After more than six years of legal proceedings, public debate, and regulatory scrutiny, Soldotna voters and residents of surrounding unincorporated areas will have the final say this October on the city’s long-standing annexation proposal.
On Wednesday, the Soldotna City Council unanimously approved Resolution 2025-027, which places a proposition on the October 7 municipal election ballot asking whether the city should annex 2.63 square miles of adjacent territory in the Ridgeway, Funny River, and Kalifornsky areas.
The decision marks the culmination of a lengthy process that began in 2019, when the city submitted its annexation petition to the Alaska Local Boundary Commission (LBC). The LBC approved the proposal in December 2020, but in a first-of-its-kind move, it made annexation contingent on a local vote—a departure from its typical procedure of forwarding approved petitions to the state legislature.
At Wednesday’s meeting, City Manager Janette Bower noted the unprecedented nature of the LBC’s mandate.
“We are the first ones to move forward in this manner and have a mandate before us,” Bower said. “It is somewhat unprecedented and really undocumented. But we’ve been advised this is the way to close the loop on the process.”
The resolution calls for the ballot question to be presented to two groups of voters: those residing within Soldotna city limits, and those who live within the proposed annexation territory. According to city officials, 136 registered voters currently reside in the annexation areas and will be eligible to vote—provided they are registered by September 7, thirty days before the election.
Soldotna City Clerk Johni Blankenship clarified that only individuals registered to vote at a residential address within the proposed territory may cast a ballot on the proposition. Business owners or property owners who do not reside in the territory will not be eligible.
“It’s not broken down by territory,” Blankenship explained. “It’s a combined total of the outside-the-city voters, regardless of which annexation area they reside in.”
Proposition No. 1 will ask voters:
“Shall the City of Soldotna annex the 2.63 square miles of land described in the City’s 2019 Annexation Petition filed with the Local Boundary Commission and approved by the Local Boundary Commission on December 29, 2020?”
If approved by both city and territory voters, the land will officially become part of Soldotna. If either group rejects the measure, the annexation will not proceed.
The city’s original petition argued that annexation would support Soldotna’s long-term economic sustainability and help meet growing demand for municipal services in nearby areas. The LBC agreed, citing the city’s fiscal efficiency and capacity to govern the new areas.
Still, the proposal has faced vocal opposition over the years, particularly from residents who say they intentionally live outside city limits to avoid municipal taxes and regulations. Some of those concerns led to the LBC’s 2020 amendment requiring a vote by those directly affected.
Vice Mayor Lisa Parker, who has been involved with the effort from the beginning, acknowledged the toll of the extended process.
“This has been definitely a long process, this annexation process,” Parker said. “And I’m glad to see that we are going to be finally closing this. What the outcome is, I don’t know—but it will be putting the issue to bed, finally.”
The Soldotna City Clerk’s Office will send postcards to eligible voters in the proposed annexation areas, notifying them of the vote and registration deadline. A request was also made by a council member to circulate updated maps of the proposed territory to provide clarity ahead of the election.
If passed, the annexation would formally incorporate the new land into city boundaries—reshaping Soldotna’s footprint for the first time in decades. The outcome will rest with the voters come October.
For a full overview of the proposed annexation, including annexation petition documents, visit the Annexation Overview page on the city’s website.
