What you need to know:

• The Mat-Su Assembly approved adding two members each to the Meadow Lakes and Gold Trail Road Service Area (RSA) boards, expanding them from three to five members despite ongoing struggles to fill volunteer positions across the borough. 
• Critics argued the expansion may hinder board functionality, as more members require a higher quorum. Assembly member Ron Bernier said the change was requested by citizens in his district. 
• RSA boards advise borough officials on road maintenance and monitor road contractor performance. Similar boards exist for fire service areas. Bernier originally proposed similar changes to a total of RSA boards, but current board members said they do not want the change and were not consulted about the proposal. 

PALMER – A resolution approved by the Mat-Su Assembly on Tuesday increases the total membership on two of the region's road advisory boards, even as similar boards across the area struggle to function because they cannot find enough volunteers.

The measure adds two members to the Road Service Area boards for Meadow Lakes and an area known as Gold Trail, which includes Schrock Road. The change brings the total number of members on each board from three to five.

Mat-Su's 16 Road Service Area boards provide input to borough officials on maintenance needs and monitor whether individual contractors are doing acceptable work, according to borough code.

A similar set of boards helps oversee emergency response in the borough's seven Fire Service Areas. Road maintenance and fire protection in the Mat-Su are funded by property taxes, with rates varying by region.

The additional member slots for the two RSA boards will give more residents a way to weigh in on road conditions and proposed updates in those areas, said Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly member Ron Bernier, who sponsored the proposal.

But some critics warned the change could cripple the boards because of ongoing problems with limited confirmed volunteers and low meeting attendance faced by boards across Mat-Su.

State rules require a quorum for official meetings, which can only be held after a public notice period. This means that five-member boards cannot meet or conduct business unless at least three members are present, while three-member boards require two members to be present. Many current boards struggle to meet that benchmark or keep members on their rolls, borough officials said.

Five of Mat-Su's 16 RSA boards and five of its seven fire boards are currently short one member, while one of each board is completely vacant, with no members, according to a borough report presented to the assembly this week.

A separate measure also approved Tuesday reduced the membership of the RSA that oversees Knik Road from five to three members because all seats are currently vacant. That board's membership was first increased to five in 2023, Borough Attorney Nick Spiropoulos said, but the additional seats were never filled.

A resolution approved by the Assembly last month asks the state to let local governments decide whether their advisory boards may be exempt from open meeting rules.

Bernier's original proposal called for membership increases for six boards throughout his district, which stretches north from Meadow Lakes and includes a large, mostly rural portion of the borough. Increases were proposed for the Trapper Creek, Talkeetna, Caswell Lakes, Willow, Meadow Lakes and Gold Trail RSAs.

But the plan was scaled back to include only Meadow Lakes and Gold Trail because no new members applied for openings on the other four boards, and because current members of those boards and related community councils said they had not been consulted and did not support the change.

Borough officials said applications were submitted Tuesday for the newly added seats on the Gold Trail board. A number of applicants previously applied for the new seats on the Meadow Lakes board and will be contacted about the seats, they said.

About a dozen members of Road Service Area boards or community councils in Bernier's district have attended or called into Assembly meetings to speak out about the change since it was first introduced in February. They said Bernier has not attended their meetings or asked for their input.

Bernier said he has attended some of their meetings in person or via Zoom. In one case, he traveled to attend a meeting only to find it had been canceled, he said.

Bernier said citizens in his district requested the RSA membership change. None of those residents spoke in favor of the measure Tuesday.

The Assembly approved the plan in a 4-3 vote, with Assembly members Bill Gamble, Tim Hale and Stephanie Nowers voting no. Nowers' district includes Palmer, Hale's includes Butte and Sutton, and Gamble's includes Big Lake and part of the Meadow Lakes RSA. Gamble said Bernier did not consult him on the proposal.

Individuals interested in joining an RSA or FSA can see a full list of boards on the borough’s website or fill out an application.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com