‘No’ on Prop. 1; Borough question is scary on too many levels

In nine days Mat-Su Valley voters will be punching their ballots and electing new school board members, Borough assembly members and city council representatives.

They’ll also be making one of the largest land-use decisions in the history of the Mat-Su Borough by deciding the fate of Prop. 1, the Private Property Protection Act. Many well-meaning voters, we fear, will be hoodwinked by Prop. 1’s title as a move to protect private property rights. In effect, Prop. 1 not only puts a stranglehold on what an individual will be able to do with his or her property in the future, it would serve to cap property use for whatever is allowed today.

Basically, Prop. 1 says the Borough or municipalities would be financially responsible for any new land use decision made by the Borough or a municipality that negatively impacts the value of any other property. While the “you break it, you buy it” philosophy works in the china shop, it doesn’t fly when applied to government.

What’s scary about Prop. 1 isn’t what sponsors Penny Nixon and Dennis Oakland continue to profess is the “intent” of the measure, it is what the ballot question does not say.

Prop. 1 calls for “just compensation” be paid to damaged property owners within 180 days of receiving a written demand. Who decides what is just and what may be exaggerated? By what standard does one determine between actual loss and perceived loss? Prop. 1 doesn’t say.

It’s also ambiguous about how standards of relief are to be applied. As proposed, Prop. 1 leaves this open to individual interpretation. You think you’re harmed, so bill the Borough.

Private property rights are important and should be protected, but there are times when the good of the community must be weighed against what’s good for one person or landowner. Nobody wants a gravel mine next door; however, if our elected representatives aren’t allowed to locate a gravel mine anywhere, important works that benefit us all cannot be accomplished.

See Prop. 1 for what it really is — an unreasonable and radical tool pushing an anti-growth agenda. Prop. 1 doesn’t want to protect anything, it’s designed to cap Borough and municipal progress.

Vote “no” on Mat-Su Borough Prop. 1.