Old issues, new debate

April 20, 2007

By Russell Stigall

Frontiersman

WASILLA - For seniors looking for a tax break, or mayors looking for a pay raise or tourists looking for a Wasilla vacation, Monday's city council work session is the place to be.

Monday night, city council members will revisit three proposals they voted down in recent council meetings. The resolutions and memoranda were rejected with the idea that problems within could be hammered out in subsequent work sessions.

One of the rejected memoranda affects senior citizens and disabled veterans.

Council member Mark Ewing proposed an action memorandum that would have considered exempting seniors and disabled veterans from being taxed on groceries. The memorandum was rejected at the April 9 city council meeting.

The council voted 5-1 against the memorandum, with Ewing in favor.

Ewing's memorandum would have directed Wasilla city attorney Tom Klinkner to research the possibility of the tax exemption.

&#8220Some people say it can't be done, but I'm tired of ‘can't be done,'” Ewing said.

Other cities exempt grocery taxes, Ewing said.

&#8220And if Bethel and Kodiak can get away with it, Wasilla can, too,” Ewing said.

Ewing said he hopes some of the senior citizen and veteran constituents attend the meeting to enhance public awareness.

&#8220I don't think we should be making money off of seniors or off of disabled American vets,” Ewing said.

The work session will also feature a discussion on the proposed Wasilla visitors bureau.

A four-member council voted March 12 to reject a proposal from the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce to develop a $50,000 visitors bureau to promote tourism in Wasilla. Council members Mark Ewing and Marty Metiva were not in attendance.

During the city's bi-annual budget process the council set aside $50,000 for tourism, said council member Steve Menard during a recent phone interview. He said he believed at the time that the money would be given to the chamber.

&#8220I don't feel comfortable with the money going to the chamber,” Menard said.

City council member Marty Metiva, whose wife, Cheryl, is the chamber's executive director, introduced the idea of a visitors bureau during the initiative process in January.

&#8220We need tourism here,” he said. &#8220It is an industry that will leave a lot of money on the table.”

Metiva, who recused himself from the council's vote two weeks ago, said he felt the council's rejection of the chamber's proposal wasted time and money.

&#8220There are council hours in this, staff hours, you invite the private sector in and they put time and effort in. Everyone does their job and it comes back and is voted down,” Metiva said.

Metiva said he doesn't know what will happen to the proposal at Monday's meeting.

&#8220But I would hope that we would bring it back in some form,” Metiva said. &#8220I hope we follow Palmer's city council and mayor who saw the importance of partnering with the private sector and promoting the tourism business.”

Also up for grabs is how the council can step out from under the touchy subject of mayoral salary increases.

At the last council meeting, council member decided to hold Mayor Dianne Keller's annual salary to $73,246, plus at least $24,000 in benefits.

Council members voted 4-2 against giving Keller a $6,714 per year raise. Voting in favor were Greg Koskela and Ron Cox.

Koskela sponsored the resolution to raise the mayor's salary. He brought the idea before the city council during a work session earlier this year.

&#8220Everybody seemed to think it was a good idea at the time,” Koskela said.

Since then, some Wasilla voters commented on the appearance of council members, who might run for mayor, voting on a pay raise from which they may someday benefit.

City government watchdog Anne Kilkenny said she would rather the adjustment to the mayor's salary be non-political and based on the qualifications mayors bring to the job.

&#8220In private industry, many salaries depend on experience,” Kilkenny said. &#8220The city should do the same.”

After voting it down, the council recommended bringing the topic of the mayor's salary into a work session.

Council member Metiva said the council should codify the mayor's pay raises.

&#8220So we do the right thing and we only do it once,” Metiva said. &#8220So it does not look political.”

The city council work session discussing a tax exemption for seniors and veterans, a Wasilla visitors bureau and a pay raise for Wasilla's mayor will begin at 5:30 p.m., prior to Monday's regular 7 p.m. council meeting.

Contact Russell Stigall at 352-2267 or russell.stigall@frontiersman.com.