Mat-Su Assembly weighs 2027 asks of state and Congress, led by school debt and Talkeetna

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly will hear public testimony Tuesday, Nov. 17, on two resolutions setting what the borough will ask of the Alaska Legislature and Congress in 2027, and could adopt them that night.

The draft state resolution first asks for about $12.5 million in school bond debt reimbursement for fiscal 2028, plus about $4.6 million the borough says the state did not fully pay in fiscal 2026. It calls the state's unpredictability on this reimbursement one of its "greatest challenges" in building a budget.

Next come $20 million for Talkeetna flooding and $300 million to finish the roughly 32-mile Port MacKenzie Rail Extension, where work stopped in 2017 when money ran out after $184 million in state investment. This summer, flooding in Talkeetna washed away a home and damaged others, and the state authorized disaster assistance. The federal draft ranks Talkeetna flooding first and the rail line second.

Borough Manager Mike Brown's memo puts five non-funding priorities on top: fishery management, Alaska State Trooper staffing, a corporate tax holiday of up to 10 years for companies investing in Port MacKenzie, a state health claims database that would let consumers compare procedure costs, and state land transfers to the borough.

The state list also supports Alaska LNG and backs parental-rights legislation.

Last year the Assembly passed its list 7-0 in October 2025. This year's school debt request is smaller and the rail request larger, and Talkeetna rose from 11th of 12 funding items to second.

The hearing starts at 6 pm in the Assembly Chambers in Palmer. Newly elected members take office Nov. 23, so the current Assembly will vote.