Assembly votes on gun range ordinance reconsideration

PALMER — When Mat-Su Borough Assembly Ordinance 20-025 passed to establish standards for commercial, educational and nonprofit shooting facilities, Assemblyman George McKee voted against it. This was astonishing to many after his ardent opposition to the ordinance over it’s nearly year-long history being debated by the assembly. On Tuesday, McKee made a motion to reconsider the vote for OR 20-025, which passed. After a lengthy public comment period on the ordinance that began in January and occurred at meetings in February and November, more members of the public arose to voice their opinions to the assembly on Tuesday about McKee’s proposed reconsideration.

“I’m asking you guys to reconsider the gun ordinance. It’s kind of amazing to me that you guys passed it in the first place. I mean to me, I’m astounded by that because you guys are all representatives of us. You forgot you represent us so everytime we speak you’re supposed to reflect that and up here. It kind of upsets me that it just passed because as we said, 500 people showed up in your parking lot. We’ve told you. The people of the Valley have told you. Our voice has been heard and I don’t think you heard it,” said Amber Sanchez.

While the majority of those who spoke at each meeting on OR 20-025 were in opposition of the proposed changes, many residents of the Fishhook area were in favor. In 2019 a measure passed the Fishhook Community Council that spurred the Borough ordinance.

Mark Troutman, who owns a farm in the Fishhook area and has repeatedly appeared before the assembly to play an audio recording of rapid, loud gunshots from within 600 feet of his home.

“It’s not sighting in a gun, that’s just burning up ammunition,” said Troutman. “The Fishhook Community Council, they passed it. They passed the resolution to bring this ordinance to the Borough Assembly so it wasn’t just one person. There were a lot of us out there. I mean this area is really growing. For somebody to just come into an area not even talk to their neighbors and just all of a sudden this starts happening, that’s ridiculous. There needs to be some control.”

As he was leaving the podium, Mayor Vern Halter asked Troutman, an Alaska resident for over 60 years, if he ever used firearms.

“Have I ever fired guns? I’m a retired state trooper,” said Troutman.

When 20-026 originally passed on Nov. 17, Assemblymen Jesse Sumner and then Assemblyman Ted Leonard voted against while Tam Boeve, Tim Hale, Stephanie Nowers and then Deputy Mayor Dan Mayfield and McKee voted in favor. Since that meeting, Leonard and Mayfield no longer serve on the Assembly and have been replaced by Assemblymen Rob Yundt II and Mokie Tew. McKee’s vote for reconsideration passed 4-3 with McKee, Sumner, Tew and Yundt voting in favor and Boeve, Hale and Nowers in opposition.

“This unusual vote does not go unnoticed by me. You know the recent election results and confirmation timings of the assembly seats may have persuaded Mr. McKee to be mindful of that somewhat. I’ve always viewed Assembly member McKee as a straight talker and I’ve witnessed his votes many times, many times single no votes and I truly respect him for that. Seeing opportunity however is hard to deny in this instance,” said Halter. “It is my preference that Assembly members vote their conscience at the time the clerk calls for the vote and that was at the Assembly meeting on Nov. 17, 2020.Voting yes to gain reconsideration does not appeal to me. I therefore, with all due respect and humility Assembly member McKee, veto this reconsideration.”

Almost immediately after Halter issued his veto, McKee then made a motion to override the veto. Before the vote to override Halter’s veto, Sumner questioned the ability of Halter’s veto on an ordinance that was not yet in effect.

“State law is clear and it’s the same in the borough code. It clearly gives the Mayor the power to veto a motion as long as something else hasn’t cut it off such as consideration of the issue,” said Borough Attorney Nick Spropolous.

As soon as McKee’s motion to override Halter’s veto was made, McKee then called the question on the motion, ending debate and going straight to the vote. To override Halter’s veto, McKee would’ve needed five votes, but the vote to override failed 4-3 with Boeve, Hale and Nowers opposed.

“We heard from people on both sides. Things I didn’t want to have happen is existing ranges to be infringed on or to prevent good ranges from going in. This is fairly minimal stuff, the 90 db comes from NRA the 1,000 feet from a habitable structure is less than what Fairbanks put in,” said Nowers. “I hope that rather than battle this out any further we can work together to put pressure on DNR to get Jonesville coming through because we all agree we need gun ranges and what’s holding them back hasn’t’ really been us, it’s been the financials.”

Halter stated during comments his immense amount of respect for McKee and the need for more gun ranges in the Valley. McKee not only disagreed with the shooting range ordinance, but the cost of building a new Houston Middle School during his comments.

“Actually Mayor, I wasn’t being duplicitous. Under the parliamentary rules that we go by, I must vote yes on it order to file reconsideration so every person who in fact files a motion for reconsideration by the standard that’s being applied to me is duplicitous,” said McKee. “I think we overdid it, which is why I voted for reconsideration.”

After a public comment period that stretched nearly a year and saw many repeat commenters, Tam Boeve addressed the way she voted on 20-025.

“I know that the group that was sitting here tonight, the majority was opposed to shooting range legislation. However, a majority of the people who contacted me, an overwhelming number of the people who contacted me felt like this legislation was very reasonable and necessary,” said Boeve. “I feel like my vote did represent the people.”