Ninilchik voters will decide this fall whether to tax themselves more to pay for recreation services. That’s after Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly members greenlit a ballot proposition last week that would create a community service area.
If passed, the tax would cover the service area between Clam Gulch and south of Happy Valley.
Although Ninilchik’s proposal is for general recreation, the service area would prioritize pool operations at the K-12 Ninilchik School. The pool was included in budget cuts implemented by the Kenai Peninsula School Borough School District earlier this year.
Former school board president and longtime Ninilchik resident Debbie Cary, assembled a successful petition to put the issue before voters. She told assembly members it will likely be difficult to get residents to tax themselves, but she thinks the community service provided by the pool is worth it.
“There are a lot of pluses,” she said. “I understand that there are also some negatives, but the question tonight is, can this go to the voters? Please vote yes, so it will go to the voters.”
If the ballot measure passes, residents in the new service area would pay more in property taxes each year to fund recreation services. The borough budgeted around a plus-one mill, or property tax, rate. That amounts to an additional $100 in taxes per $100,000 of a property’s assessed value each year.
Assembly member Brent Johnson represents Ninilchik and sponsored the petition’s corresponding assembly ordinance. He’s also skeptical residents will vote to tax themselves. He successfully amended the ballot language to clarify the tax rate could be lower if the community doesn’t want the pool open year-round.
“Maybe later on, we can talk about lowering the mill rate, which would mean that the people who are on this recreational service area would either try to raise money another way,” he said.
Johnson moderated a community meeting on the issue last month, where some attendees were concerned about a new tax burden, especially on the area’s young families.
Election day is Oct. 7. The voter registration deadline is Sept. 7. Voters can check their registration status on the Alaska Division of Elections website.
