Wasilla chamber reviews future of commerce

WASILLA -- The Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce's weekly luncheon Tuesday featured a review of Wasilla's economic status, and chamber members listened as Wasilla Finance Director Ted Leonard rattled off some encouraging numbers.

As of the end of 2003, we have issued 1,637 business licenses," Leonard said. "That's a 41-percent increase since 1999."

Sales tax growth from 1994 through March 2004 has consistently increased each year, and sales tax growth for this year through March is 7.69 percent higher than last fiscal year, Leonard told chamber members. He added that the city of Wasilla's population has grown by more than 79 percent since the 1990 census, then went on to talk about some ideas for the city to reach its goals in the next couple of years.

"We hope to be surveying citizens online by the end of the year," Leonard said.

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Director Ron Swanson was another speaker on the economic review forum. He highlighted the increase in the borough's growth rate for new homes, around 10 percent per year, along with reviewing the increase in fire and EMS calls in the last three years.

"In 2000 we had 684 fire and 3,800 EMS calls," Swanson said. "In 2003, the numbers increased to 1,400 fire calls and 6,400 EMS calls."

With more than 50,000 miles of trails in the borough, Swanson said he was happy that Wasilla plays a role in the economic development of the borough.

"We feel we are a dynamic and growing community," Swanson said. "Combined with the cities, we are a pro-development community."

Ron Zimmerman of the Valley Board of Realtors was the final speaker at the luncheon, and also spoke to economic state of the Valley as a whole.

"The bottom line is that we have a lot of growth in the Valley," Zimmerman said. "A lot of real estate professionals from Anchorage are moving to the Valley because that's where the growth is."

Zimmerman said there are 350 realtors selling real estate in the Valley, and that 227 realtors are local residents.

The chamber holds the economic review every year to keep its members informed on the economic status of Wasilla and its outlying areas.

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com