Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan said Friday he will not veto a new law allowing residents to set off fireworks for three and a half hours on New Year's Eve.
On Wednesday, a day after the city Assembly approved the new law, Sullivan said that he was thinking of vetoing it because fireworks come with risks, and they disturb some people and pets.
But after making up a pros and cons list, he decided that because the fireworks law expires automatically in two years, it's worth giving a try, said Sullivan spokeswoman Sarah Erkmann.
Separately, the mayor said he will veto $85,000 approved by the Anchorage Assembly in the $435 million 2011 city budget Tuesday. The money was for an East Anchorage neighborhood plan.
At the same time, Sullivan said he will leave in place an Assembly decision to restore $250,000 in services to next year's People Mover bus system budget -- another item he was considering for a full or partial veto.
Under the new fireworks law, people can shoot fireworks between 9:30 p.m. New Year's Eve and 1 a.m. New Year's Day, and there are some restrictions on where.
Though the law expires in two years, Sullivan said if it becomes evident after this New Year's Eve that the law is a bad idea, he'll try to get rid of it sooner, said Erkmann. "So really it's like a one-year probationary period."
"If it was Fourth of July it would be out of the question" because of fire risks, said Erkmann.
She said dozens of people called the mayor's office to lobby on each side of the issue. The callers made comments ranging from "all hell will break loose," to fireworks scare my horses, to the government should give us a few hours of personal liberty, she said.
The fireworks law was sponsored by Assembly chairman Dick Traini, who represents the central part of Anchorage, from Chester Creek south to Dimond and Abbott roads.
"The argument is everybody uses fireworks illegally," said Traini. "Now they can use them legally. Let's hope they're safe. And that the parents teach their kids how to use them safely."
Fireworks may also be set off in the Mat-Su Borough on New Year's Eve. The borough Assembly voted to make them legal this year after Wasilla decided in 2007 to permit fireworks New Year's Eve, and Palmer legalized them in 2009. Fireworks are legal year-round in the city of Houston, except when the fire chief says fire danger is too high.
Mike Gutierrez sponsored the East Anchorage planning money and said he thinks the mayor vetoed it because they don't get along. "If it was for South Anchorage or Eagle River, it's such a tiny amount of money I think it would stay in the budget," Gutierrez said.
East Anchorage community councils are already starting to work on a development and land-use plan, and they have a legislative appropriation to help with it, he said. "This was the last opportunity for the municipality to be relevant to the plan," he said.
Sullivan did not say Friday why he intends to veto it. The actual veto is coming Monday, Erkmann said.
Earlier in the week, Sullivan said the East planning money was like an earmark for a particular part of town.
Traini said the vetoed item will be brought up at Tuesday's Assembly meeting to see if the Assembly wants to override the veto. It takes eight votes on the 11-member Assembly to override. The east-side planning money passed 6-5.
The $250,000 in People Mover money that escaped veto will allow the bus system to maintain its service at close to this year's level. It prevents a cut of some early morning and late night runs and some rush-hour bus runs. One route, 45G to Mountain View, still will be eliminated.
Assemblyman Patrick Flynn, who represents downtown and fought to keep the runs, said, "That's good news. I'm pleased," when he heard about the mayor's decision.
Find Rosemary Shinohara online at adn.com/contact/rshinohara or call 257-4340.
By ROSEMARY SHINOHARA
rshinohara@adn.com