JUNEAU DAILY NEWS MINUTE
Tuesday, January 21,1997 (c) Alaska Juneau Communications
*The Alaska Conference of Mayors is meeting in town this week. Collectively, the
conference represents 97% of the states' residents. Tonight, in a special meeting, the
Alaska Conference of Mayors and the Alaska Municipal League will present the first
annual State of the Municipalities address. The central theme of the address is to call for
new partnerships between the State and all municipalities. Education, public safety and
transportation are critical public services jointly provided and paid for by the state and
local governments, and local taxpayers.
*Interest has been lukewarm so far in a year-old early-retirement program offered by the
state. The program was designed to encourage veteran workers to retire early so their
jobs could be left vacant or they could be replaced by new employees at lower wages.
But so far -- only 42 employees have signed up for the retirement incentives.
In this mornings' radio address on KINY, Senator Jim Duncan talked about the plan,
saying he had much higher hopes for the early retirement program.
*After nearly four years of intermittent negotiations, the University of Alaska and a
teachers union have declared contract negotiations deadlocked. The university has
asked the Alaska Labor Relations Agency to appoint a mediator. Last week the labor
board recommended a federal mediator be tapped to try to bring the two sides together.
Talks are expected to resume sometime next month.
*The Haines airport has recently been refurbished, leaving room for individual airlines to
set-up shop in the airport, rather than downtown, which has been the practice in Haines.
Wings of Alaska is the first to make that move, with the announcement that they are
moving their offices into the Airport in Haines on February 1st. Wings owner Bob
Jacobsen estimates that over 20,000 people fly between Juneau and Haines each year.
Haines residents Stephen and Anne Thomas purchased the 11,000 square foot airport
from the City last summer.
*Republican gains in the Alaska Legislature have left things a bit more crowded around
the state Capitol. With Republican who control the Legislature picking up five new seats
-- they're finding it tougher to fit extra staff members into the building. Remodeling since
last year also has eaten up some office space. House Rules Committee Chairman Pete
Kott -- an Eagle River Republican -- says the Capitol is probably at maximum capacity
now. Majority legislative members generally get more staff members -- and with the
Republican majority increasing -- lawmakers have had to squeeze more people into
smaller space. The crowded quarters has revived questions about whether it's time to
build a new Capitol. Legislators generally say the state's tight budget makes building a
Capitol a low priority.