House adds to the billion dollar budget

The House of Representatives today (Friday) added more dollars to the largest-ever capital budget.  Governor Sean Parnell has called it a spending spree.

Some of the projects that are normally funded are still in the budget, but representatives were encouraged to add their own district projects to the Senate’s budget.

Locally, a number of projects and items are in the budget that haven’t been there in the past:

The Sunshine Transit service may be looking at $70,000 for the Willow and Talkeetna area combined.  There is a line item for the construction of the Willow Sunshine Clinic.  If the budget passes as is it also includes $100,000 for the Trapper Creek elementary school roof; close to one hundred and fourteen thousand dollars for Petersville Road repairs; $15,000 to jumpstart a Seniors Meals on Wheels project in the upper valley and $50,000 to each of the upper valley road service areas.

Also of note in area-wide projects is a line item of ten million dollars for a project labeled ‘Design for Large Railbelt Hydro Project’ in the Mat Su Area.  Alaska Energy Authority would also benefit from 50 million dollars for renewable energy grants statewide.   Village Safewater may see an increase in their budget with fifty million dollars going to projects and upgrades statewide.

Lawmakers are racing for the Sunday session deadline to pass all bills.  Even if the budget passes as it is, Parnell’s red pen is ready to slash projects as lawmakers lobby for what they want to remain.   Parnell  said that he plans on vetoing items from the big construction and maintenance projects that are being crafted by the Legislature.   The total budget as it stands before its final vote is two point nine four billion dollars (2.94 billion)###