A grassroots meeting at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex last night kicked off the organized effort to prevent Soldotna’s annexation.
Brian Olson organized the gathering and drew heavily on lessons learned from the 2008 anti-annexation fight.
Residents who lived mostly outside Soldotna City limits shared ideas about how to express their opposition, but for now Olson says the focus is on one-to-one communication…
Olson: “Right now we’re having volunteers gather petitions that we can present at a later date to the council, saying we are opposed to annexation. That’s going to be one of the first ones.”
Olson was also quick to encourage property owners to direct their frustration away from City Administrators…
Olson: “Well the City employees, that’s their job. That’s what they do to put beans on the table. They’re professionals in their field and they’re just doing what their employment tells them to do, so they’re off the table. Nobody should be saying anything about the City employees. But the politicians are fair game.”
The City of Soldotna hasn’t yet announced any formal plans to annex land, but the topic was aired as an educational item. Olson urged residents opposed to annexation to stick together, regardless of the specific areas which may face annexation.
For more on the group, visit their Facebook page.