What’s the real reason for bring up racetrack regs, again?

Why would the Mat-Su Borough mayor want to return public attention to the twisted racetrack ordinance that an assembly majority just attempted to let die a quiet death?

Circumstances seem a mite overwhelming. The legislation doesn’t accomplish what it says it’s for, and it gives every appearance of hiding its true intent. That the ordinance itself is unnecessary is stated in the single sentence in current code that’s not in the copy of that code accompanying the ordinance. The staff information memo with the ordinance begins with bad information leading someone like a planning commissioner, who might rely on its accuracy, to a wrong conclusion.

Now the borough mayor, in his veto resurrecting it for a vote, says this ordinance should be considered on its merits — not apparently the ice races originally posited without documented evidence, but rather the amendments referred to as clarifying and refining? He doesn’t say. These buff-up amendments, however, in deleting great gobs of text, seem to cut off at the knees the racetrack code’s ability to regulate racetracks.

Was that the intent all along? Required proof of compliance is gone, noise monitoring equipment and monitoring are gone and inspections are removed.

The public is left to file complaints to too few staff or expensive lawsuits requiring evidence of decibel level infractions (just added) occurring in increments as little as “one and one half minutes in any one hour period.”

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck …

Is this legislation a wannabe golden goose for borough racetracks?

Assemblymen Sykes, Beck, Colver and Halter tried to put this waste of public time and money to rest, yet the mayor appears ready to squander more. Why would the public choose to spend our tax dollars for every appearance of bad legislation and perverted public process? Time to admit it’s a dead duck. Call it corrupt or call it dysfunctional, Mr. Mayor, but please don’t call this racetrack ordinance back to the table.

Just seeking some local government of, by and for the people.

Patty Rosnel

Palmer