A group formed to oppose Soldotna annexing extra land is hoping to fill City Hall tonight. The Soldotna City Council will consider funding a $150,000 annexation study.
K-Beach Assemblyman Kelly Wolf represents a large swath of the area which could be annexed…
Asm. Wolf(K-Beach): “I think it’s well conceived. They’ve got petitions out, they’ve got enough people here, they’re setting it up as a regular campaign. Wait and see what happens on the 13th of May. I question where the City of Soldotna is going to get their $150,000 from. I’d like to know how the City of Soldotna explains exactly where that $150,000 is coming from, if it’s leftover Legislative grant funds, if it’s general funds, if it’s tax dollars, property tax dollars from city residents. Is that really what city residents want the City of Soldotna to be spending $150,000 on?”
Residents who live outside city limits are concerned their homes may be annexed without their approval. Since they don’t live in Soldotna, they aren’t guaranteed a vote.
But at the last Council meeting, when the study was introduced, Soldotna Mayor Nels Anderson said he doesn’t want the City to impose on people who are unwilling to join…
Mayor Anderson: “The process is just a question and there’s some people who legitimately came and said, ‘we don’t even want you to begin the process.’ But I think we need to. If you look at Kenai, for example, their boundaries come down to within about 3 or 4 miles of Soldotna. They’ve got 10 miles towards Soldotna almost that their boundaries encounter and those people are not held to the same standards as the internal people in the city of Kenai and neither would we do the same thing if we incorporated more rural areas. There are some benefits and if we can’t convince people of their benefits, in my opinion, it’s not going to happen.”
The Council will vote on funding the study during tonight’s 6pm meeting. The group “Borough Residents Against Annexation” says tonight’s decision will set the course for their future actions.