$3,269 boon a responsibility

Three thousand, two hundred sixty-nine dollars. Not exactly an even number, but it has a nice ring to it, especially as it jangled like so many coins as it hit our bank accounts on Friday. (Those of you who don’t use direct deposit will just have to be patient.)

Many Alaskans have already spent some or all of their annual oil-revenue freebie with a $1,200 energy rebate tacked on. Others have it committed to past or upcoming expenditures.

And some Alaskans have found out that if you owe money to the state or a municipality in Alaska, that entity has first dibs on their PFDs.

It may seem a bit sneaky, garnishing PFD funds, but for entities that would otherwise not get their money, it is a way to recoup what’s owed from those who skip out on paying a public debt. For Palmer, which has its hand fully outstretched for the first time this dividend season, that could mean close to a half million dollars in recovered revenue.

Of course, the city doesn’t expect to recover all of what’s owed — mostly through unpaid traffic violations — but it, along with Wasilla, hopes to clear up some red ink from the city’s bottom line this dividend season. In some ways, the cities expect to have their own dividend windfalls through the garnishment.

Whether you’ve gotten your entire $3,269 or were obliged to pay some to the piper, those who are entitled to the PFD payout have choices to make about spending it.

We’ve wondered how Alaskans would spend their windfall. As we expected, some of the funds are going into high-priced “toys” and gadgets. Some folks are paying off bills. Some are setting aside their energy funds to fill the tank with fuel oil or buy a few cords of wood. But others, like the old tale of the ant and the grasshopper, are spending it all on recreation and pleasure, leaving the issues of fuel and heat to take care of themselves.

As Aesop tried to tell us in the sixth century B.C., winter will come. While fuel prices have dropped about 50 cents in the past few weeks, we can’t expect them to drop to 2007 levels. OPEC is trying to make sure that doesn’t happen. Fuel bills will be higher this winter.

If you haven’t blown your windfall, stop and consider how it can best meet your real needs.

When you spend it, spend it wisely and locally. If you make the decision on funds issued for children, do so with their best interests in mind.

It will be another whole year until we get another dividend, and it could be a long, cold one.