WASILLA — Wasilla City Council has approved an initial plan to provide the funds to cover a shortfall at the city library and costs associated with a recent settlement of an eminent domain case. The plan includes postponing some less-important fiscal year 2008 capital improvement projects and using balances left over from 2007 projects.

Mayor Dianne M. Keller said the city will trim programs and projects as painlessly as possible.

“These programs are options that the administration has identified that will have the least negative impact to the city,” Keller said. The funding shortfall at the Wasilla Public Library follows a 20-percent reduction of a Mat-Su Borough block grant that provides a portion of library funding for the Wasilla and Palmer libraries, the city reports. With the reduction, Wasilla was left with a $72,000 shortfall in its library budget.

Originally, both Wasilla and Palmer councils considered implementing a $20 library card fee for patrons living outside city boundaries. The idea was funds generated from the card fees could offset some, or possibly all, of the shortfall. Despite an initial push, the fees were voted down by both councils.

Along with the library shortfall, Wasilla is moving money to pay attorney fees associated with an eminent domain case — a case that settles a dispute over the land where the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex is located. The city is responsible for paying about $300,000 of former landowner Gary Lungren’s attorney fees.

With about $372,000 needed, the council targeted 11 capital improvement projects and their combined $402,596 in expected expenses. Projects selected for postponement include updating the city Web site, implementing an annexation study and a comprehensive plan update.

Funds reserved for the city Web site make up the biggest portion of the $402,596, with $117,757 in available funds, said Archie Giddings, public works director for the City of Wasilla.

“After consulting with the finance department, they were slowly building some money up to work on the Web site, but given the state of the budget, it makes a big impact here and we can use this money now and plan for Web site upgrades in the future,” he said.

Discussion of funding and shortfalls led to talk about a proposed community survey that could cost $13,231. Council members and city administration voiced mixed feelings about the survey during a Monday city council meeting.

Originally, the city initiated a community survey in 2005 when it mailed 3,205 survey packets to businesses and residents, the city reports. Overall, 576 surveys were returned to Dittman Research Corporation — a response rate of 18 percent.

Mayor Keller said she is in favor of taking another survey because it provides feedback from area residents.

“This is one valuable way to hear back from the community [and provide] a true rating in their opinion without asking a leading question,” Keller said. “So I think this a very valuable tool.”

Although some residents attend council meetings to voice opinions about city operations, a wide range of community input isn’t usually available, Keller said. The survey would provide feedback that has proved valuable in the past.

Keller pointed to the park ranger program — a program started after the 2005 survey results showed a need for increased public safety in local parks.

“Nobody ever came to a single meeting and said ‘I don’t feel safe in the parks,’” the mayor said. “That was something that came solely out of that anonymous response from the community and now we have a park ranger program that has been in place for two years.”

Deputy Mayor Kristofer Larson said he believes the survey is valuable, but there are more important priorities that should take precedence now.

“I think there are a few things that are a little more time critical,” Larson said, adding that library funding and attorney fees should be top priority. “Here’s the story; if we can get this funded along with everything else I want to do it. If we’re going to be playing this game again and trying to cut funding, I would like this to be the first thing cut, but only until next fiscal year.”

Council member Steve Menard said he doesn’t believe the original survey was extremely useful. In fact, many of the questions led residents to common-sense responses.

“The responses weren’t, let’s say, earth-shattering, to find out people are more scared in a park at dark than they are during the day,” Menard said.

In addition to the survey evoking common-sense responses, Menard said he doesn’t expect a new survey to accomplish what the city is looking for. Although the purpose taking another survey would be to compare how responses have changed or stayed the same, providing useful information would require the same people to respond.

Overall, Menard said he believes spending $13,000 on a survey isn’t the best move when money is tight.

“Trust me, the city’s not going to implode because we don’t have a Dittman survey,” Menard said.

Contact Chris Gillow at chris.gillow@frontiersman.com or 352-2284.