Incumbent mayor touts experience, commitment

Spectrum, by Tim Anderson

The need to spend the public's money wisely is fundamental to running a responsible local government. Allocating funds prudently will become even more important with looming federal deficits, the state's fiscal problems, and the reduction of state support for local governments. My years of work as an accountant in the private sector, as director of the Wasilla Senior Center, and as your borough mayor have provide me with a wealth of experience in finding the proper balance of providing needed services within limited financial resources. I learned a long time ago that there are no "short-cuts" or easy answers for ensuring the wise use of public monies; it takes hard work, a sharp pencil, and a comprehensive approach.

The first thing we need to do is to remember that we must work together -- nothing is more important than the team approach. We need to keep our local communities involved so that the services the borough provides are the ones that are most needed. We need to work closely with the private sector as well so that available resources help keep our existing businesses in business and help them to expand as the market allows. A growing economy expands the tax base and can help reduce the individual's burden. We have been very fortunate to have a great federal and state legislative delegation that has worked with us to provide continual funding for improvements in our borough.

Using our existing resources more effectively is equally important and believe me, there are always ways to improve. Concentrating on what is important promotes the wise use of limited dollars. Investing in our children's future through full funding of education is one of best uses of our tax dollars. That is why I have worked hard to fully fund education in each of the three borough budgets I have been involved with. Allocating funds to services that impact our families, such as emergency services, libraries, roads, and animal care, instead of embarking on speculative ideas is another way of ensuring wise use of our monies.

Just as importantly, making wiser decisions about how we use our money also means careful budgeting and taking the time to do financial forecasting. In each of the three years I've served as borough mayor, I have used my accounting background, my experience as a former city manager, and as current director of Wasilla Seniors to produce reasonable borough budgets, reducing the mill levy in two of the three budgets. Other methods of ensuring wise use include the development of performance measurements so that we can monitor expenditures and see what is being accomplished.

Is Port MacKenzie a good investment for the borough? I believe it is. First of all, the borough has put very little of borough tax dollars into the port and its related development. We have been very fortunate to have a great federal and state legislative delegation that has provided most of the funding for our port. For the past three years we have been building infrastructure at the port like road improvements, electricity, and phone service. The port will never succeed without this infrastructure. We have considerable interest from businesses wanting to locate at the port but they all need this infrastructure.

Will the port ever make money? Yes, but not immediately from dockage and wharfage fees. The first revenues will likely come from gravel sales. Since we must reduce the height of the gravel moraine near the dock in order to bring in the rail spur, selling gravel makes perfect sense. For example, supplying gravel for the Port of Anchorage expansion could result in about $16 million in new revenues to the borough. The Knik Arm Crossing could generate even more gravel related revenues. The long-term revenues will come from property taxes on improvements located at the port. Remember, a port does not happen overnight. It must be responsibly developed and we are still in the early stages of developing our port.

Another key requirement for our port is transportation links. To maximize the economic opportunities of our port we have to reduce the two-hour travel time from Anchorage to our port district. The borough will realize many business opportunities if we can do this. Alaska Air Taxi wants to develop a 200-plus slip float plane base in our port district, but to do so they want a short link to Anchorage where many of their customers live. VECO has stated more than once that they would like to construct natural gas modules at our port district but to do so they also want a short and convenient means of travel between Anchorage and our port. The Knik Arm Crossing would accomplish this need, but will not be completed for almost a decade. Should we defer our economic development and job creation plans until the bridge arrives? I don't think so. A ferry would provide the short, convenient, and dependable means of travel between Anchorage and Port MacKenzie. It will allow the borough to attract businesses to the port. So who pays for the ferry? Well to this day, federal funds have been used and we will continue to use federal dollars to construct the vessel. Operation and maintenance costs will require a mixture of federal transit assistance, operating fees, and probably some local support. The ferry is an investment that is needed to attract industrial and manufacturing businesses to our port.

Ensuring that we spend the public's money wisely is needed more than ever. We have fiscal challenges before us. Keeping up with our population and economic growth, providing excellent schools, good roads, and timely emergency services are just a few of the challenges our borough government faces. I've worked hard during the last three years to meet these demands, and working with the assembly, we have accomplished a lot. Making wise use of public funds takes hard work, a willingness to listen, and experience in developing and executing budgets. I've done this in the private and public sectors and with your help, I hope to continue to help make the borough a better place to live and work.

Tim Anderson is a the current Mat-Su Borough mayor, and is running for re-election on Oct. 7.