Gov. Dunleavy would like to spend $2.4 million to establish another trooper post in the Mat-Su Borough. Why should the state fund this?
Police coverage in the borough is almost non-existent. For instance, the Wasilla Police Department has 28 officers serving a city of over 8,000, according to the city’s website. Funded through sales tax and other city fees, the WPD only covers the actual city limits, which is a small area in the town center. Palmer has approximately 16 officers that serve an estimated population of 5,000. With an estimated population of over 115,000, the borough does not provide coverage for almost 90% of the population.
What fills the gap? The Alaska State Troopers. A department that is struggling to hire, has been short-staffed for quite a few years and has all but abandoned many villages due to staff shortages.
If you were to compare the property tax burden to that of someone in Anchorage, using a $300,000 assessed property, the Mat-Su Borough property owners are being subsidized to the amount of around $1,000 annually.
It is long overdue for the Mat-Su Borough to provide, and foot the bill, for their own law enforcement coverage.
— John Bruns, Anchorage
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