Anti-meth legislation, tax cap, school bonds on agenda

08/02/05

DARRELL L. BREESE/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - The Mat-Su Borough Assembly has a lot on tap for tonight's meeting.

Among other things, assembly members will consider establishing a mill-rate tax cap, an ordinance designed to reduce the production of methamphetamines and approval of school bonds for voters to consider in October.

Despite a full agenda, the assembly has to address the anti-meth and school bond issues Tuesday, as it is the last public meeting it has scheduled in order to meet the deadline to get the measures on the ballot for the election in October.

Anti-meth legislation

Assembly Member Jim Colver wants the assembly to pass a pair of ordinances that, if passed, would limit access to the key ingredients needed for methamphetamine - ephedrine or pseudoephedrine - which are cooked down in various chemicals to produce the street drug.

The first of the ordinances would place before voters the question of granting the borough health powers to specifically limit the sale of ingredients used in the manufacturing of meth.

If voters approve the powers, then the second ordinance, if approved, would relegate the sale of over-the-counter products containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine to a class of over-the-counter medications that must be dispensed from behind the counter or kept in a locked case.

A common ingredient in cold medicine, ephedrine is available over the counter, and some local stores and pharmacies already have been keeping an eye on how much of the drug people are buying.

Individuals purchasing more than three packages of the medication would, if the measure is approved, be required to sign a registration log and show identification before making a purchase.

State legislators attempted to address the issue during their last session, introducing House Bill 141 and Senate Bill 106. Both bills died in committee.

Colver said the borough could not afford to wait for the state to take action, adding that the number of meth-related labs busted by law enforcement in the Valley has increased more than 200 percent in the last year.

School bonds

The Assembly, at its meeting, will also consider placing before voters a pair of school bonds totaling $40.5 million for the construction of three new elementary schools, in an effort to keep pace with rapid growth.

The first bond, for $12.7 million, would be used for the design and construction of the Knik-Goose Bay area elementary school. If passed, the state has agreed to repay 70 percent of the bond.

A $27.87-million bond package will pay for construction and design of two elementary schools, one in the South Palmer area and the other in the South Trunk Road area. The state has committed to repay 60 percent of the bond for these schools.

Property tax cap

The assembly is set to discuss a tax-cap ordinance that appears poised to nullify the measure that the Mat-Su Taxpayers Association introduced and was slated to appear on the October ballot.

The assembly version calls for the borough to create a tax cap for property owners, but includes an exception for service-area taxes approved by residents.

Borough Attorney Teresa Williams indicated that without an exception for the service areas, the borough would be forced to calculate service area taxes toward the overall tax cap. If that occurred, the borough could face a serious financial crisis, she concluded.

Penny Nixon, the driving force behind the Mat-Su Taxpayers Association, contends that the introduction of the assembly version was simply to get the voter initiative off the ballot. He said the voter initiative also included the exception for service areas, just not in the same language proposed by the assembly.

Both tax-cap proposals would guarantee that, if approved, property taxes would usually not increase by more than 3 percent annually.

Other items set for public hearing:

€ Modification-to-lease agreement with Alutiiq Manufacturing Contractors at Port MacKenzie.

€ Alaska Department of Homeland Security funds for surveillance, warning and intrusion-control equipment.

€ Sale of property acquired through tax foreclosure from the years 1997- 2001.

€ Allocation of $2.5 million in state funds for construction of a gymnasium at Academy Charter School.

Consent agenda:

€ A $10.6-million contract to Janssen Contracting Co. for the construction of the nutrition services facility.

€ Contract with Wilder Construction, not to exceed $584,325, for design and construction of the Matanuska River Spur Dike No. 5.

€ A $149, 868 contract with Little Susitna Construction Co. for improvements to the ventilation system at Colony High School.

The public hearing portion of the meeting begins at 7 p.m. today in Assembly Chambers in Palmer.