School bond election postponed

MAT-SU -- The Mat-Su Borough Assembly decided last Tuesday to postpone meetings to discuss the $80 million school bond proposal, hoping for a more favorable time to discuss the bill and put it up for a special election.

The special election was previously scheduled for April 1, but the assembly's action Tuesday took that date off the table. The assembly unanimously decided to hold a public hearing about the special election at its Jan. 21 meeting.

Assembly member Sarah Jansen asked about the bond proposal, and asked whether the assembly could reschedule a proposed work session to discuss the matter.

"A lot of things have come up in the last month … and it makes me wonder if we don't want to look at the bond process as part of our budget," Jansen said. "Now we have the buzz about a budget deficit … and I'm wondering if it is really the best time to ask [residents to] fund $50 or $80 million for schools with all that buzz out there."

Borough Manager John Duffy said April 1 was initially picked as a target date for the special election because Anchorage was holding its bond election at the same time. Using the same date, he said, could make it easier for residents to remember and turn out to vote.

Although there's a five-year window in which the bond money must be acted on, Duffy said there's only a 75-day window between the time the assembly adopts the ordinance and the date an election must be held.

Jansen, who initially brought the matter up because she had a scheduling conflict with Jan. 14, said she had hoped to be involved in the discussion, since she's been interested and involved in education throughout her tenure on the assembly.

"I've been interested in education since I got on the assembly, and this is a big deal," Jansen said.

The motion to postpone the election means the assembly's Jan. 14 meeting was canceled.