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The Alliance of Concerned Taxpayers is seeking to ensure the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly term limits passed in 2007 remain valid through 2011.

ACT submitted 140 petition books with more than 2,700 signatures to the borough clerk last week. Once the clerk verifies at least 1,736 signatures are legitimate, the petition becomes certified and placed on the October ballot.

"It was an extremely easy initiative to get the signatures," said Mike McBride, ACT spokesperson. "The public wants term limits, that's the bottom line."

McBride said ACT collected 2,764 signatures in less than four weeks.

Should voters approve term limits, the assembly won't be able to repeal or adjust term length for two years. State statue prevents assembly changes to the initiative for two years following voter approval.

The term limits allow for an assembly member to serve for no more than two consecutive terms. After sitting out for one three-year term, the member could then run for office again.

McBride said the public is fed up with "business as usual" in the borough. With the same members being elected each time, nothing changes, he said.

The power of incumbency is too strong to vote assembly members out of office, he said. New faces bring new, fresh ideas to the assembly, he said.

"This has been voted on by the public three times and every time it's passed," McBride said. "It's a real popular idea."

He said ACT is committed to keeping term limits in place for the assembly, and suspects the initiative may have to be submitted again in the future.

"If we have to do it every two years, we will," he said.

Mike Nesper can be reached at mike.nesper@peninsulaclarion.com.