Mat-Su Borough Departments Present Budget Proposals

by:  Casey Grove – Alaska Public Media

From public safety to platting, the Mat Su Borough’s various departments have unveiled their latest round of budget requests.

Overall, the borough expects a more than 12 million dollar shortfall between proposed spending and expected revenue. That gap represents nearly 10 percent of the budget.

Borough Manager John Moosey says the biggest chunk of that deficit is due to the governor’s veto of school bond debt reimbursement. Moosey says continued decreases in state funding are inevitable.

“We are realizing that this is our new environment, where we can expect very little help from the state and we’re very concerned about operating in this economy, where we’re shedding jobs and business opportunities.”

Moosey says the borough will be able to use surplus money it has saved from years’ past to bridge the gap. He says the borough’s tax cap means Mat Su residents should not expect much of an increase in property taxes, which is its largest revenue source.

“On the taxpayer, it’s a great thing. For operation, it just means it’s a little bit tougher, we have to be a little bit more creative and maybe not do everything we want to do. So we’re trying to find new and creative ways to kind of meet those needs and prioritize on things that, ‘yeah, this was great to have in the past, we might not be able to do this anymore, or we might not be able to do as much as in the past.”

The budgets now go to the borough assembly for discussion and revisions.