Just 3,500 registered voters live technically within Soldotna City limits, cutting down on the number of eligible residents who can participate in local government and vote on Soldotna-specific issues. The 7.5 square miles also provide little room for growth.
Soldotna Assemblyman Dale Bagley recently encountered the complications associated with Soldotna’s tight borders as he sought signatures for his petition to join the home rule charter commission…
Bagley: “Because it had to be residents of the City of Soldotna. You run into people you know all the time, but they live in Sterling or Ridgeway or Funny River and so the way I had to do it was go to houses and to businesses that had people that I knew were from the City of Soldotna.”
The City has discussed annexing additional areas for years and during a workshop this Wednesday at 4pm, the Council will learn more about how a city could potentially expand its borders.
The City isn’t aggressively pursuing annexation, but will review the four steps involved in the process: preplanning, planning, petitioning, and implementing. To view the presentation, click here.
In 2008, then-Mayor Dave Carey vetoed a move to annex Funny river Road, K-Beach, and Ridgeway, after complaints from residents in those areas.
