Mat-Su weighs a flood emergency and a tax overhaul

Two things worth watching sit on the Mat-Su Borough Assembly's agenda Tuesday: an emergency declaration for looming Talkeetna floods, and a proposal to fundamentally reshape how the borough taxes its residents.

The flood measure is the urgent one. A resolution would declare a local emergency over imminent 2026 flooding in Talkeetna and request state help — a step that matters because Talkeetna is unincorporated, so the borough Assembly is the body that can unlock emergency resources and open the door to state aid. It's on the consent agenda, meaning it's expected to pass without much debate.

The bigger long-term question is fiscal. Assemblymember Ron Bernier wants to put a pairing on the November ballot: a new 3% areawide sales tax alongside a 4-mill cap on property taxes — essentially asking voters to shift the borough's tax burden from property to sales. The Mat-Su has resisted broad sales taxes before, rejecting a smaller 1.5% version earlier this year, and residents have warned a high rate would squeeze household budgets. Tuesday is just the introduction; a public hearing follows August 4.

A third tax item rounds out the night: a proposal to cut the marijuana sales tax from 5% to 3%, after cannabis sellers argued the borough is one of the most heavily taxed markets in the country.