April 2002
Our next meeting is Thursday April 18 at 7:00 pm in the O'Malley Elementary School Gym.
Agenda
O'Malley Elementary
Multi Purpose Room
April 18, 2002
It's time to speak up as a council!
A key role of Anchorage's Community Councils is to voice an opinion on city issues that impact our area.
We have before us this month three issues on which our areas' opinion has been requested. Typically a brief presentation on the issue is given. A resolution is proposed and a vote is taken. The resolution is then sent to the Mayor, the Anchorage Assembly and relevant boards or commissions.
COASTAL TRAIL EXTENSION There is a bill in front of the state house regarding the wildlife refuge and the extension of the coastal trail that might go through it. House Bill 474 - could effectively allow the legislature to choose the route. Representative Joe Green's bill would require approval by the legislature of any route through the refuge. For the details go to http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis and key in " HB474."
Mike Jens has been working hard to see the trail through and is afraid this Bill would scuttle any route below the bluff. Mike would like to present a resolution to the council that would lend support for the coastal trail extension without the state legislature's involvement.
While this trail is outside of our immediate area, it is an issue of city-wide concern. Thumbs up or thumbs down? Come to this meeting and make your choice.
TERRACE ESTATES In last month's newsletter, we presented information on the proposal to rezone the sand pit on the east side of Lake Otis between O'Malley and Huffman. The rezone requests housing density far greater than the surrounding neighborhoods. The rezone also includes a "Residential/Office" zoning that allows commercial development.
While this could be a great development, the rezone sets a precedent that could be used elsewhere in the Hillside area. There are a few tracts of land in our area that could be rezoned and developed in ways we may not like. Think about what it means to live on the Hillside. Is it compatible with areas of high density housing?
We'll consider a resolution drafted by the Rabbit Creek Community Council that seeks to delay this project until the Hillside District Plan is completed. The resolution will be posted at the council's website before the meeting www.communitycouncils.org/hillside/issues.htm
So what's your choice? Should this project get a special break or should we insist that the Municipality stick to the prevailing plans? It's time for our council to state it's position.
MORE LIGHTS ON THE SKI TRAILS? Hillside Park has about 6 kilometers of lit ski trails. These trails are enjoyed by more people every year. Casual skiers, training groups and the bustling Junior Nordic program all share these busy trails.
The Junior Nordic program has evening meetings at the new Trailside Elementary School next to Service high. The trail connecting Trailside to the Hillside trail system is not lit. Pete Mjos has been working to put lights on this trail. Pete has asked for our support for the new lights.
While many people ski under the lights, it is not a universal preference. A nighttime ski under the stars and moonlight can cleanse the soul. Street lights on the trails spread light pollution to the surrounding area. There are those who feel that the lights are not compatible with a natural park.
So what's the mood of the council? Should we support installation of new lights or leave things as they are? Vote at this meeting and enlighten our elected representatives!
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So what is City Government costing you? The general operating budget divided by the total assessed value of property in the MOA equals the mil rate x 1,000.
Using the real numbers (Careful, these are big, lift with your legs!): $158,844,420/ $17,821,600,651 = .0089 x 1000= 8.9. Add to that the school district mil rate of 7.65 for an average mil rate of 16.55 for an Anchorage property owner. That works out to a property tax of $1,655 for every $100,000 of assessed value.
Last year's mil rate was 9.26. This year we got about a $67 REDUCTION on a $185,00 average home from the 2001 tax bill. (Wow! That'll pay for a couple park bonds with room to spare!) Rates vary slightly from one taxing district to another across the city and if you've paid your Community Council dues, add $3!
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Council Boundaries At this point, the change in our area has the Mid-Hillside CC encompassing the area bound by Ruth Arcand Park, 104th Ave, Birch and Abbott. Some areas in town have more contentious boundary battles going on. For the details see www.communitycouncils.org/boundaries/boundaries.htm ______________________________________________________
Redrawing State legislative district boundaries The State Supreme Court overturned the plan adopted by the redistricting board. The Mayor has posted maps on the MOA web site this week and sent a letter to the Board alerting them to the maps and his recommendations.
The Assembly passed a resolution stating those maps are not an official local opinion and that they do not reflect the greatest possible representation for Anchorage. Take a look at the maps at ww.muni.org
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Whoops ... the survey announced last month is not in the mail! Watch for the Council's survey in April instead! The survey is going to every resident and landowner in our council area. That's about 5,000 addresses! The survey is only a couple pages and will cost you just 34c to send back.
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Abbott town center charette As this is being written, a crew of planners from Oregon is working frantically designing a layout and drawing designs for a "Town Center" at the curve on Abbott west of Lake Otis. If the city pulls this off, it will be a really nice area.
A pointed comment by one of the planners was that the only consistent theme in Anchorage's current housing developments is that we must hate trees.
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