Mayor's veto of wetlands mitigation program repeal stands

Note: The original headline stated that Mayor Halter vetoed the wetlands mitigation program. This was an error. The mayor’s veto was of the repeal of that program. We apologize for the mistake.

At their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly did not overturn Mayor Vern Halter’s veto of a wetlands program repeal.

In December, the Assembly voted to undo a previous resolution passed in 2019.  That resolution had tasked Borough agencies with developing provisions for wetland mitigation on Borough owned land.  The provisions only applied to large-scale development projects that impact salmon habitat in the Borough.

Since that time, Borough staff has worked, through a public process, to identify which large-scale projects might adversely impact local salmon habitat, and how to mitigate potential damage. 

The Assembly received numerous objections to the repeal from Borough staff, advisory agencies and the general public, leading Mayor Vern Halter to veto the measure.

Because the Assembly did not challenge the veto, Borough staff will continue developing the wetland mitigation plan.  The completed plan will be presented to the Assembly in coming months for consideration.