Gravel extraction tax is back before borough assembly; kennel license review board also proposed

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly is considering once again a tax on gravel extracted from mining sites in the borough.

At its Tuesday, May 5 meeting the assembly scheduled a proposal for a 25-cents-per-ton tax for a public hearing at its June 16 meeting. The tax would be applied to gravel and sand but not coal.

Another proposal, for a borough advisory board to review standards for kennel licensing and standards, is set for a public hearing at the assembly’s May 19 meeting. The advisory board plan is another reaction to the recent widely-publicized case of animal abuse, where several sled dogs were starved due to neglect. Criminal charges have been filed against the owner of the animals. Assembly members Maxwell Sumner, Dimitri Fonov and Ron Bernier are sponsors of the proposal.

The gravel tax, which has been considered previously, shows continued concern over gravel pits operating in the borough. Assembly member Stephanie Nowers is sponsor of the proposed tax. At the May 5 assembly meeting there were strong concerns voiced in the public participation part of the meeting over the effects of mining on property owners.

Water levels have been rising in lakes near where gravel is being extracted and water is now encroaching on nearby properties and submerging portions of land tracts. The rise is too rapid and sustained over time to be explained by natural causes, property owners told the assembly.

A request has been made for the borough by property owners to hire a hydrologist to determine the causes of the rise in waters, but to some of the owners the answer is in poorly-managed gravel mining that have broken through underground acquifers, releasing large volumes of water. John and Crystal Butcher, owners of the Kepler Park campground, told the assembly that rising lake water levels have submerged boat launch and other recreation facilities to the point that their camp and recreation services business will not be able to open this year.

A resolution was approved by the assembly Tuesday to issue a Request for Proposals for a hydrology study. Two assembly members voted against it, however. They were Dimitri Foniov and Maxwell Sumner.

Other parts of the meeting on Tuesday dealt with routine administrative matters and information to the assembly on actions taken by the borough administration, for example an application for a state Department of Fish and Game grant for a hunter access program to the phase one Jonesville public use area. The assembly also accepted a $250,000 grant from the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation for surveys on the Government Peak Recreation Area Traverse Trail and Skeetawk summer trails.

An appropriation of $125,000 from the borough planning department budget was also approved for the Port MacKenzie Master Plan update. A proposal was approved to reallocate funds from Settlers Bay Drive pavement restoration to Burma Road safety improvements. Another proposal was approved to reallocate money from West Swan Lake and South Rainbow Street improvements to Herkimer Drive and Spring Drive improvements. The projects are in the Meadow Lakes Road Service Area.

Among public works projects, Granite Construction Co. was awarded a $4.5 million contract for safety improvements at Shaw Elementary School and phase one of the Foxtrot road extension project. Northern Asphalt Construction Inc. was awarded a contract for $292,352 for improvements on East Knik View Drive and South Knik Circle Streets. Clearwater Mechanical LLC was awarded a contract for $123,441 for Colony Middle School boiler pump upgrades.

On the Wolf and Hart lakes drainage and improvements project the assembly added $229,350 to a contract with PND Engineers Inc. and extended the contract to December, 2028. A contract with Alaska Industries Inc. for surface treatment and replacement of rubber flooring at the Brett Ice Rink was amended to add $42,000.

Four information technology contracts were renewed by the assembly. They include contracts with Tyler Technologies for the borough’s tax assessment software; with Crayon Software Experts LLC under the borough’s Microsoft Enterprise Agreement and with Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. for renewal of the borough’s Geographic Information System software services. A contract with Palo Alto Software and Hardware and World Wide Technology Inc. was also renewed.