Annexation would double Wasilla’s footprint

WASILLA — In a borough the size of West Virginia, the city of Wasilla is looking to increase its foothold.

On Monday, the city council asked the planning department to begin preparing an annexation petition to present to the state’s Local Boundary Commission. The planning department will now review the land as directed by the council and present a finalized petition to the council later this month.

Presented with potential areas to include in the petition, the council choose the option that included the sum of the areas and more. The total land under review is over 17 square miles, an area that would more than double the size of Wasilla in both property and people.

The land under review surrounds the existing city on all sides. It includes the area north to Seldon Road and east past Seward Meridian Parkway. It includes the land south of the city, including much of the Fairview Loop area, and west to Foothills Boulevard north of Knik Goose Bay Road and Church Road south of Seldon.

The city was already looking at areas to annex, said deputy administrator Marvin Yoder, but officials were presented with the expanded options in response to requests from property owners outside the city. More and more people are looking at the city its increased services, he said.

“The main benefit is more police patrols. We have 20 officers in the city for a population of 7,000. We have a better response time and more regular patrols than the (Alaska State) Troopers,” Yoder said.

Because the city uses sales tax revenue to pay for road maintenance, there are lower property taxes inside city limits, Yoder said. He said residents can form local improvement districts to connect to city water and sewer without charging the existing residents with higher taxes.

According to the information provided to the council, the population density of Wasilla is roughly 525 people per mile. Using this number, the population of the city will jump to more than 16,000 if all the land currently being looked at is included.

Doubling the city’s population overnight will present more opportunities than challenges, Yoder said. This means a increased revenue sharing from the state and getting more people involved in city government, Yoder said.

The city will have to increase its staff to handle the added population, Yoder said, but the added sales tax revenue should more than make up the new cost. Water, sewer and roads will depend on the communities and their willingness to pay for their own projects though local improvement districts, he said.

“The impact on the rest of the citizens is not going to be much,” Yoder said. “We don’t see any new big revenue changes.”

Changes in services and taxes are exactly what the Matanuska-Susitna Borough looks at when it reviews petitions for annexation, Borough Manager John Duffy said. While the borough cannot stop a petition, it does offer its recommendation to the Local Boundary Commission. In giving its recommendation, the borough looks for a duplication of services and tax increases caused by the potential annexation, Duffy said. The reason for annexation is also called into question, he said.

“Increasing your boundaries doesn’t necessarily mean you are growing economically,” Duffy said. “We’re not opposed to it, but what’s the reason for annexation? Does it make good sense for all the residents of the borough?”

For Wasilla’s potential annexation to be successful, it will have to make more sense to more people than Palmer’s plans to expand in 2007. Facing large public opposition, the Palmer City Council voted to table all discussions of annexation until a annexation strategy plan was created, said Sandra Garley, the director of community development for the city. She is currently working with a consulting firm to identify what is beneficial to annex and what is the best way to go about it without looking at specific areas, Garley said.

“We would like to make sure we would have all the information ready for people so they are more comfortable with what they are seeing,” Garley said.

The draft of the plan should be ready in November, she said.

Back in Wasilla, Mayor Verne Rupright is hopeful about the process. There has been a change in attitude toward annexation in the last five years, he said. People shop in Wasilla and pay the sales tax, and now they want the direct benefits that money goes toward. Businesses want the road services, and people want the police coverage, he said.

“If you live outside the city, call a trooper and good luck. Wasilla police is there in six minutes or less,” Rupright said.

With continued expansion south toward Settler’s Bay, Wasilla could easily become the third largest city in the state, he said.

“That would put us higher on the food chain for state funding. That means bringing the funding for the services into this core area,” Rupright said.

The city’s planning department will present its survey of the proposed areas to the city council at one of its October meetings. The council will finalize the map for the petition sent to the Local Boundary Commission. The commission will then review the document and hold public hearings for the residents of the affected areas.

“We would like to give the petition to the commission by the end of this year,” Yoder said. “It will take them six to nine months to do their review.”

There are seven methods to make the final determination of annexation. Wasilla is currently looking at two, Yoder said. The first would send the petition — with the Local Boundary Commission’s approval — to the state legislature for the final decision. The second would subject the petition to a vote by the residents of Wasilla and the area up for annexation. A simple majority would increase the city’s boundaries.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.