The sign outside Soldotna City Hall is seen here on July 16, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

The sign outside Soldotna City Hall is seen here on July 16, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna City Council amendment to decrease levy for property taxes fails

It will remain at 0.50 mills.

After a lengthy discussion at Soldotna City Hall on Wednesday, the Soldotna City Council vote to amend the rate of levy for property taxes to zero for the 2022 fiscal year failed in a motion of three to two.

Because of the failure to amend, the rate will remain at 0.50, effective immediately.

State law requires the city to set the rate of mill levy before June 15 every year.

Council member Dave Carey motioned to set the rate at zero, stating that he’d like to see a two-year moratorium on property taxes.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“This past year has placed many, if not all, residents of Soldotna at a significant disadvantage,” Carey said during the meeting. “I believe that if we let city residents spend their property tax money, they’ll do it in local businesses where the city will collect additional sales tax.”

The council was unsure of the legality of a moratorium on property taxes, so Carey motioned for a zero rate as a placeholder.

He and council member Justin Ruffridge, who were in the minority at the time of the vote, both advocated to set the rate of levy for property taxes at zero mills.

“I think overall I’m in support of eliminating property tax,” Ruffidge said during the discussion. “I’m undecided at this moment but I think overall I’m in support of this concept.”

Carey and Ruffridge were met with opposition from other council members.

Council member Lisa Parker said she was not in support of the amendment.

“Once you eliminate a tax it is very different to put a tax back in place,” she said. “I haven’t heard objection from property owners that the city property taxes are exorbitant and we need to make changes.”

Echoing her concerns was council member Linda F. Hutchings. She said the rate of levy for one of her properties in north Kenai is almost 12, and Girdwood has its rate set at over 13.

“This .50 to is a placeholder and I think we just need to keep it,” Hutchings said.

In the end, council members opposed to the amendment — Hutchings, Parker and Jordan Chilson — were in the majority.

The council will reassess the rate of levy for property taxes in the city of Soldotna again next year, but for now it will remain at 0.50.

Reach reporter Camille Botello at camille.botello@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Council member Jordan Chilson speaks during a Soldotna City Council work session in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna council mulls change to meeting time

Meetings would be moved from 6 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. under a resolution set to be considered on June 25.

Mountain View Elementary School is photographed on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Mountain View vandalized by children, police say

Staff who arrived at the school on Monday found significant damage, according to police.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress 4th grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy vetoes education funding to $500 BSA increase

Per-student funding was increased by $700 in an education bill passed by the Alaska Legislature in May.

The entrance to the Kenai Peninsula Job Center is seen here in Kenai, Alaska on April 15, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion file)
Minimum wage increases to $13 per hour on July 1

Since 2014, Alaska’s minimum wage has increased from $7.75 to $11.91 through the Alaska Wage and Hour Act.

Leads for the Sterling Safety Corridor Improvements Project field questions and showcase their “preferred design” during an open house meeting at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Preferred design alternative for Sterling Highway safety corridor introduced at town hall

The project is intended to redesign and construct improvements to the highway to reduce the number of fatal and serious collisions.

Alaska State Troopers badge. File photo
Recovered remains confirmed to be missing Texas boaters; fourth set of remains found

Remains were recovered from the vessel sank that in Kachemak Bay last August.

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent Clayton Holland speaks during a meeting of the KPBSD Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
KPBSD issues notice of non-retention to pool managers, theater techs and library aides

Those notices were issued due to the ongoing uncertainty in state education funding.

National Guard members put on hazmat suits before entering the simulation area on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Natalie Buttner / Juneau Empire)
National Guard begins exercise in Juneau simulating foreign terrorist attacks

Operation ORCA brings 100 personnel to Juneau, disrupts traffic around Capitol.

Most Read