Natasha Hart

10:00am - 3:00pm

Email
Listen Live

    Search Taku 105 - KTKU-FM

    Public employee pension plan can proceed with blessing of lawmakers

    Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at 6:58 AM

    A plan to reduce Alaska's public employee pension obligation using borrowed money may proceed without legislative approval.

    The Alaska Dispatch reports that Revenue Commissioner Randy Hoffeck notified lawmakers last week that the administration could raise up to 3-point-2 billion dollars through pension obligation bonds.

    Governor Walker floated a similar idea late last year, asking the legislature to put the bonds on the ballot.   The new approach could be done directly, with bonds issued by a state corporation.

    The pension obligation bond corporation is scheduled to meet next week to consider whether to issue the bonds.

    Hoffbeck says borrowing at interest rates below what the state can earn on investments would cost less than paying for pensions in the long run -- as long as the market is growing.

    Share

    More from News of the North

    • Jeanne Bitz's story — healing through Hawai'i

      Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Jeanne Bitz is a painter and sculptor in Maui, Hawai'i.

    • Alaska Athletes Will Push Their Limits in IRONMAN Alaska

      Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - On Sunday one of the hardest athletic events around the world will begin on the shores of Auke Lake in Juneau with a cannon blast that will signify the first official full IRONMAN race in Alaska.

    • Juneau Skating Club Spring Show a Musical Ice Delight

      Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - If you don’t have a ticket to today’s Juneau Skating Club Spring Show at Treadwell Ice Arena then pay at the door or beg to get in as this is a show you will not want to miss!

    • Crimson Bears & Falcons Go Purple to Raise Suicide Awareness & Prevention

      Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé and Thunder Mountain High School basketball teams, coaches, cheerleaders and officials will wear purple during their games tonight and Saturday night at the JDHS gym to raise awareness for mental health, suicide prevention and positive messaging for young adults and community members.

    • Pep Band Spices Up Local Sports

      Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - It takes something special to supplement a high caliber activity without taking away from that activity and that challenge has been met every basketball season by the pep bands of Thunder Mountain High School and Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé.

    • Photos: Perseverance Trail Landslide

      The recent avalanche and landslide activity in the Basin Road and Perseverance Trailhead area is shown in these photos from KINY.

    • Crimson Bears Butt Heads with Moose on Ice

      Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - The Juneau-Douglas High School Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears hockey team fell by the score of 4-2 to the Palmer Moose on Monday night at Treadwell Arena in a spirited and physical Railbelt Conference battle around the rink.

    • Juneau's High School Hoopsters and Skaters Can Unmask

      The Juneau School District is allowing their high school basketball and hockey players to play unmasked if certain testing requirements are met. Juneau School District Superintendent Bridget Weiss noted that the change only applies to players who are actively participating in one of the two sports and that coaches and athletes seated on the bench still have to wear face coverings.

    • First Things First Alaska

      The First Things First Alaska Foundation wrote in May 2020 that "the Alaska Roadless Rule hinders Southeast Alaska's economic recovery.

    • Angoon Woman Walks Her Way to a Healthier Life

      Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Angoon’s Betty Samato likes to walk. A lot. She has traveled on foot more than 7,000 miles in just over a year and much more since the coronavirus pandemic first began spreading through her home community.

    • Frawley Finish Anchors Crimson Bears Relay Title

      Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - In the final leg of his final race as a high school senior, in the last event of the 2021 State Swimming & Diving Championship at Bartlett High School, Juneau-Douglas Yadaa.at Kalé senior Tytan Frawley touched the pool wall to clinch the state championship for the Crimson Bears boys' 400 yard relay. A few lanes down, Kodiak’s Jackson Krug also stretched to the finish with the identical time.

    • Seward’s Jacoby, Thunder Mountain’s Foy Top Swimmers at State Meet

      Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - Seward senior Lydia Jacoby and Thunder Mountain High School sophomore Patrick Foy were named the outstanding female and male swimmers at Saturday’s 2021 State Swimming & Diving Championship at Bartlett High School.

    Crude Oil Price

    Current Conditions