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Firefighters Will 'Wait and See' on Budget

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Firefighters Will 'Wait and See' on Budget One dollar THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 newsminer.com T HE VOICE OF INTERIOR ALASKA Inside Today Postmodern Jukebox makes the new old again Saturday at Hering. » LATITUDE 65 Firefighters will ‘wait and see’ on budget By Kevin Baird approached the budget proposed layoffs would contract with incremen- [email protected] conservatively with state “It’s going to be an interesting year. put more stress on his tal increases for the fire- revenue-sharing dry- department. fighters union, but fund- Fairbanks fire Chief Jim ing up. This year the city I understand where the mayor’s Fire Capt. Scott Raygor, ing for the agreement was Styers said he will try to received $866,732 from coming from. He’s got to balance who is also president of not identified. City code convince the City Council Juneau. Matherly does not the Fairbanks Firefighters requires the funding be and city staff that laying expect any revenue com- the budget.” Union, thinks the mayor identified, however. off two firefighters is not ing from the state in 2018. Jim Styers, Fairbanks Fire Department chief might be overly conser- Matherly and the coun- the proper way to go about Matherly’s budget pro- vative with his revenue cil proposed a tax through balancing the budget in poses laying off two fire- from 2015, according “I want to convince them approach. Proposition B, but 56 per- 2018. fighters and the city’s risk to the budget. And 40 that two firefighter posi- “I’m pretty positive cent of voters rejected it Mayor Jim Mather- manager to balance the times, Fairbanks Fire tions are necessary,” Styers there’s going to be rev- Oct. 3. The tax would have ly released his proposed budget. By code, the may- Department personnel said. “It’s going to be an enue sharing. I think allowed the city to collect 2018 budget on Tuesday. or must produce a bal- were tied up and unavail- interesting year. I under- there’s some room in there as much as $1.7 million Budget meetings among anced budget. able to respond to calls. stand where the mayor’s maybe we’ll get more,” more annually through the mayor, council and Last year the Fairbanks Styers said the depart- coming from. He’s got to Raygor said. “I know he property taxes. That city staff begin Nov. 1. The Fire Department set a ment is on track to balance the budget.” was being overly conser- amount was based on the budget won’t be approved record in responding to set another record for Styers said he has not vative.” average amount Fairbanks until December. 4,965 calls for assistance, responding to assistance had a lot of time to analyze In May, the City Coun- Matherly said he a 15 percent increase calls in 2017. the budget but that the cil approved a three-year BUDGET » A3 GOOD IN LIVING COLOR IDITAROD MORNING States told Dogs to develop strategies flunk The weather. drug Mostly cloudy with on crime a chance of snow. Tonight: Mostly By Dorothy Chomicz cloudy with a chance [email protected] tests of snow. State, local and tribal law By Rachel D’Oro High today ..............25 enforcement agencies will work ASSOCIATED PRESS Low tonight .............17 together to implement a new Anti-Violent Crime Strategy, ANCHORAGE — For the WEATHER » A7 according to a news release first time in the history of Aurora forecast. issued Wednesday by the office the world’s most famous Auroral activity will be of the acting U.S. Attorney’s sled dog race, several of active. Weather per- office in Anchorage. the high-performance mitting, active auroral The strategy is part of a com- animals have tested positive for a prohibited displays will be visible prehensive plan to address ris- ing crime in the United States drug. But race officials overhead from Utqiag- and was developed during the have refused to name the vik to Anchorage and past several months in consul- musher involved. Juneau. This information is provided tation with the Alaska Depart- Several dogs tested by aurora forecasters at ment of Law and state and local positive for the opioid the Geophysical Institute agencies. Tramadol, the govern- at the University of Alaska U.S. Attorney General Jeff ing board of the Iditarod Fairbanks. For more infor- Sessions asked each state to Trail Sled Dog Race said. mation about the aurora, come up with its own plan when The team was tested six visit http://www.gi.alaska. he announced the renewal of hours after finishing the edu/AuroraForecast the Project Safe Neighborhoods nearly 1,000-mile race program that reduced violent in March in Nome, offi- crime 15 years ago. cials said. They estimate • • • A pedestrian passes a larch tree in fall colors Wenesday the drug could have been CRIME » A7 afternoon along Second Avenue. ERIC ENGMAN/NEWS-MINER administered between 15 hours before the test and right before it. Iditarod spokesman Chas St. George said in an email that the mush- er’s name is not being Trump unimpressed released based on an INSPIRED by health care deal IDITAROD » A5 GOALIE By Alan Fram R-Tenn., and Patty Mur- Iditarod Top 20 Benson builds on his ASSOCIATED PRESS ray, D-Wash., on a two- ANCHORAGE — return to the Ice Here year extension of feder- are the top 20 finishers Dogs. WASHINGTON — T h e al subsidies to insurers in this year’s Iditarod SPORTS authors of a bipartisan plan that Trump has blocked Trail Sled Dog Race. Page B1 to calm health insurance gained an important new Only the first 20 teams markets said Wednesday foe. The anti-abortion are tested. they’ll push the proposal National Right to Life said it opposed the measure 1 Mitch Seavey, Seward • • • forward, even as President 2 Dallas Seavey, Willow Donald Trump’s stance ric- because it lacked language 3 Nicolas Petit, Girdwood ocheted from supportive to barring people from using 4 Joar Leifseth Ulsom, SOURDOUGH JACK: Mo i Rana, Norway disdainful to arm’s-length their federally subsidized 5 Jessie Royer, Fairbanks “I flunked out of and the plan’s fate teetered. coverage to buy policies 6 Wade Marrs, Willow “If something can hap- covering abortion, said 7 Ray Redington Jr., Wasilla beauty school.” 8 Aliy Zirkle, Two Rivers pen, that’s fine,” Trump Jennifer Popik, the group’s 9 Peter Kaiser, Bethel told reporters at the White top lobbyist. 10 Paul Gebhardt, Kasilof In another blow, Doug 11 Jeff King, Denali House. “But I won’t do any- 12 Ramey Smyth, Willow thing to enrich the insur- Andres, spokesman for 13 Michelle Phillips, Tagish, ance companies because House Speaker Paul Ryan, Yukon Territory, Canada 14 Ryan Redington, Wasilla right now the insurance R-Wis., said Ryan “does not 15 Hans Gatt, Whitehorse, companies are being see anything that chang- Yukon Territory, Canada es his view that the Sen- 16 Ralph Johannessen, Dagali, enriched. They’ve been Norway enriched by Obamacare ate should keep its focus 17 Ken Anderson, Fairbanks like nothing anybody has on repeal and replace of 18 John Baker, Kotzebue Obamacare.” 19 Katherine Keith, Kotzebue ever seen before.” 20 Linwood Fiedler, Willow The agreement by From wire reports Sens. Lamar Alexander, HEALTH CARE » A8 INSIDE Classified » B7-8 | Comics » B5 | Dear Abby » Latitude 65 | Markets » B6 | Obituaries » A3 | Opinion » A6 Watch the top finalists present their ideas UAFArctic and compete for $30,000 in prizes! Saturday, Oct. 21 WedgewoodResort 10:00 am |Main Division Semi-Finals Innovation Competition Vote on your favorite ideas and enter to win 1:30 pm |JR&Cub Divisions Presented Ravn Alaska tickets plus otherdoor prizes. 3:00 pm |Main Division Final Four by UA is an AA/EOemployerand educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against anyindividual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination 4:00 pm |BPAward Ceremony&Reception F12522975.
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