The Public Safety Building needs work. Water and rot damage have taken their toll on the almost 40-year-old wood-frame building. Yes, the borough could have and should have spent more on maintenance and repairs in years past but that doesn’t change the fact that the work is past due and the community needs to pay the bill.
Voters are asked on the Oct. 1 municipal election ballot to approve a $3 million bond issue to help pay for new roofing and siding and other critical repairs. The Sentinel supports a “yes” vote.
The borough would borrow the money and repay the debt over 40 years, keeping the annual payments low enough to hopefully absorb the cost within the budget — without any tax increase.
In addition to the borrowed money, the borough has requested $2.4 million from Congress, a request which U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski supports and has asked budget writers to include in next year’s federal spending plan.
In total, the federal money with the local funds would pay for the most-needed repairs to the building which is so important to the community. Not only does it house the police and fire departments and emergency call dispatch center, but the rent the state pays on the courtroom and jail pretty much covers all of the building’s operating expenses such as heat and utilities.
Clearing out the rot and putting on a new roof will make it an even better building. Approving the $3 million bond issue is a good investment.
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Serving on the assembly is work. It takes a lot of time to read, study and ask questions about the issues on the agenda; to go through the budget in detail; to make wise decisions on millions of dollars of spending every year that affect the community.
Residents serve because they care about the town, and it’s time the town returned in kind.
The Oct. 1 election ballot asks voters to change the municipal charter, eliminating a longstanding prohibition against paying any compensation to the mayor and assembly members. The Sentinel supports a “yes” vote.
The intent is that by paying a small stipend per meeting, more members of the community, particularly younger members, parents with children, would be willing to serve in elected office. They could use the money to help with child care, or maybe it would make up for cutting back on their hours at work.
However the small payments help at home, it’d be worth it if they help bring out more people to run for office.
Voter approval of the charter amendment would be only the first step. The assembly, if it wants to proceed with a compensation plan, would need to prepare an ordinance, hold a public hearing and vote on any pay chart. A possible payment plan discussed in February would total about $25,000 a year for the entire seven-member assembly. That’s 0.33% of the borough’s general fund revenues.
It’s a small cost toward a more representative government. And it’s a small way to acknowledge all the time it takes to serve.
- Wrangell Sentinel
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