Pooling money for big projects is fiscally conservative

Frontiersman editorial board

As the Mat-Su Borough prepares a bond package to place before voters, the questions and debates will undoubtedly pick up steam again. The notion of collecting money from the public to pay for services, programs or improvements is hotly debated everywhere -- especially in financially uncertain times like these. In the Mat-Su, that discussion can take on a singular intensity.

We live in a conservative community, and the notion of fiscal conservatism is chanted -- especially when open polls are looming -- like a sacred political mantra. Those who dare champion the concept of taxes as a legitimate form of revenue collection are pinned with the dreaded "L" word. They want your hard-earned money so they can spend it on frivolous things. They want to build a big, unwieldy government that will consume your every dollar and give you nothing but red tape for your trouble -- well, nothing unless you count roads, schools, parks, police and city water.

Bonds do often receive a slightly warmer reception than taxes. Perhaps it's because they target a specific project or group of projects. Voters can see what their money will buy before they have to open their wallets. In all honesty, though, the concept is the same. It's a crazy notion that by pooling our resources together we can do more with less. It's something we learned as kids when three of us, separately, could spend $10 and buy Dad three cheesy gifts on Father's Day or we could pool our money and buy one decent gift.

While many of the projects in this bond package will likely fall into the non-essential category for many of our politicians, it's worth a look to see just what we'll get for our hard-earned cash. Breaking the package into separate projects, we can calculate how much it will cost each of us, on average. For Lake Lucille Park improvements, which will total $263,000, it will cost you 61 cents per year … outrageous! For much-needed work on Wasilla trails and trailheads, a $400,000 project, you'll be asked to give the greedy borough a whopping 93 cents per year … insane. For a Hatcher Pass Nordic ski trail, you'll have to part with 35 cents.

In all there are 16 projects on the list, and it will cost us all about $5.4 million. The good news is, it will only cost each of us $12.40 per year -- and that includes the issuance costs.

It's amazing what we can do when we pool our resources and make up our minds to improve our community. For what amounts to little more than a dollar per month, we'll enjoy greatly improved recreational opportunities in the Valley. Our kids will benefit from 16 new or improved places to take advantage of healthy, safe recreation.

It's nice to keep your hard-earned dollars all for yourself, but how many recreational opportunities could you build for your kids with $12.40? You might be able to pick up a slip and slide -- of course, the water costs extra.