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.
Letting the people decide how they want to be represented…seems like a country was founded upon such things once. Too bad the elected officials in Soldotna didn’t care to allow it, thankfully wiser heads have prevailed.
This is just on land grabs.
“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.”.
Land grabs happen way too often. They want the revenue, but don’t want to provide equal services. If the annexing municipality was required to provide equal services, annexing would slow or even reverse in some cases.
Please define “local citizens.” Do all Soldotna area voters have a say about this, or do only the “to-be-annexed” folks vote?
All Soldotna plus those being annexed. -sd
The problem with allowing the existent Soldotna city citizens voting to extend taxation ability to another group is criminal. The same is true in Eagle River with the Eagle River Exit drive. I believe it is improper to cage people to a taxing structure that spends the money on thing in opposition to the needs of those being taxed. I shouldn’t have any say over the people of one community, no more than they should have a say over me in mine.
Actually this attempted land grab has been going on for much longer than two years. I own property in one of the areas and they have been trying for 20… It’s a sham, I’ve attended many meetings and public comment forums. I’ve seen less than 5% of the property owners in the affected areas support this yet the City of Soldotna blindly charges ahead. Glad to see it stopped finally
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