Mat-Su Borough Assembly averts July shut-down

May 26, 2006

By DARRELL L. BREESE

Frontiersman

PALMER - Mat-Su Borough Mayor Tim Anderson kept his pledge to find a way to keep schools open during the month of July for community use after the borough assembly approved an amendment Tuesday to the operating budget for the coming year of $150,000.

School district officials announced they would close schools and offices during July as a money-saving maneuver.

That meant churches, sports teams, and youth camps, which normally use the facilities, would be locked out during the month.

Anderson pledged to find a way to keep the facilities open.

&#8220Groups such as youth soccer teams were being locked out,” Anderson said. &#8220They and other groups count on having use of school facilities during the month. I wanted to make sure that they weren't impacted by the closures.”

Initially, Anderson requested that deputy mayor Jim Colver introduce an amendment to the budget that would set aside $400,000 from the schools budget in a reserve account, but he changed that after taking a closer look at the groups scheduled to use the schools in July.

&#8220I realized that not all the schools needed to be opened,” Anderson said. &#8220In fact, most schools are unused during the month and can remain closed.”

At the behest of the mayor, Colver requested the total be reduced to $150,000.

When questions arose about the borough's ability to legally open schools, Anderson pointed to the borough's operation of community schools programs, which led assembly member Cindy Bettine to suggest the funds be set aside as a community-schools reserve fund to avoid any conflicts.

&#8220If we simply use logic, making this a community-schools program makes sense,” Bettine said. &#8220The school district asked the borough to take over the program a couple years ago, so it is obvious they don't wish to manage it and agree to us running the program. That would avoid any possible conflicts with the district.”

Palmer assembly member Talis Colberg was troubled with taking the funds from the school district budget to fund the program.

&#8220If the intent is to keep school buildings open for community organizations, why are we taking money from the education budget?” Colberg asked. &#8220Shouldn't the funds come from a borough reserve account or another source?”

Assembly member Bill Allen called it rubbing salt in the wound to use the education fund to pay for the program.

Anderson responded that the school district historically has provided the service to justify the taking of education funds.

The funds will be used to hire a temporary employees to keep the needed facilities open in July and to pay for costs related to those uses not covered by the normal rental fees.

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