Borough budget would restructure public safety

MAT-SU -- The Mat-Su Borough Assembly will discuss the second portion of the manager-proposed 2003 borough budget at a work session at 6 o'clock tonight, after a special assembly meeting to address time-sensitive legislation.

The work session will include presentations on the budgets for the Mat-Su Borough School District and the borough community development, finance and planning departments. Assembly members will discuss the budget of the borough's departments of public safety and public works at a May 3 work session.

The budget proposed by Borough Manager John Duffy would lower the area-wide mill levy, bringing it from last year's mill rate of 13.133 down to 12.95, a reduction of approximately $24 to the average homeowner. According to information presented by Tammy Clayton, borough finance director, to the assembly at an April 23 budget work session, the average Valley resident owns a home assessed at approximately $130,000.

However, the mill levy could actually go a bit higher for residents who live outside the boundaries of the cities of Wasilla, Palmer and Houston. The borough has been hoping to obtain a grant, either from the U.S. Department of Education or the Environmental Protection Agency. If that grant does not come through, a .77-mill levy will be added to the area-wide mill levy to pay for the expansion of the landfill into a new cell. That would bring the mill levy for those outside the city limits to 13.72 -- .42 mills over last year's mill levy.

"Hopefully one of the agencies [will approve the grant] and we will notify you immediately," Duffy said.

If a grant is obtained, the nonarea-wide .77-mill levy will be dropped to .35 mills.

One of the most significant changes in the proposed budget is the reorganization of the borough's public safety department. The change would give each individual fire and emergency medical services station more autonomy, while cutting down on the number of people who answer directly to the public safety department head -- or, under the proposed title, the director of emergency services.

The changes are suggested in a report compiled recently by the Fire/EMS/Rescue study group, a group put together by Duffy in November. According to the report, the group's intent, at formation, was to review the present delivery of emergency response services and offer recommendations for improving efficiency and effectiveness.

"EMS is having difficulty responding in an adequate manner, in a timely manner," Duffy said. "So what we're attempting to do is put more [resources] to the responders."

The report shows that the borough's population growth has resulted in an increase in demand of emergency services, while the demand for fire services have decreased, apparently due to fire prevention programs, changes in building technology, the use of building codes by leading lending institutions and, perhaps most importantly, an expansion of natural gas service that has caused a decrease in the use of wood as a heating method.

Since 1995, the number of emergency medical service calls has risen from 3,063 to 4,133. The jump resulted in an increase in re-pages, or second calls for an ambulance, which lengthens response times to what could be critical incidents. The Wasilla Lakes department, for example, had 52 re-pages last December.

The reorganization attempts to address some of those concerns by adding ambulances and increasing volunteer hours. A third ambulance would be purchased for Wasilla, a second for the Big Lake/Meadow Lakes department, and a second for the Palmer department.

A volunteer coordinator would be added, at a cost of approximately $65,000, to help oversee the 400-some volunteers who make up the borough's EMS department. In addition to a coordinator, those volunteers would receive additional incentives such as a $20-a-month wellness fee that would help cover the cost of a gym membership, and a flexible retirement plan. Incentive programs, such as advertising in local media outlets, are also included in the budget to address the sinking numbers of volunteers.

Volunteer hours would be increased to provide more complete coverage, in many areas, for a 16-week period that will cover increased summer and holiday calls, and full volunteer coverage from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. year-round for the Central department, with additional coverage provided for Big Lake/Meadow Lakes, Butte, Palmer, Sutton, Willow/Houston and Talkeetna/Sunshine/Trapper Creek.

EMS and fire chiefs would be called on to make more of the decisions affecting their individual stations, Duffy said.

"One would think the chief out in the field would better know how to allocate the resources than someone sitting in Palmer," Duffy said.

More information about the borough budget will be provided in later editions. For a copy of the budget, contact the borough finance office at 745-9610.