..
“We want to do it again,” Kreiss-Tomkins said.
The bill has been assigned to the House Ways and Means and Finance committees. The goal is for it to be moved out of committees and introduced in the budget.
Kreiss-Tomkins represents Sitka and 21 other communities in Southeast.
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20 YEARS AGO
April 2004
Michael Stringer, environmental specialist for Sitka Tribe of Alaska and a founder of the community garden, takes the concept of Earth Week literally. This weekend he hopes others will share his appreciation for “earth” and things growing in it by joining him in preparing the community garden just behind Blatchley Middle School for another growing season.
50 YEARS AGO
April 1974
Classified ads Houses for Sale: Price dropped to $36,500 for 2-story, 4-bdrm. carpeted home on Cascade. Kitchen appliances, drapes, laundry room, carport, handy to schools.
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