Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the provisions of AS 29.05.110 and 29.05.120, an election will be held in the proposed Second Class City of Big Lake on October 27, 2015 to determine:

Ballot Questions: 

1. Shall Big Lake be incorporated as a second class city?
2. Shall the City of Big Lake be authorized to levy a 3.09 mill property tax?  (This property tax will, in effect, take the place of certain property taxes currently levied by the borough in the area proposed for incorporation for (1) the Big Lake Roads RSA #21 tax, and (2) the non-areawide property tax for economic development, libraries and animal care. Approval of this proposition is a condition for incorporation.  Voters must authorize the City of Big Lake to levy a 3.09 mill property tax in order for incorporation to occur.
3. The composition of the city council.  If a majority of voters approves each of the two questions above, the City of Big Lake will be governed by a seven member city council elected at large.  The mayor of the City of Big Lake will be elected by and from the city council.

The election will be conductedby mail on October 27, 2015 and will be under the administration and supervision of the Director of Elections. The proposed city is to be named the City of Big Lake.  The boundaries ordered for the proposed city are those as stated by the Local Boundary Commission in its Decision dated July 16, 2015.

Candidates for the office of city council member must be qualified voters and must reside within the boundaries of the proposed City of Big Lake. Individuals seeking office on the initial city council and desiring to have their name appear on the ballot must file nominating petitions in the form prescribed by the Director of Elections. The petitions must include the name and address of the nominee and a statement of the nominee that the nominee is qualified under the provisions of Title 29 for the office that is sought.  Petitions must include the signature and resident address of 10 voters in the area of the proposed city, per AS 29.05.120(c).

Nominating petitions will be available beginning August 10, 2015 and may be filed with the Division of Elections beginning August 10, 2015 through August 28, 2015.  Signed petitions must be received by the Director of Elections no later than 5:00 p.m.on August 28, 2015.  Petitions may be faxed, mailed or delivered in person. Petitions may be mailed to the Division of Elections, P.O. Box 110017, Juneau, AK 99811-0017 or delivered in person to the Matanuska-Susitna Elections office or any elections office listed below. Original nominating petitions that are mailed or faxed must be postmarked or dated, respectively, by August 28, 2015 and received no later than September 4, 2015.

Any person who is a qualified voter that has been registered to vote within the proposed City of Big Lake since July 1, 2015 (30 days before the date of this election order) may vote in this election, per AS 29.05.110(b).

A notice of the election will be mailed to each qualified registered voter on August 3, 2015.  Ballots will be mailed to qualified registered voters on or before October 5, 2015.

The election will be conducted in the general manner as prescribed by the Alaska Election Code and will be conducted by mail in accordance with AS 15.20.800, 6 AAC 25.590 and 6 AAC 27.150 - 27.165.  There will be no polling place open for regular in-person voting on Election Day. An Absentee Voting Official will be available for absentee in-person voting beginning October 12, 2015 through Election Day, Monday through Friday at the Matanuska-Susitna Elections Office, North Fork Professional Building, 1700 East Bogard Road, Suite B102, from 8:00a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Monday through Friday at the City of Houston Clerk’s Office, 13878 W. Armstrong Rd., Houston, AK, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Absentee ballots may also be voted in-person at any of the election offices listed below.

Dated this 11th day of August, 2015

_____/S/______

Lauri Wilson

Acting Director