Pennsylvania’s New Budget Quandary; Giant Water Park Permit Fight in Texas
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Boston mayor’s new City Hall porch; Anchorage’s vacant property fee; and a big recreational impact for a southwest Utah town.
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
STATE BUDGETS | The ongoing budget stalemate in Pennsylvania had a resolution, of sorts, on Sunday, when Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said he would allow the Republican-led legislature’s recently approved budget take effect without issuing a veto. There’s a problem: The state’s current tax structure doesn’t allow enough revenue to pay for the $31.5 billion spending plan. The governor said he was hopeful that lawmakers would act on Monday to find new revenues to pay for the budget. Pennsylvania requires a balanced budget and the lack of necessary revenues raises constitutional questions about the new budget quandary. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; PennLive.com]
TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS
PERMITS | A massive water park project east of Austin, which would allow for indoor surfing, has hit a snag over whether it needs a swimming pool permit. The NLand Surf Park is set to feature a lagoon the size of nine football fields. NLand contends the facility does not require a swimming pool permit because it is fed by rainwater, making it akin to a lake. But the Commissioners Court in Travis County last week authorized lawyers to file a lawsuit against the operators of the park saying that it did not meet county and state health and safety standards. The suit had not been filed as of Sunday. NLand’s CEO is Doug Coors, of the well-known Colorado brewing family. [Austin-American Statesman]
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
DEVICES | The San Diego City Council is considering whether to disclose official business conducted on the personal computers and cellphones of public employees. Emails and texts on private devices would be made subject to public records requests. This marks the third time open government advocacy group Californians Aware has tried to get the council to place such a measure on the ballot. City Council could also opt to simply modify the municipal code. [The San Diego Union-Tribune]
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
PORCHES | City Hall has added a porch. Mayor Marty Walsh announced the third floor installation on Twitter, as an extension of artificial turf meant to encourage visitors to recreate this summer. How many of those visitors will use the new public space to play Pokémon Go remains to be seen. [CBS Boston]
KANARRAVILLE, UTAH
RECREATION | Drawn by a day hike to a slot canyon and waterfalls, an estimated 40,000 people last year visited this town of about 350 residents in the southwest corner of Utah. "That kind of interest is going to have a big impact on a small town,” said David Ence, the town's administrative officer. But with no grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations or shops in the community, the only money consistently flowing into town from the influx of people is from a $10-a-car parking lot. “We try to keep everyone happy by providing a place to park and the residents happy with all the people walking up and down the street," Ence also said. The mouth of the slot canyon is on private property, and the owner is considering selling the land to the federal Bureau of Land Management. If BLM buys the land, the agency could build new recreational facilities, like a picnic area and campground. [The Salt Lake Tribune]
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
REAL ESTATE | It may soon get more expensive to own an empty or abandoned building in Anchorage. Mayor Ethan Berkowitz is planning to propose an ordinance that would track the city’s problematic properties and require owners of these buildings to pay fees starting at $100 a year, in addition to boarding windows and doors and ensuring that these structures don’t fall further into disrepair. The fee for these owners in Anchorage, however, pales in comparison to what other cities who have enacted these measures charge. In Minneapolis, the city now charges owners of empty buildings or homes nearly $7,000 a year. [Alaska Dispatch News]
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY
POLITICAL COMEDY | The top Republican in the Garden State’s Assembly will be traveling to Cleveland for the GOP’s upcoming national convention. Jon Bramnick won’t just be representing his state’s Republicans at the event, he’ll also get the chance to hone his stand-up comedy routine. Bramnick—who has been performing comedy in venues across New Jersey for three decades—is scheduled to tell jokes at a steakhouse in Beachwood, Ohio. Given the timing and location of his comedy event, Bramnick has hinted that electoral politics may be incorporated into his stand-up. “I’ve actually done imitations of Donald Trump,” says Bramnick. However, the assemblyman doesn’t appear to find political issues particularly funny, saying “the state of politics today to me is disgusting.” [myCentralJersey.com]
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