Assembly Overrides 6 of 7 vetoes

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss issued seven vetoes, and the Assembly overturned six last night, May 27.

DeVilbiss called block grants a “pipeline for areawide tax monies to be channeled to noble causes for which the Assembly has no other delegated power or authority.”

It took five of seven votes to override the Mayor’s vetoes.

The veto for $150,000 for the Alaska Scholastic Clay Target program to buy private land for a shooting range was the only veto not overturned.

The Assembly overturned a veto on $150,000 to the SART, Sexual Assault Response Team program. Assembly Member Steve Colligan said he was troubled to have to send victims to Anchorage for testing. He said our community has a responsibility for the program to help victims locally.

Listen to Colligan’s audio.

The Assembly overturned:

• a veto on $150,000 to the Youth Court program

• a veto on block grants to the three cities

• a veto for a grant to the Houston fire hall paint job for $9,500

• a veto for a grant to the Big Lake Lion’s Community Center for $25,000

Assembly Member Vern Halter moved to overturn the veto against $100,000 for a principal payment of the revolving loan fund to purchase land at Nancy Lake for the Willow Fire Department.

Halter said the Assembly voted unanimously to use the revolving loan fund to purchase the Nancy Lake property. “I proposed this amendment to pay back that loan at an accelerated rate as fast as we could,” Halter said.

Listen to Halter’s audio on this page.

The Mayor’s Minute has Mayor Larry DeVilbiss and his own remarks on the veto overrides.