June 21, 2012 Council Gives Short-Lived Property Tax Relief by Sandra L
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Photo by Nick Schollmeier SUMMER IS HERE —When summer school in Elim concluded on June 14 the students picniced on the beach. As the tide went out the kids found a shallow sandbar and raced out to it. Even though not all the ice was gone, the kids thought it was warm enough to play in the water. C VOLUME CXII NO. 25 June 21, 2012 Council gives short-lived property tax relief By Sandra L. Medearis nicipal Budget, but failed to vote the Boys and Girls Club. motion that would have fixed a yay had not occurred and the Council The big news out of the Nome spending plan and the mill rate upon Then Councilwoman Mary Kn- or nay to the spending plan for $10 had converted a scheduled work ses- Common Council’s June 13 meeting which it was based into reality. odel made a successful motion to million and change. Instead, Mayor sion for Wednesday to a special was the ordinance they did not adopt, The Council voted one by one on amend the amount coming out of Denise Michels directed Tom meeting where the Council would that sets the tax bite on property three additions: $10,000 for the City savings to make up the addi- Moran, city clerk, to read the next vote on adopting the general fund owners. N.E.S.T. shelter for the homeless, tions. ordinance on the agenda, concerning municipal budget. The Council debated and voted to $100,000 for a paint job on St. Joe’s Right here, the Council lost the adoption of the construction capital However, property owners hoping amend the Nome General Fund Mu- meeting house, and $10,000 for trail; there was no vote on the main projects funds budget. for the Council to forget to tax them The main ordinance also con- likely would have hopes dashed at a tained language to authorize the City special meeting set for Wednesday to levy an 11-mill property tax. Even noon, June 20, where the Council in- at 11 mills, the budget is over by tended to finish their budget busi- about 2 mills to be made up from ness. savings and a hoped-for increase in The Council did vote on and pass sales tax coming from a higher num- the construction capital projects fund ber of visitors coming to mine this budget for $831,811; the special rev- summer. enue fund budget for $333,732; the A reporter told several Council capital projects fund budget for members and city clerk after the $16.5 million; and the Port of Nome meeting she did not think the Coun- fund budget for $6.4 million. cil had voted on the main budget The amendment to the general motion; they felt they had. Monday, fund budget concerning a paint job Moran acknowledged that the vote continued on page 4 State gives ground on mining at river mouths By Sandra L. Medearis rival of more than the usual number The Alaska Dept. of Natural Re- of miners this season. Turbidity sources has modified a rule concern- could divert fish going up river to ing gold-seeking at the river mouths spawn or going out for the life span used for migration in and out by sent in salt water. Kicking up sedi- anadromous fish. State authorities ment could affect capelin (cigar fish) are allowing suction dredgers to and other small fish valuable to the move closer to river mouths in the salmon and sea mammal use of the fall. food chain, according to biologists. The mining regulators had ruled “Foul!” cried some miners who Photo by Nils Hahn that no suction dredging could occur cared enough to come to meetings 4 within one-half mile of such streams. lodge complaints concerning timing READY FOR A WARM-UP— John Bunche (center) was rescued by the Nome Volunteer Fire Department A rule had been a long time on the and the fact that the state had sold Search and Rescue team. James West, Jr. is on the left and William Gray is on the right. books about this and would be en- lease tracts that would be affected by Nome man rescued after losing forced finally with the anticipated ar- continued on page 5 bearings in Bering Sea John Bunche was pulled out of the Bering Sea Fri- swimmer but they found him and pulled him on board day afternoon after miners on shore noticed that he had and took him to the small boat harbor where the Nome been in the 41°F water a long time and had not reached Ambulance Service transported him to Norton Sound the offshore dredge where he was hired as a diver. Regional Hospital. Bunche apparently had missed his ride at shift change Nome Fire Chief Matt Johnson said that Bunche had and was attempting to swim out to the dredge, which been in the water 2.5 hours. He was hypothermic and was ¼ mile offshore and six miles west of town. The probably would not have lasted much longer. miners on shore could hear him calling for help. Chief Johnson commented that notification is a con- The dredge he was working on was associated with cern for rescue personnel. “There is no way for us to the Discovery Channel. The thick fog and strong cur- know if they (dredgers) are in trouble.” Many offshore rent disoriented Bunche and pulled him to where he miners are working by themselves and many are un- could not see the dredge or the shore. skilled divers. The miners along the beach notified the Nome Po- Johnson said NVFD had just returned from a fire lice Department. Nome Fire Department’s Search and call four miles out on the Beam Road when the call Rescue team and the Nome Volunteer Ambulance serv- came in for a diver in trouble on the West Beach. He ice responded. The NVFD launched the rescue boat fears that this will be one of many calls for help this Guardian. The fog was so thick that two rescue per- dredging season. sonnel on the bow had a difficult time locating the On the Web: DEC demands tank farm www.nomenugget.net records from City, NJUS E-mail: By Sandra L. Medearis to the state office of attorney general The Alaska Dept. of Environmen- in Anchorage. Failure to respond [email protected] tal Conservation wants all the without acceptable reason could records the City of Nome and Nome bring charges of contempt. The ad- Joint Utility System have on the his- ministrative subpoena was issued by Photo by Nils Hahn toric West Nome Tank Farm on Port Commissioner Larry Hartig of DEC, WHAT’S DOWN THERE? — University of Alaska Fairbanks fisheries Road. The City and NJUS have 30 backed up by the state attorney gen- biologist Max Hoberg is shown with sampling equipment in the Nome days from receipt of the subpoena is- eral’s office. City officials are com- harbor. He is part of a UAF group conducting background environmen- sued by the DEC on June 6 by faxing plying with the request. tal studies for Aurumar Ltd. a South African gold dredging outfit estab- or mailing all documents and records continued on page 4 lished by DeBeers and AngloGold Ashanti. 2 THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012 OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters Nancy, verses; Crowley is significantly est to lowest in any category, and it similar. Or Elim, Koyuk, and even Why can’t the state contract with a A couple of weeks ago you men- lower currently, but fuel oil is an- even varies whether fuel oil or gaso- Unalakleet, should all be helicopter service to be based in tioned in the paper that Crowley was other matter, entirely. How do you line is more expensive. If prices on close. Here is a chart comparing the Wales so the helicopter can make going to supply Bonanza with Gas comparatively shop in this region? the Kenai Peninsula varied this prices of fuel as they were recorded, more trips to Diomede, short trips until the next barge came in, so that I’ve been trying to follow and fig- much and this arbitrarily, the news last fall. which can save everyone money, es- Bonanza could still sell gas at their ure out all the different ins and outs reports, at least, would all be up in The “average” at the bottom of the pecially the residents? pumps. But after watching a couple for fuel, anywhere in Alaska. There arms, yet when I mention it to any- chart is done by simply adding all the With the volume of more short of weeks of this, how come Bo- doesn’t seem to be any rhyme, or one in Nome they just shrug their 15 prices together and dividing by 15 trips between Wales and Diomede, nanza’s gas is still more than 4 cents reason, that can be applied to what shoulders and lift their hands, like for each fuel. No account is made couldn’t the service see it lucrative cheaper a gallon than Crowley’s? the prices are in any one place, espe- there is no accounting for village, or that some of the villages have 1,500 enough to reduce their eyebrow rais- How can this be? Isn’t Crowley try- cially when comparing prices to Nome, politics. The statements people in them and others 150, and ing $200 one-way airfare for such a ing to make a profit? It’s Crowley’s places even one village away. given to the state agencies are for the resulting differences in the quan- short distance? gas, yet it’s cheaper to buy it at Bo- When I look at the fuel prices for overall prices averaging all our vil- tity of the fuels used in these differ- I think the growing population of nanza? What am I missing in our region’s villages and Nome, they lage prices together, and are very ent places.