Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly approves several FY2026 budget amendments, continues deliberations to May 13

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly on May 8 considered Ordinance 25-25, the borough—s FY2026 spending plan, and approved a set of targeted amendments while postponing final adoption until a continuation on May 13.

The assembly approved $75,000 for a repeat firearms-safety training program for residents, $30,000 to fund disc-golf facility improvements at the Alcountra/Alcatra (Alcountra) sports complex, a $63,910 increase to convert a seasonal community-cleanup position into a full-time coordinator, a $48,000 walking-trail project behind the Willow Library, and a $530,000 transfer from the land-management permanent fund to buy and make safety improvements to the Big Lake Recreation Center. Several other proposed budget changes, including proposals to cut the borough—s local education contribution and to fund meeting-room acoustics at the Willow Library, failed.

Why it matters: The package of amendments shifts how the borough spends property-tax and dedicated non-area-wide dollars across parks and recreation, public safety training, and code-compliance/community-cleanup work. Assembly members debated the tradeoffs between keeping a larger undesignated fund balance, making these one-time investments or staffing upgrades, and the borough—s share of school funding. Several votes were split and several amendments were adopted even after attempts to reduce their amounts.

What the assembly approved and rejected

Votes at a glance (selected amendments and motions considered May 8, 2025) - Amendment 5 (firearms safety training) — Passed. Motion text read into the record: increase an area-wide non-departmental transfer and add a capital project of $75,000 to provide firearms safety training to residents; "This project will decrease the proposed fund balance and will not increase the mill rate." Assembly attempted a secondary amendment to reduce the amount to $50,000; the reduction failed and the $75,000 amendment ultimately passed.

- Amendment 6 (Mat-Su Disc Golf Association capital project) — Passed. Motion text read into the record: increase the area-wide non-departmental transfer appropriation by $30,000 and add a capital project "Mat Su Disc Golf Association grant for $30,000 to be used for obtaining contracted services for disc golf…