Borough assembly ponders special election

School bonds, rejected in October, to go before voters a second time - at a higher price

January 13, 2006

DARRELL L. BREESE\Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Mat-Su Borough voters rejected a pair of school bond packages during the October election, but members of the borough assembly appear poised to put the issue before voters again in a special election on April 25.

Assembly member Cindy Bettine, who represents the Knik-Goose Bay area, which would have benefited from one of the failed bond measures, was eager to renew the discussion during Tuesday's assembly work session and get a special election set for a $39.7 million bond package requested by the Mat-Su School District.

The bond package would pay for the construction of an elementary school on property in Settlers Bay recently donated by developer Chuck Spinelli and a new elementary school in the Trunk Road area. It would also finish renovation projects on Wasilla High School and Wasilla Middle School.

But not everyone on the assembly agreed with Bettine's sense of urgency.

Mayor Tim Anderson and assembly member Jim Colver questioned going back to the voters with the same bonds so soon after the October election.

&#8220I'm concerned with how quickly we are doing this,” Anderson said. &#8220We need to remember that no matter how the voters voted, whether you agree with them or not, the voters are always right.”

Anderson also pointed out that if there should be a special election, it will be held shortly after tax assessments are distributed to property owners.

&#8220I fear a backlash from the taxpayers,” Anderson said. &#8220You see it in people's eyes, ‘My taxes are already too high,' It's going to be hard to go out and convince them to approve another increase.”

Tammy Clayton, borough finance director, calculated that if approved, the bond would result in an increase of $34 to the tax bill for a home valued at $200,000.

&#8220That may not sound like a lot,” Anderson cautioned, &#8220but for some people, that is a difficult pill to swallow.”

The bond request to construct each of the elementary schools is $17 million, up from $13 million during the last election. Colver was concerned that convincing the voters to approve the bonds at a higher rate might also be difficult.

&#8220If we put these before the voters, we will have to work to educate them why the cost went up $4 million in the last four months,” Colver said. &#8220That is a large hurdle we have to overcome to convince the voters.”

Mat-Su Borough School District Chief Administrator Bob Doyle said the difference is due mainly to two factors: rising construction costs and a new formula for estimating school construction costs used by the state Department of Education.

Bettine understood the concerns of Colver and Anderson, but stressed a greater concern for the kids who are being crowded into Goose Bay Elementary School.

&#8220The school is 200 students over capacity right now,” Bettine said, &#8220and the Knik-Goose Bay area is one of the fastest-growing regions in the borough. To ignore that is a disservice to the children and parents who live in the area. The same can be said for the Palmer-area elementary.”

Other assembly members echoed her position.

&#8220It is our responsibility to provide a certain quality of education,” assembly member Bill Allen said. &#8220It's really a no-brainer for us to move forward with these bonds.”

Doyle indicated, in a memo to the assembly, that more than 500 parents have pledged their support for the new bonds. And at a recent school board meeting, parents in the district's parent-teacher associations delivered petitions asking for another chance to vote on the school bonds.

Bettine presented the assembly with a draft ordinance calling for a special election during the work session. It is scheduled for introduction at the Jan. 10 regular meeting and will be open for public hearing during the Feb. 7 meeting.

The assembly members also discussed the cost of holding a special election and how it would be paid for.

Borough Clerk Michelle McGehee estimated it will cost $83,300 to hold an election in April, and the money is not part of the current budget.

&#8220We'd have to find some way to pay for an election,” Borough Manager John Duffy said. &#8220As it stands now, there is nothing in the budget for a special election.”

Bettine read a statement from Doyle that indicated the school district would be willing to pay half the cost, if the borough could come up with the other half.

&#8220We have approximately $40,000 in reserves that we could use,” Clayton said. &#8220But I believe we can find some surplus funds in other departments to make up half the amount needed to pay for the election.”

Another hurdle for the proposed bond issue is that the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development has yet to approve the 70-30 reimbursement program for the bonds.

&#8220I think we're moving too fast,” Anderson said. &#8220When we move too fast we make mistakes and run into problems. We need to be careful with this one, because if voters don't approve it, it could be a long time before we could ask for another school bond package.”

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or darrell.breese@

frontiersman.com.