Alaska’s Local Boundary Commission will meet next month to either approve, amend or deny the City of Soldotna’s petition to annex 2.63 square miles of territory around the existing city limits.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on Oct. 20 at 10 a.m. and will be a continuation of an Aug. 5 meeting that ended before a decision was made.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will be held virtually via Zoom video conferencing. Members of the public can join the meeting using the following Meeting ID and passcode:

Meeting ID: 836 7575 5579

Passcode: 113582

People can also call in to the meeting at 1-669-900-9128.

The Local Boundary Commission can either approve, amend or deny the petition at the Oct. 20 meeting. If approved, the decision will be submitted to the state Legislature within the first 10 days of the next regular session. If the Legislature takes no action on the Local Boundary Commission’s decision within 45 days, the boundary changes will automatically go into effect.

After a decision is made by LBC, the public has 18 days to request reconsideration of the decision. The Local Boundary Commission then has 30 days to decide, on its own, whether to reconsider. If reconsideration is granted, the petitioner or respondent has 10 days to file a brief.

The staff of the Local Boundary Commission issued its final report on the Soldotna annexation petition on July 20. In that report, the Local Boundary Commission staff recommended approval of the petition, saying that the petition met the standards for annexation.

“The proposal captures sales and property tax revenue within this area while adding to the residential population and expanding essential services for that population,” the final report states.

In its petition, the city has proposed to annex five areas bordering existing city limits that would add up to 2.63 square miles of additional territory within the city.

The preliminary report by LBC staff received six public comments, including from Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce and the City of Soldotna. None of the comments received were explicitly in favor of the annexation petition, according to the final report.

The final report, as well as all other documents and comments related to the annexation petition, can be found online in the Local Boundary Commission’s list of current and past petitions.

Reach reporter Brian Mazurek at bmazurek@peninsulaclarion.com.