Online checkbook, state school bond debt reimbursement among topics discussed at latest Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough Assembly announced the release of the Mat-Su Borough’s online checkbook and discussed state school bond debt reimbursement fund possibilities at their Tuesday meeting.

The Assembly accepted disaster funds from the 2018 earthquake from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and extended the dates for free firewood collection.

Mat-Su Borough IT Director Eric Wyatt briefed the board on the online checkbook system that residents can use planned for implementation on July 1. Former Assemblyman Jim Sykes congratulated Tim Hale on the passage of Resolution 20-023 in April finishing work Sykes began on the Assembly in 2014. Wyatt said that the Borough’s financial data will be presented from the start of the year up to current and hopes to incorporate feedback from the community into the final presentation.

“We can put this together very inexpensively and reasonably quickly and once this is up we can certainly make changes to it, so our plan is to get this up, get people using it and then if you’d like to come back and ask for additional changes we can certainly do that,” said Wyatt.

Assemblywoman Tam Boeve pulled Resolution 20-041 from the consent agenda and moved to allow for free cutting of personal firewood to be extended until July 1. After Boeve’s amendment, the motion passed without opposition. In preparation for the fall election season, Borough Clerk Lonnie McKechnie told the Assembly she hopes to encourage Mat-Su voters to apply for and use predominantly absentee ballots in the upcoming election. Prior to the lack of action by the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee on Wednesday,

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Mat-Su Office Director Todd Smoldon reported to the Assembly on the yet to be appropriated funds, hoping LB&A would move to appropriate the CARES act funding. The Assembly’s lobbyist John Harris also briefed the board on the at the time upcoming meeting, predicting that the funds would be dispersed within a week.

“The information I’m getting is that they are going to agree with the Governor’s disbursement methodology and that they are going to basically wash their hands of the legalities of it. I think they’re going to say probably on the records that they don’t believe it’s legal what’s happening here but they want to get it out to the communities,” said Harris.

Attorney Nick Spiropolous discussed the vetoed School Bond Debt Reimbursement funds and differing opinions between Anchorage and other communities on the legality of backfilling of SBDR with CARES act funding. A total of $16 million in SBDR funds to the Borough were vetoed by Dunleavy.

“I still have concerns about school bond debt reimbursement. We’re still working through that. I know the Governor is, at the mayor’s direction I have gathered all the records. I have him on video stating that he’s talked to the Federal Government and they said it’s okay. We have his written accompaniment to his veto message saying that paying school bond reimbursement money is okay, that it’s going to be backfilled with that and so Mr. [Stefan] Hinman helped me get the video and we’re still looking at what the Federal guidelines are and of course what might come from the state we still have to wait and see, so it’s still a work in progress. Still no firm answers,” said Spiropolous.

Assemblyman George McKee moved to postpone the adoption of Resolution 20-038 developing a long term management for the Jonesville Public Use Area in Sutton. McKee recommended that the Assembly wait for a more thorough report from the trail’s committee. Community Development Director Eric Philips testified that the master plan was developed in collaboration with the community and 80 percent completed with included plans for monitoring and oversight.

“The number one problem we face out there is unsafe shooting practices throughout the public use area and one of the first phases of the project is a shooting range. This is something the community, the Sutton community wants. This is something many of the users out there want and I think this is something many of the borough residents want,” said Phillips. “We’re just trying to look at solving a problem.”

McKee’s motion failed with only McKee and Assemblyman Ted Leonard in favor. Manager John Moosey asked for a postponement of the shooting ranges ordinance establishing guidelines until September 15 which passed without objection.