Red pen blues

PALMER - The Borough Assembly began their special budget meetings on Tuesday. They will continue to meet until Thursday, but much of the discussion remains around a question. Will or will not Governor Dunleavy veto school bond debt reimbursement is the question that was deliberated over by Assembly members during their first meeting on Tuesday.

“The whole issue is still school debt. The manager had totaled all the revenue out and pushed the mill rate up to 11.552, I’m saying start at 10.33,” Mayor Vern Halter said.

Halter mentioned the budget substitute amendment that was introduced on the floor. The Governor had initially zeroed out all school bond debt reimbursement, a pricetag of $18 million for the Borough if the funding fails. The Governor called the legislature into a special session, but many questions remain unanswered as the Assembly deliberates raising the mill rate. The Governor’s Mat-Su office Director Todd Smoldon gave public testimony to update the Assembly on what is going on in Juneau and give some thoughts from the Governor’s office.

“Today the Senate did vote to approve HB 49 which is effectively a repeal and replace of SB91, so that is one of the five issues that the Governor put on the special session call,” Smoldon said.

Smoldon told the Assembly that the Governor is concerned that the legislature has not discussed the budget as much as he would like. Smoldon said that Governor Dunleavy would like the legislature to fully fund education and challenge his ability to forward fund $30 million instead. Smoldon was one of the only members of the public who did not speak about the Mat-Su Animal Shelter. Proposed cuts to funding would eliminate necessary veterinary staff and result in more euthanisia. Wasilla Mayor Bert Cottle noted the passion of the residents who spoke in favor of the animal shelter and offered his suggestions to the Assembly. Cottle asked that $50,000 be added back to fund the Sexual Assault Response Team. Cottle suggested that the Assembly add $25,000 for youth court to keep convictions off of first time juvenile offenders’ records, and that the Assembly match the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center’s $150,000 to fund two Police officers from Palmer and Wasilla PD to serve on the DEA Task Force.

“We have made a difference in the opioid crisis by having two officers on that task force,” Cottle said.

Assemblyman Jim Sykes suggested an alternate approach. Sykes said that the original budget and budget substitute were nearly identical with one including revenue expected from the state and one without, allowing the Borough Manager to make additional cuts if funding is vetoed by the Governor.

“It’s our responsibility to make those cuts,” Sykes said.

Sykes proposed that the Assembly make necessary cuts and if additional funding comes through from the Governor, pay taxpayers a rebate of the extra taxation.

“I think we have to tell the taxpayers what it’s going to cost and we already know that cost, it’s 1.98 more mills,” Sykes said.

Sykes compared Borough mill rates over a period of 20 years and noted that the Mat-Su Borough serves more residents per employee than any of the other big five regions in the state. Sykes said that the Assembly should be honest with the taxpayers because school bond debt reimbursement has never been zeroed out before. Assemblyman Ted Leonard had a different view of the revenue forecast from the state.

“I will not vote for a budget that has a mill rate over 10.331 and I would hope that the mayor would veto any budget has a mill rate over 10.331,” Leonard said.