Final budget adopted

MAT-SU – Finalizing the budget last night, Mayor Larry DeVilbiss vetoed 13 line items. After approximately five hours of discussion with the Assembly, five vetoes remain. The cuts in the proposed Borough Budget will result in real tax savings to Borough residents.

Deleted from next year’s budget are the Borough’s $20,000 contribution to Youth Court, a $15,000 viewing tower at Reflections Lake, and $200,000 slated for trail improvements. Mayor DeVilbiss is in favor of funding trail improvements via bed taxes and volunteerism.

More significantly, reducing the Borough’s Capital and Emergency Response Reserves by $2.4 million will result in lowering the final mill levy to 8.991. Last year’s mill rate was 9.956. (A mill levy is the number of dollars a taxpayer pays for every $1,000 of assessed value on property.) This reduction also achieves the mayor’s initial goal of reducing the budget by 10 percent.

The cities of Palmer, Wasilla, and Houston benefited by the Assembly overriding veto number 8; they each will be receiving Block Grants of $59,227, $72,089, and $25,000, respectively. Block grants are for the cities to use as they see fit, typically they’re used for libraries.