Unlike those seeking to defund the police, two Eagle River Assembly members and the president of the Alaska Black Caucus will work together to find the money to pay or equipment for Anchorage police, including body cameras and replacements for squad car camera systems.
Assembly members Jamie Allard and Crystal Kennedy, along with Alaska Black Caucus President Celeste Hodge Growden, are opposed to a proposed special tax levy on Anchorage private properties to pay for the equipment. They think there is a better way than to tax people at this time of economic stress.
The special tax is being proposed by Assembly members Forrest Dunbar, Meg Zaletel, John Weddleton, and Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Allard and Kennedy asked the Assembly to hold off on an ordinance that would have placed the additional property tax on the April ballot.
Allard believes the money should come from the alcohol tax and Hodge Growden believes this is the wrong time for a new tax. She said she is willing to search for grants to help pay for the equipment.
The group will need to come up with $3 million to fund the list that was proposed to go before taxpayers.
Hodge Growden was one of several people who testified Tuesday that this is not the time for new taxes. She reached out to Allard and Kennedy to see if the three women could work together, and on Thursday, they announced their plan to do so.
Any Taxes on Private owners needs to be only voted on by Property Owners. Other Citizens have no right to raise my property Taxes. You don’t like that I don’t care I’m tired of people who don’t pay property Taxes continually rising mine. My taxes have gone up every year and I’m sick and tired of it to Fn Bad
We should tax the 9 Anchorage assembly members to fund this.
Would you look at that – the consistently overruled and derided Eagle River Assembly members are making alliances and working to keep tax dollars down in the Muni. Those other members ought to listen well and take notes.
We sure don’t need another tax for something that is not a problem. Do what the police say when your in contact with them. You think people would learn by all the examples that if you resist arrest your going to not like the outcome.
I thought Alaska Black Caucus was racist when they told the Anchorage community only shop at Black owner businesses that Tuesday.
Also Celeste is a supportor of Berkowitz and democrats from her Facebook comments under the Muni mayor’s update videos in. July-September 2020. Then she was agianst the conservative comments, now she us linking up with conservatives elect leaders. Yup. I knew i was right about her, she only cares about herself as I told her in a comment. Power grabber.
They are correct in looking for funding elsewhere than another tax. This is an item that should come out of the police departments budget. Even though the equipment will be leased, there are ongoing costs with a lease.
No more taxes in the charade of this Assembly.
Reeducate the “perps” to the real world; justice. The police who protect us are far more valuable than the ’empathy’ drama composed by liberals.
Why not have something similar, available to the public after hours, in Anchorage School District classrooms?
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Might be interesting if taxpayers can see how ASD spends their money.
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