Understanding your road service area: Your voice in local transportation

Let's discuss an important aspect of life in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough: road maintenance, and the local control of it. But have you ever wondered why some crews plow certain neighborhood roads before others or why road crews haven't fixed that pothole? Or why do roads in one community get a different level of service than your own? In the Mat-Su, there's a special way of taking care of neighborhood roads called Road Service Areas, or RSAs.

When you live in an RSA, you and your neighbors pay extra taxes to keep your local roads in good shape. This money goes toward fixing roads, removing snow in winter, and making other improvements. It's kind of like having a small road repair team just for your neighborhood. Right now, the Mat-Su Borough takes care of 27 different RSAs. Each area has its own borders and tax rate, which depends on what that neighborhood needs.

The main idea of an RSA is to let a community decide about their own roads. While the State of Alaska takes big highways like the Parks Highway or Glenn Highway care of, these local service areas handle smaller neighborhood roads. This means that people who live in these areas can help decide how to take care of their roads and what improvements to make. It also keeps the taxes collected from that service area to be spent on their own roads, as opposed to subsidizing other neighborhood's roads.

Many people don't know they can help their neighborhood roads. Each RSA has a group of local volunteers who make important choices about road care called a Board of Supervisors. These volunteers are elected by their neighbors and meet once a month. Anyone who lives in the area can come to these meetings. This gives you a chance to tell them about road problems, share your ideas for making roads better, or find out what road work is being planned.

Here's why this matters: if you're worried about icy roads at a dangerous corner, or if you want your gravel road to be paved, you can talk about it at these meetings. Since the people in charge are your neighbors, they understand what's happening in your area. They can often fix problems faster than bigger government offices can.

You can check your property tax bill to see if you live in an RSA and how much you pay for road care. Different areas pay different amounts because each neighborhood has different needs. Some areas only take care of a few roads, while others look after many miles of streets throughout their neighborhood.

It's easy to get involved with your RSA. You can find out which area you live in by looking at the Mat-Su Borough's website or by calling their office. Once you know your area, you can go to the next meeting. These meetings usually happen in nearby schools or community buildings. Don't worry about feeling out of place - these are friendly meetings where neighbors talk about roads and safety in their area.

If you want to do more, you could become one of the people who helps make decisions by joining the board. You can run for a position during regular voting times. You don't need to be an expert on roads - you just need to care and be willing to learn about taking care of roads.

RSAs do more than just clear snow and fix holes in the road. They're a way for regular people to make their community better. When you join in and share your thoughts at meetings, you're helping to make important choices about the roads you use every day. The decisions made at these meetings can help for many years to come.

No matter if you have just moved to the Mat-Su Borough or have lived there for many years, getting involved with your Road Service Area helps. Well-maintained roads benefit the entire community.

Christian M. Hartley is a 40-year Alaskan resident with over 25 years of public safety experience and public service. He runs a freelance business, Big Lake Writer, from home in Big Lake that he shares with his wife of 19 years and their three teenage sons.