The next Anchorage budget comes in $12 million under the tax cap, according to documents obtained from Mayor Dave Bronson’s office.
It is a conservative budget in an era of high inflation. The property taxes to be collected — a different matter from the tax cap — is $2.4 million less than in 2023. Every property taxpayer — house or commercial, would pay less property taxes, unless the liberal Anchorage Assembly adds back in spending.
The budget makes these cuts through efficiencies, not by cutting services.
The budget prioritizes safety, with no staff reductions in the fire and police departments. It adds $1.5 million for snow removall, and $132,000 for safety and OSHA compliance. The budget routes $250,000 of alcohol tax to education for Best Beginnings, and about the same amount to early childhood education grants.
Anchorage Senior Center received a slight bump of $50,000, as the center has not had a budget increase in several years.
The deadline for submitting the budget was 5 pm Oct. 1, and now the Assembly will study it and hold public hearings before returning its version back to the mayor with their individual amendments. The mayor can line-item veto additional spending but he is far outnumbered by a liberal supermajority.
“I conducted thorough reviews of each department’s budget and realized spending efficiencies,” Bronson said. “This review allowed us to improve government spending processes and brought us to a budget that is $2.4 million less than my proposed budget for 2023.”
He said that with the high cost of living, taxpayers need a break.
Thanks Bronson!!! … Indeed, us Taxpayers need a break and Thank You for exercising conservative values and decisions. Maybe next year, go for a bigger cut and a smaller mill rate … :).
Mayor B needs to make sure our streets don’t end up like they did last winter. Mayer B needs to fix the homeless problem like he campaigned on two years ago. I’ll be waiting to see how he does this with less money. My guess is things will continue to get worse. Thanks Mayor B!
Those problems will get fixed over a ten-year to 15 year old period of Anchorage voters including Democrats voting for more conservative candidates over their preferred favorite as well as more conservatives being supported to takeover council leadership positions. And us doing the daily tasks raising GenZ better starting with our own children to be live better. Doesn’t help Mayor Bronson must work through a Cantankerous Assembly and its cantankerous supporters.
And spending less money is always better like I personally am better off when I spend less money heheheheheh
The Mayor has been trying to fix the homeless problem but our assembly gets in the way and fights against everything that the Mayor tries to do.
You are correct Jeff. Nixing the 20 Million dollar tent by the Native Hospital. Probably a coincidence that the savings amount to about what the new proposed budget saves.
OMG!!!!! Our government, wheather federal state or local have been spending like a bunch of drunken sailor’s! Nothing is better! It’s high time for a different approach. One with some accountability. Time to reign them in Mayor Bronson and we support you 100 percent!
You pay no state taxes and as a whole (assuming you live in Alaska) pay the least amount of taxes in the U.S. – but it’s never enough. The state even pays you to live here. So American.
The state even pays us to live here? What are you know that Alaskans don’t know? I am amazed at how well lefties can keep repeating the same lies over and over and over and over and say it as if they mean it.
Wrong. They have been taxing every man, woman and child through pfd theft. It’s called taxation without representation.
That $1.5 million for snow removal must’ve had you in mind, Brian. Wouldn’t it be great if the mayor took his responsibility seriously and bought us all shovels?
Surely, our forefathers got things grievously wrong when they presumed that governments are instituted among men for reasons other than snow removal and dealing with “the homeless problem.”
Mayor B has been shot down multiple times on fixing homelessness by the liberal ‘homeless industrial complex’ Asssmbly members who have no true intention on fixing homelessness until they carry out ‘their’ seemingly secret agenda to increase the population of those who no longer desire to fit into normal society, ie them that practice their own form of lawlessness.
It would be nice if the article included some description on what has been cut from the budget—without that, this is just a press release from the Bronson campaign.
Larson- that’s probably why you had noticed it’s just a press release or proposal, the leftist assembly will add much of what would save taxpayers and add some.
What is needed is Prayer that God opens some voters hearts to be voting more conservatively for next 15 years to change leadership and the style of good governance. 15 years my daughter will be 25. It looks like a long time away but it’s really a short time.
Municipal assesors of property values do not take into account the tremendous expense in maintaining aging buildings which is almost impossible for many owners who deserve a tax break which cannot come at a better time with persistant runaway inflation thats eating away at the economy.
Yes, it’s eating us all alive!
You property is most likely assessed at 70-80% of what your property is worth.
Wrong again mine has climbed 70k in accesd value in 7 years. Guess you don’t live in MOA.
I am unaware of any location in the US where the property is taxed at full valuation or 100 percent of the valuation is taxed. Can you identify a place where the full valuation is taxed at the full mill rate?
Good luck. The lefties will scream.
We. Need. 50 more city leaders like Bronson.
Brian,
I will sell you my property for 80%of my property tax value.
My 1953 Spenard 900 sq ft is quarter of a million . Let me know . Bring cash because bake will not finance.
Can’t wait for the assembly to add in discretionary gay Weimar stuff and raise property taxes
The loony leftists on the Assembly will undoubtedly attempt to write a narrative that says the poor downtrodden and of course children will all somehow die tragic deaths because there’s less….. money, even though there’s no loss of services. You can bet your last dollar they’re going to cry foul.
Thank you Mayor Bronson.
The Assembly will spend to the cap and Bronson will proclaim that he would be a great Mayor if it was not for those nasty progressives
Oh “Frank”…
And he might be right.
You’re on quite the roll lately. HuffPost or Daily Kos close?
And, he will be 100% correct about that.
Tell me, Frank (if that is your real name), why in the world would you want your city spending more of the tax dollars they steal from you than they have to?
The job of the assessor is to value property for January 1 of each year. Market is the driving force of real property value.
How about fixing Solid Waste. Better yet allow competetion and end the Solid Waste monopoly.
What do you mean? There are several other trash disposal companies out there in Anchorage. Aside from Solid Waste Services who contract with/are Alaska Waste, there is Northern Waste as well as Denali Disposal and Arctic Refuse.
Every one of those companies will pick up your trash. That means there ain’t no monopoly with Solid Waste Services.
Do you want another landfill that is owned and operated by a private company?
Or you can do like I do, and take my own trash to the dump as needed. Or utilize the free dumpsters on the Kenai Peninsula when traveling through there. During the summer months, there are several at the Hope junction. There are also free dump sites in Cooper Landing or Moose Pass/Crown Point that I believe are open year round.
Thank you Mayor Bronson
So are the Mayor’s legal expenses and/or possible judgement/settlement associated with Amy Demboski’s lawsuit included in this budget, or if the Mayor’s former #2 prevails, will that be added to our property tax bills later?
Thank You Mayor Bronson.
Sadly the reason the Anch. A$$embly doesn’t want the homeless situation fixed is because they are making way to much money from it.
What is the Mayor going to do about all the vacant positions? Does the budget address the hiring issues?
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