Palmer City Council debates term limits

PALMER — Before the Palmer City Council could get on with conducting business in the regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, the council had to decide when it would accept Deputy Mayor Pete LaFrance’s resignation letter.

The decision was made to postpone the acceptance of Deputy Mayor LaFrance’s resignation on Wednesday morning, allowing for LaFrance to participate in his last meeting as a part of the council. LaFrance was part of a debate around a subject near and dear to his heart, term limits. Ordinance 19-011 made its way to the floor to establish two-term limits for the Mayor and council. LaFrance had sponsored the ordinance previously in his council tenure, but this time it saw more success.

“We already are, the voters are already imposing term limits by who they choose to vote for,” said Linda Combs.

Linda Combs voted with Julie Berberich, David Fuller and Steve Carrington against an amendment proposed by Sabrena Combs to extend the limit of terms to three terms. Sabrena Combs’ motion on the ordinance failed, but it was not done there. Berberich made a motion directing the clerk to prepare a resolution sending an advisory vote to the electorate on establishing term limits for the city council and mayor and postponing ordinance 19-011 to Oct. 8.

Berberich’s motion to postpone was successful, passing with Linda Combs, LaFrance, Carrington and Mayor Edna DeVries voting in favor of postponing the term limits ordinance. The ordinance itself will appear before the council again for amendments prior to being put on the October ballot.

“What this is asking us to do is to hold ourselves in check and what you’re choosing to do is kick the can down the road or pass the buck. We were not elected to make easy choices or deal with happy problems,” Fuller said. “Make a choice. Legislate.”

City Manager Nathan Wallace detailed what may soon be a part of the Mat-Su Borough. Wallace received a presentation from the Fairbanks Metropolitan Planning Organization. In preparation for the upcoming census, Wallace anticipates the federal government to require the MSB to form an MPO, such as Fairbanks and Anchorage have already done. Wallace detailed the various features of the MPO, which seems to provide relief to some of the directional difficulties of the council.

“Projects you would like to see in Palmer fit within the things this money could and should be used for,” Wallace said.

The MPO would be made up of a policy board of the mayors and provide direction for the borough planning moving into the urban category in some areas. The greater benefit of the MPO would be to the cities, rather than Road Service Areas because of the city’s capital projects.