Permanent Vehicle Registration Vote Delayed Again
On Tuesday, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted once again to delay the vote on an ordinance that would allow permanent registration of vehicles that are more than eight years old.
On Tuesday, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted once again to delay the vote on an ordinance that would allow permanent registration of vehicles that are more than eight years old. While that would mean a significant convenience for many in the borough, there were concerns about what would happen to funding for roads in the borough.
Assembly Member Jim Colver is sponsoring the proposed ordinance. On Tuesday, he introduced an amendment that is targeted at mitigating the lost revenue for roads. Under the original proposal, funding for local RSAs would have dropped by about two-thirds. Under the amendment, that funding would fall back to 2013 levels, a decrease of just over one quarter.
The overall cost to the borough would remain the same under both versions of the ordinance, around $2.4 million per year. With the amendment, the bulk of that would not come from road funds, but from the portion of vehicle registration fees that are paid into the borough’s areawide and non-areawide general funds. Areawide dust control matching funds, which are $710,000 for the current fiscal year, would be capped at $500,000 per year, and a reserve would be built to continue matching funds into the future. That reserve is estimated to be approximately $1.4 million by 2018.
Any change to taxes and revenue for the borough comes with a number of complications. As a result, the Borough Assembly voted unanimously to delay the vote on the ordinance and amendment to November.
Read More
Su Valley Voice: KTNA News Department
In this episode host Trisha Costello was joined by all three of the news producers that make up the KTNA News Department.
Here's how the Upper Susitna Valley's local precincts voted in statewide and district races
According to unofficial election results from the Alaska Division of Elections, the majority of Talkeetna residents voted in favor of Democrat Mary Peltola in the U.S. Senate Race
Six Minute Science 11-7-26, Episode 59 - Alaska Grown Grains
Alaska Grown grains like Sunshine Barley are helping to build Alaska's food resilience and provide economic opportunities for local Alaskans. UAF Institute for Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Extension Director Jodie Anderson talks about new grain varieties.
StarDate Susitna 11-8-26, by Kathleen Fleming
November can be a wonderful month for star gazing, and Kathleen Fleming wants to tell you about the night-sky events that may be visible in our Upper Susitna skies.