KENAI — The city of Soldotna has approved $50,000 to gather public input on the potential annexation of land surrounding the city.
The Peninsula Clarion reported that the City Council voted Wednesday to appropriate the funds, which will go toward hiring a consultant who will speak with residents about their thoughts on the annexation proposal. The appropriation had been cut down from the initially proposed total of $100,000.
The city is considering annexing any of nine identified areas outside the town.
City Manager Mark Dixson said doing so will help get rid of Soldotna’s property tax, which will attract more businesses to the city.
He said the city is looking both to protect existing businesses and promote new ones.
“We’ve had a lot of issues with people, businesses wanting to move out of their current location because they’re growing, but they can’t find any place for them to move to,” Dixson said. “We’ve had developers who want to put in subdivisions but we really don’t have the … existing land in order to do that.”
The areas identified for annexation were chosen by the city because they are the most fiscally feasible options, Dixson said.
“These (nine) areas are … the maximum that we’re ever going to look at, and these areas are slowly going to be whittled down to something that’s extremely small,” Dixson said. “At least that’s my hope.”
Those opposed to the annexation plan include Kenai Peninsula Borough residents who own commercial property or homes just outside Soldotna and say they don’t want to be part of the city. Some argue that city officials shouldn’t hire a consultant and should instead handle the public comment process on their own.
“You know, you are our community, you’re our neighbors, you’re our family, you’re our friends, and the idea that you have one of the best staffs for a city around here, because I know most of them,” said business owner Brian Olson, an active opponent of annexation. “They’re good at what they do. They can do this in-house with the right supervision and leadership.”
If the city decides to move forward with the annexation process once the public engagement period wraps up, officials would need to send a petition to the Local Boundary Commission. The commission makes the final decision on whether a borough or city can annex additional land and carries out its own public input process.
