Mat-Su Borough Assembly passes budget

The Mat-Su Borough Assembly has passed a budget and mill rate for the fiscal year beginning July 1^st.

Over the last two evenings, the Assembly deliberated for nearly eight hours on how much property tax to levy and how to spend the proceeds.  In the end, the areawide mill rate rose slightly, to 10.386, compared to 10.331 in the current budget year.

In total, twenty-one amendments were proposed to the budget, calling for both cuts and increases to budget line items.

Successful amendments include restoring funding for community enrichment programs and an increase in the borough’s contribution to the Valley Community for Recycling Solutions.  VCRS is the borough’s primary recycling facility and handles material from multiple communities, including Talkeetna.  Successful cuts included the Assembly’s travel budget and the money used to pay dues for membership in the Alaska Municipal league.

Unsuccessful amendments include reducing funding for animal control and halving the wages of assembly members and the borough mayor. A proposal to increase payroll for animal control also failed.  An amendment to abolish the Capital Projects Department and move it back into the Public Works Department also failed.

The Assembly passed the budget by a vote of four-to-three, with Assembly Members McKee, Leonard, and Sumner voting against the ordinance. 

The budget’s passage comes as the borough is still waiting to hear the final result of state budget negotiations, with the largest potential impact coming from the state’s school bond debt reimbursement program. 

Mayor Vern Halter now has the option to issue vetoes on the budget.  The next regular meeting of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4^th.