Assembly overrides mayor’s vetoes, spends all the way to cap

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The Anchorage Assembly, on a vote of 9-2 Friday afternoon, chose to override Mayor Dave Bronson’s budget vetoes, and instead pushed the city’s budget by nearly $2 million, all the way to the tax cap.

The Anchorage Assembly tax-and-spend majority authorized revenue amounts that are not certifiable to fund sources and exceed projections, according to the Municipal Finance Department, which informed the appropriating body of the fiscal hazard.

“I fundamentally disagree with this decision,” said Mayor Bronson.Spending in the Municipality ballooned 20% from 2016 to 2021, while our population declined by nearly 15,000 residents. We must reign in spending and put taxpayers first. I will continue fighting to make government more efficient, responsible, and accountable to the people of Anchorage. We simply cannot spend more than we have.”

The Assembly majority has not come to grips that they are spending more than is likely to come in though taxes and fees in the coming year, and that homeowners are already strained by the increases in property taxes.

The Assembly majority, during the special meeting, strenuously objected to the Finance Department’s assertion that the funding sources were not certifiable.

30 COMMENTS

  1. We took a $37.7M hit last year when the State didn’t provide the bond debt service funding. That’s a $37.7M non- discretionary funding hit.
    .
    And the assembly responds by INCREASING spending?
    .
    April can’t come soon enough

  2. Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’
    “Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as their manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’
    And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly “. . ..” [Luke 16:1-8a. NRSV]

    • And the assembly will assume just that, while they enslave the entire population of your city. People who might have the means to pay taxes will move out to the Valley to escape them, further degrading your revenue base. Liberals never think of that.

      • Rich Thorne: Do you really think anyone would voluntarily move to the Valley to avoid paying an extra couple hundred bucks? Have you ever BEEN to Wasilla?

  3. Claw Back:
    Sorry Dave, you lose again
    Assembly steals more from the pan
    Hard to see you getting your way
    When the pros come out to play
    While taxpayers assume more of the pain

    Looks like they can’t help themself
    Gonna keep stealing from the shelf
    Takin’ all that ain’t nailed down
    Bleedin’ the tax base of Anchortown
    Pity you have to fight by yourself

    Hope the electorate turns it around
    To get us back on solid ground
    Maybe you can get a win
    And stop taking it on the chin
    Keep it up and don’t back down

  4. Typical Democrats. Reality is not part of their logic. They are driven by an emotional need to look magnanimous with all of that public money, without any accountability to the folks who pay the bills. A very false thought process that is usually derived from mental illness.

      • It’s even fun… But responsibility to those paying is always avoided. Vote ’em out Anchorage, before you die from debt and overtaxation exhaustion.

    • I beg to differ, this is not emotional, it is irrational and criminally deviant behavior that disregards the law and the people they are supposed to represent. This is a nationwide agenda in Democrat controlled Cities and States. It is an organized opposition to constitutional government. The Marxists are deliberately trying to destroy our savings and retirement through destruction of the dollar. To be fair, it is not just Democrats. Just look at RINOS like Mitch McConnell and Murkowski in the Senate, who lead an effort to give the communists like Chuck Schumer everything they needed by raising the debt ceiling by a simple majority vote. They no longer care what the average American thinks and have no respect for the Constitution. Folks, politics as usual is destroying your children’s future. If you want this to end, you must get involved in the process and either run for office, or be prepared to support every conservative person that is bold enough to run against their machine. America has an honor deficit, where the people running for office are actually running for themselves and not the welfare of Americans. We have the ability to right this ship but it will take all hands on deck. You can start by spending your time and or money on good candidates like Kelly Tshibaka for Senate and Chris Kurka for Governor. Chris is the only candidate running with an Election Audit of Alaska on his platform. You want to know how some of these Marxist candidates get in office? Voter fraud!

    • We would, but mail in voting allows them to generate the votes they need to overcome the will of the voters.

  5. Just sent this to our newly married adult daughter who just purchased first home in Anchorage this year – relocated from valley due to employment. I pray more residents are paying attention to these antics. You will all see property taxes going up.

  6. If the assembly continues to back the mayor into a corner, his only option will be to reduce the city workforce through layoffs.

  7. Kennedy and Allard voted against. Duh. For what it’s worth, they voted for the original budget, which was passed unanimously

    • I did, but let’s be honest we all knew what was coming. I support fiscal conservative spending and fully aware of what was coming down the pipe. I support the administration and Ms. Kennedy and I communicate often with the administration.

  8. It’s all about spending every dime you have to demand more the following year.
    Without taxing to the cap they don’t get the automatic 3% increase (I believe it to be)the following year.
    Liberals are still so bitter about Dan Sullivan not taxing to the cap. A couple years in a row without an additional 3% will eventually add up to real money.

    • Why not? Spend all the money (especially if you don’t have it). Then blame Bronson when the consequences inevitably rear their ugly heads. At least the mayor is on record being against this out of control spending.

  9. Has anyone ever known and spoke with at length a true, dyed in the wool Liberal? I had the pleasure (or displeasure) of having some lengthy discussions with one from San Fran. Wow, no knowledge of the outside world, thinks money and batteries grow on trees, and unlimited electricity comes from our walls. A real eye opener. Of course, the USA is responsible for all the pollution while the rest of the world is a green utopia suffering because of us.

    • Jim Collman: Statistically, a sample size of one is insufficient to justify claims about the attributes of a larger cohort. If you want to double your sample size, let’s chat!

  10. Usually the “elected” do what is desired by the politically sovereign people in the community. Very odd that this is not the case in Anchorage.

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