The Alaska Local Boundary Commission voted Thursday to allow local citizens to vote on the City of Soldotna’s annexation of nearby properties. In the commission’s history, the decision has always gone to the Legislature, instead.
For two years, Soldotna has gone through procedural steps to annex a number of properties adjacent to the existing city boundary, and there has been an outcry from members of the public for two years.
Public hearings were held, and the city hired a group to survey public opinion and communicate the plan to the to-be-annexed property owners. A website explaining the process was developed.
Kenai Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce heard from a number of residents over those years, and they told him “we want no part of this.” During public comment periods, the Borough, on the authority of the Assembly, sent its objections to the Boundary Commission, and evidently those arguments were persuasive.
“We have folks in Borough, looking at the city’s sign ordinance, animal control, taxes at a higher level at some point in the future,” Pierce said. “There are no absolutes in this, but people didn’t want to be bothered and the city could not prove the people were being provided benefits.”
“The voice of the people should be heard,” Pierce said.
The Boundary Commission agreed and amended the petition on a vote of 3-2. Commissioners Lance Roberts, Kenny Gallahorn, and Clayton Trotter voted in favor of allowing the affected public to vote. Commissioners John Harrington and Larry Wood voted against the amendment to the petition.
