Mat-Su voters will decide whether the borough can build roads anywhere

Mat-Su voters will decide Nov. 3 whether the borough may acquire right-of-way and build roads anywhere inside its boundaries.

Under Proposition D, areawide funds "are not restricted by Road Service Area (RSA) boundaries and may be used to plan, design and construct roads, streets, sidewalks, and related drainage facilities anywhere in the Borough," the borough said in guidance posted Aug. 21.

The corridors are already mapped. The borough's Official Streets and Highways Plan, adopted in 2022, identifies future road corridors and lists preserving right of way among its goals, with some roads expected in five to 10 years and others in 20. What it lacks is a way to secure them.

At the Planning Commission's Aug. 3 meeting, planning staffer Alex Strawn said the borough has "all of these future road corridors identified in the Official Streets and Highways Plan," with subdivision rules that keep developers from ruining a corridor but do not require preserving it.

The commission recommended the measure, and the Assembly voted Aug. 4 to put it on the ballot.

Road service areas keep their current job. They remain responsible for maintaining roads with their own money, and funds from one service area may not be spent outside it. The new power would take effect only with majority approval areawide, and the Assembly would approve any spending through the annual budget.

Assembly member Maxwell Sumner named the tension at the Aug. 4 meeting. He said he likes the ordinance because buying right of way ahead of time could save taxpayers money, and dislikes it because it "grows government and gives more avenues to spend tax dollars."