Mat-Su Planning Commission to schedule Eagle River annexation presentation

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission agreed by consensus Monday to schedule a formal informational session and a draft resolution on a proposal to annex the Chugiak–Eagle River communities from the Municipality of Anchorage into the Mat-Su Borough. No formal vote on annexation was taken. Commissioners acted during commission business discussion without objection.

Revenue and the Boundary Commission

Ken McCarty, an organizer with Annex Now 2 Mat-Su, appeared during audience participation at the June 15 meeting and told commissioners the move would bring the borough more than $19 million in discretionary revenue and $27 million to the school district. Those figures were McCarty's claims, presented as public testimony and not as findings adopted or verified by the commission.

"If this would happen, a little over $19 million would come into the borough at your discretion, whatever you want to spend," McCarty said. "And I know that Mat-Su is all looking for different revenue sources to come in."

McCarty said a 540-page preliminary proposal had already been submitted to the Alaska Local Boundary Commission. He told commissioners the commission's central question was what Mat-Su itself wanted.

"The big question they asked is, what does Matsu say? And that question is not being addressed."

Calendar Pressure and Next Steps

Commissioners did not vote on the annexation proposal itself. Planning Director Alex Strawn flagged potential calendar pressure during the discussion.

"I know to get anything on the ballot has to be, I think, the second meeting in August," Strawn said. "The assembly has to have something passed, so time is of the essence. So maybe we can do both. We can schedule a back-and-forth informational session as well as a draft resolution."

Commissioners agreed without objection to that two-step approach: a longer informational presentation with back-and-forth discussion first, followed by a draft resolution at a subsequent meeting. McCarty is already scheduled for the July 20 agenda. Whether the commission's discussions could ultimately put the question before the assembly in time for any ballot remains to be determined by the assembly and relevant deadlines.