The City of Soldotna is providing more information for residents on Proposition 1. A by-mail question and answer flier will be sent to anyone registered to vote within city limits.
The city will be adopting local financial disclosure requirements if approved by voters on the Regular Election Ballot on Oct. 7.
At the Wednesday City Council meeting, Pete Sprague suggested and the council unanimously approved three amendments made to the flier presented by city clerk Shellie Saner.
The 12-question document was originally titled “Localizing Financial Disclosure Reporting Requirements,” but “and Modifying” was added to the title to account for revisions that would make the disclosures specific to Soldotna, Sprague said.
Sprague also wanted the information to properly reflect how many municipalities within Alaska have elected to opt out of the state filing system. The Alaska Public Offices Commission lists 122 communities that have adopted and developed local financial disclosures for public officials, Saner said.
“As a whole it’s very informative and it does a good job illustrating the nuances of the issue,” member Keith Baxter said.
Mayor Nels Anderson said he felt the document was dry and not very readable, and wanted to reiterate that the purpose of change would be to encourage more eligible candidates to apply for local government positions.
The number of applicants for local commissions and those looking to involve themselves in the public process has diminished, Dixson said in a previous Clarion interview. He attributes this to the overwhelming availability of financial records.
“Quite frankly I think it has a chilling effect on people wanting to get involved,” Dixson said in a previous Clarion interview. “It can have a detrimental effect on those people who do get involved.”
Kelly Sullivan can be reached at kelly.sullivan@peninsulaclarion.com
