Youth Court, libraries and recycling top requests for funds from borough budget

MAT-SU -- With no major changes planned and few controversial proposals, public hearings over the Mat-Su Borough's budget for the coming fiscal year were more subdued than in past years, but no less passionate.

Borough Assembly budget public hearings are generally the time groups seeking funding approach the borough with pleas for assistance. In past years, budget meetings have been dominated by teachers and school supporters asking the borough assembly to funnel more funding into education. Last year's reorganization of the borough's emergency services department brought a sizable turnout from fire and emergency medical technicians, most of whom supported the changes.

This year, the public hearings generally lasted little over an hour, but that time was packed with supporters from three major areas -- Mat-Su Youth Court, Valley Community for Recycling Solutions and rural libraries.

Youth Court has appeared before the borough regularly in past years. The program offers non-violent juvenile offenders an option aside from the traditional court system. Offenders whose cases are handed over to Youth Court are prosecuted, defended, tried and judged by their peers. Youth Court has been in place for five years and, according to Contessa Gossett, a juvenile probation officer from Mat-Su Youth Facility who is involved with the program, said she's seen the number of cases referred to Youth Court rise significantly over that time, and she believes the program lightens the load for other probation officers.

"I've been told the recidivism rate of cases that go through Mat-Su Youth Court is very low -- about 10 percent," Gossett said. She added that when the program started, court sessions were held once a week. But with the program's increased popularity, additional cases have been assigned and court sessions are now held twice weekly.

"From our perspective, we see that not only is it a prevention, students learn criminal law … and some of the defendants come back and have joined as students," Gossett said.

Youth Court supporters requested $28,000 from the assembly -- the same amount as the program received last year from the group. That funding would go into Youth Court's yearly budget of nearly $170,000, much of which goes to pay for salaries for the program's 2 1/2 staff. Organizers generally request funding from Palmer as well -- this year the city gave $4,000, organizers said. The city of Wasilla provides office space and other in-kind services for the program, in addition to a grant.

Groups representing two libraries, Talkeetna and Sutton, requested additional support for their patrons. Both groups asked that temporary employees, who are only allowed to work 700 hours each year, be offset by one part-time, permanent position.

"Our on-call, temporary staff have assumed the duties of a full-time librarian," said Claudia Dolfi, president of the Friends of Sutton Public Library group. "We have doubled our circulation since 1999. In a floundering economy, statistics show people returning to college at a very high rate."

Many rural patrons, Dolfi said, use local public libraries to augment local or online college courses.

George Wagner, a member of the Friends of Talkeetna Public Library, said his community has been growing and, with expansion planned at the nearby McKinley Princess Hotel, that trend shows little sign of stopping. Although community members often flock to the library in the dark days of winter, when summer comes, tourists often use Internet terminals as a means for communication -- often 70 to 80 people each day -- and the stacks as a way to fight boredom on rainy days. In a community heavily dependent on the summer tourist trade, increased use in the summer is often hard to deal with when only one full-time position is allotted for the facility. They, too, work with temporary employees, he said, but with mixed success.

"Summer comes and they're off," Wagner said. "Adding a position would add a great degree of stability."

Valley Community for Recycling Solutions supporters added their voice to the mix, requesting that the level of funding be maintained at $50,000 instead of cut to $25,000, as is currently proposed. Those who spoke shared their gratefulness that a recycling facility was finally available in the Valley, and added that the facility, now more than ever, needs the funding to establish a permanent recycling facility.

"I've been recycling since the early days, which meant saving things and taking them to Anchorage for recycling," said Butte resident Charlotte Sartor. "We're at a critical point. Funding from the borough was one of the primary things that led to the increase [of recycling opportunities] from every two months to every Saturday. It's diverted tons of material from the landfill."

Not only has material been diverted from the landfill, VCRS supporter Michelle Church said, it's allowed the landfill to meet governmental guidelines.

"It's not just a good idea, it's a federal requirement," Church said. "Without VCRS, the EPA component of the grant would not have been met."

Church referred to recent funding the borough obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which required that a recycling facility be available as an alternative to landfill use.

"The Mat-Su Valley is really getting quite a bang for its buck," Church said.

Borough assembly members did not take action at the public hearings, which were held May 8 and 13. The matter was postponed to a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, at which amendments will be made and adoption is expected.