Wasilla City Council discusses funding for drug task force investigator

The Wasilla City Council introduced several items and recommended for public hearing, including Ordinance 25-30, which would amend the Fiscal Year 2026 budget by accepting and approving the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant in the amount not to exceed $161,940 during a recent meeting.

The funds would be appropriated for a Multi-Jurisdiction Drug Task Force Investigator position at the Wasilla Police Department, and would be assigned to the statewide Drug Enforcement Unit.

If approved, the grant will continue to support a full-time detective from the WPD assigned to the Mat-Su SDEU to combat the significant increase in drug usage and movement in the Mat-Su without detracting from daily patrol operations.

Tim Johnson said he strongly supports the funding for the ordinance, but voiced concern.

“My concern is we’re already down numerous officers and while we are allocating people to the multi-jurisdictional drug force as it is, we are taking away from our police officers in doing so.”

He told the council he has a renewed interest in filling the open position so the city can fully support the ordinance.

Other ordinances introduced included amending the Fiscal Year 2026 budget to reduce the previous $12 million Federal Aviation Administration Grant Fund to $7,244,697 to be used for Taxiway K and other related improvements.

As previously reported, this project will construct approximately 2,000 linear feet of taxiway, 130,000 square feet of aircraft parking apron, 2,350 linear feet of access road, and approximately 334,800 square feet of lease lot area.

In August, the city council accepted the grant, and at the time, Public Works Director Eric Shaw explained that while the grant is for up to $12M, so far the costs for the expansion will not require the full amount of the grant.

The ordinances now move to Public Hearing, scheduled for the Oct. 13 city council meeting.

The council then discussed Resolution 25-31, which would support the YMCA of Alaska to explore the development of a future facility within Wasilla. It would include evaluation of current properties owned by the city, conducting feasibility studies and assessments, and supporting collaboration, without committing funding or resources.

Council member Stu Graham raised concerns that the resolution indicates that city would help the YMCA find city-owned facilities to use, and that in nearly every city the YMCA organization operates, they do not utilize municipal or former municipal buildings or deactivated school buildings. “We don’t have any schools, we don’t have any fire department buildings that have been abandoned or moved. We are essentially a land-poor and facility-poor city. We have what we need to make things happen, but we don’t have a lot of excess square footage that would be beneficial to the YMCA.”

Council member Ian Crafton, who introduced the resolution, said the YMCA of Alaska expressed interest in pieces of land that the city owns, and the idea behind the resolution was to say that the council would support the organization looking into the land. “There’s no cost to the city to do this,” he said. “The idea behind this was really just to say we understand there’s a need.” He referred to a previous feasibility study done that determined that the community could benefit from a YMCA.

Graham, meanwhile, argued that there are already several gyms and pools available in Wasilla, and that the city should not be in that business and should instead focus on looking at how to use the land it currently has for economic development. “I don’t think having the YMCA, which doesn’t serve all the citizens we have,” Graham said, adding, “I don’t think our city should be in the business of assisting any particular non-profit over any sort of for-profit, taxpaying businesses.”

Scott Bell said during the council meeting that staying on course on conducting their own feasibility study would help direct the city in the direction Wasilla needs to go. He said that he did not want to get guess what the community needs, and was not certain that the city needs and the YMCA needs may not fully align and could impact the Menard.

“Any preliminary partnering with the YMCA, if it’s on the Menard property, would certainly limit us on what our capabilities or our future plans could be.”

There is currently a Mat-Su YMCA, which leads various initiatives, including Tanaina Elementary’s before and after-school program, offers a Summer Day Camp, and swim lessons, and hosts the annual Shoots and Ladders basketball game between law enforcement and fire and EMS departments.

The council voted 3-3 to indefinitely postpone the YMCA support resolution, with council members Ian Crafton, Nikki Velock, and Mark Schmidt voting in favor of the resolution. Mayor Ledford was called to cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of the delay.

The next Wasilla City Council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Wasilla Council Chambers.