Assembly continues to plod through budget

PALMER — In the months-long process as the Mat-Su Borough figures out how to spend its money next year, we’re in what could probably be described as the “haggling phase.”

As of Friday, the so-called area-wide mill rate — essentially the base property tax before more is added for things like road and fire service areas and non-area-wide taxes — stands at 9.878 mills, or $9.878 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value.

Over the course of two weeks and multiple meetings, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly has considered 32 changes to the budget that manager John Moosey presented at the end of April.

Among them, according to borough press releases prepared by spokeswoman Patty Sullivan:

• Assemblyman Ron Arvin cut $640,000 from the budget and another $398,500 specifically from the Finance Department budget.

• Arvin amended the budget to add in the 3 percent increase in funding the school district had asked for, bumping the borough’s contribution to schools up to $51.2 million. He said he planned to use an increase in the borough’s tax on tobacco as a stable source of funding for education and health and social issues.

• Arvin also freed up $200,000 to hand over to the city of Wasilla. The money would pay for planning in the city, but with the money it saves the city hopes to restart its Sexual Assault Response Team.

• Assemblyman Vern Halter cut other budgets to find $70,000 for an outdoor toilet system for the Meadow Lakes Community Parks Complex.

• Halter also added a pair of new positions to emergency services in his district — a mechanic for the West Lakes Fire Department and a full-time chief to oversee both the Willow and Caswell departments.

• Assemblyman Steve Colligan bumped up the surcharge on phone bills for 911 service from 75 cents to $1. That increased revenue by $300,000, which he dedicated to providing more data for emergency dispatchers and hopefully improve response times.

• Assemblyman Warren Keogh said he wants to make cuts to what the assembly is allowed to spend for its own operations as a way to bring it in line with cuts elsewhere. He cut $2,520 for telephone expenses, but wasn’t able to pass a cut to the travel budget.

• Keogh also passed a $10,000 cut to the money the assembly keeps in reserve.

• Keogh added three-fourths of a full-time position for a secretary for the information technology department.

The assembly is also working on a few amendments. Assemblyman Darcie Salmon wants to fund an Emergency Management Programs Coordinator position and a $70,000 study of demographics related to the Knik Arm Crossing.

Keogh is hoping to get $150,000 to retrofit the old Sutton Library into an ambulance station.

The assembly is next due to discuss its budget Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Mat-Su Borough School District administration building, with future meetings planned if the budget isn’t done at the end of that meeting.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.