Mat-Su Assembly refers proposed pay ordinance to salaries commission for review

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly voted March 18 to refer proposed ordinance 25-047, a measure that would change compensation for the mayor and assembly, to the Commission on Salaries and Emoluments for further review.

Assemblymember Maxwell Sumner moved to place the ordinance in the referrals section and later moved that it be referred to the Commission on Salaries and Emoluments. The assembly approved the referral; the clerk recorded that Assemblymembers Stephanie Nowers and Tim Hale opposed the referral.

The referral sends the proposal to the commission — the citizen body that files periodic recommendations on elected-official pay — for an extended review period. Assembly staff told members that the commission meets periodically and is required by borough code to provide recommendations every two years; the commission’s report is generally timed to the borough budget cycle.

Supporters of sending the measure to the salaries commission said the subject of elected-official compensation is best handled by a neutral advisory body. Sumner said he wanted to avoid a perception that the assembly was acting to set its own pay directly. Opponents argued the assembly should not delay or should handle the request itself; a few members said they opposed referring the measure to the commission.

The issue drew public comment during the meeting’s audience participation period. Bruce Owens, introduced himself as a resident, questioned the size of the increase mentioned in previous drafts and urged the assembly to show where funding for a large raise would come from. “A $32,100 increase in pay — where’s that money coming from?” Owens asked. The transcript shows Owens said the package was a “part-time position” and urged members to consider residents who are “barely getting by.”

What happens next: the ordinance is now with the Commission on Salaries and Emoluments. If the commission makes a recommendation the assembly may consider it at a future meeting; the clerk said commission recommendations are timed around the budget process. No final compensation change has been enacted by the assembly as of March 18.

Votes and procedural notes: the assembly’s referral to the Commission on Salaries and Emoluments was approved by the body; the clerk recorded that Assemblymembers Stephanie Nowers and Tim Hale voted in opposition.