Assembly passes road bond

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted 6-1 on Tuesday to approve a $61,135,000 bond package to the Borough voters on the November ballot. The lengthy discussion by the Assembly on the proposed road bond and accompanying resolution with a 1.5 % sales tax followed a lengthy public comment section. Ordinance 21-076 and 21-077 had two public comment periods, both of which were full of opposition from residents. On Tuesday, 24 people offered their comments to the Assembly. Nearly all were opposed to a sales tax, but in favor of improvement to roads. Numerous members of the public spoke about dangerous conditions on Point Mackenzie Road and West Lakes Boulevard. Houston Mayor Virgie Thompson, Wasilla Mayor Glenda Ledford and Palmer Mayor Edna DeVries all spoke against the sales tax, and many members of the public mentioned an incoming Federal infrastructure package.

“The benefit of getting this on the ballot, I mean you get one shot a year to get before the voters. The benefit of this package is it allows us to take it to the voters and for them to, if they elect to do so, give us permission to build roads on an areawide basis. I would use the last bond package in 2018, so once the voters approved that, we did not receive a state match so we worked and found ways to fund 4 different projects using Federal highway money through the DOT,” said Borough Manager Mike Brown. “It creates opportunities for us to do that. We would not have the ability to do that and find that Federal match money for those 4 projects if the voters hadn’t already approved a package, so I see the benefit is we do it now or we wait a year and talk about it again.”

The initial action from the Assembly was a unanimous vote to divide the question on 21-076 and 21-077, removing the road bond from the accompanying sales tax. Once split by a motion from Assemblywoman Stephanie Nowers, Assemblyman Rob Yundt moved to postpone the areawide sales tax ordinance 21-077 indefinitely, which also passed by a unanimous vote.

“Things have changed since we brought this forward. Since I was elected in November this is all I’ve heard about is roads from my constituents and I think we all agree that we need to create a plan moving forward that doesn’t include the state of Alaska right now. We didn’t plan when this started for this potential infrastructure package from the Feds. I want to give it a little bit more time to shake out and see where things fall,” said Yundt.

The initial price tag of the road bond package including 17 projects totaled $73,685,000. After much discussion about the type of repair required on West Lakes Boulevard, Assemblyman Mokie Tew moved to reduce the amount from $4.5 million to $2.5 million, which passed unanimously. Then Assemblyman George McKee moved to postpone the road bond package ordinance 21-076 indefinitely, which failed 6-1.

“There is in fact some question in my mind as to whether a fuel tax, whether you could increase the tax on the stoners, any one of a number of things, ok, that would get the money for you. So what we’re really saying here is if we go forward with this bond package we are doing it with the knowledge that we are probably going to be shoving this down the throat of the property tax folks and I think that’s what we’re really voting on here,” said McKee.

Motions to delete two more projects passed unanimously before Nowers moved to remove the Point Mackenzie road repairs, which failed 4-2 with Nowers and McKee voting in support.

“If we do get some money from the Feds towards some of this infrastructure, we can knock that off the top of whatever we’re spending. We can use that fed money for this bond issuance but we can’t spend the money unless we have projects to spend it on,” said Assemblyman Tim Hale.

Assembly members offered two more amendments to the Point Mackenzie Road total. Tew moved to reduce the project total from $10 million to $8 million, which passed unanimously. Assemblyman Jesse Sumner then moved to reduce the project total to $2 million, which failed 4-2.

“I listened to the testimony on Point Mack Road and West Lakes road and probably every road that’s in this bond package. The compelling argument, you know the Mat-Su Borough has just fallen behind in the repair and upkeep of their arterials and collectors,” said Borough Mayor Vern Halter. “That’s just what’s happened to us over the past years and the population is growing, the use is growing and I’m very hopeful of that Federal money coming in with the infrastructure money, but we’ll wait and see.”

Deputy Mayor Tam Boeve’s motion to reduce the Cheri Lake Drive total to $3.5 million passed unanimously, bringing the total of OR 21-076 to $61,135,000 for 15 separate projects. The only Assembly member to vote in opposition on the motion to pass 21-076 was McKee.