THE ANCHORAGE DAILY PLANET
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and the Anchorage Assembly are planning a series of town hall meetings to talk about “new revenue options” to address the city’s fiscal situation.
The “options,” of course, are taxes: A 5 percent retail alcohol sales tax that would raise as much as $15 million annually and a 3 percent across-the-board sales tax to generate something like $375 million over five years for capital projects.
On the municipal website, the Assembly says:
“State funding to the MOA has dropped by $100M since 2005. As state aid to communities continues to decline, and the need and cost for maintaining local government services and facilities continues, the Municipality is looking to other possible revenue streams to bridge the gap.”
Each tax measure, it should be noted, requires that voters at the same time also approve an exemption to the city charter’s provision requiring a 60 percent vote for adoption of a sales tax. The proposed taxes already are set for a public hearing and vote at the regular Assembly meeting of Tuesday, January 14.
To get on the ballot, each proposal would require “yes” votes from eight Assembly members.
The town halls are scheduled: Jan. 7, 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the Loussac Library, Wilda Marston Theatre; Jan. 8, 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the Chugiak High School Auditorium; and, Jan. 9, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at the Girdwood Community Room in Girdwood.
It is bothersome that barely eight months after voters nixed the idea of changing the charter and imposing a 5 percent retail alcohol sales – despite outright bribery offers to the hospitality industry by some members of the Assembly – some on the Assembly are willing to try again. It is even more bothersome that the overall sales tax is being pushed by a shadowy group that – like the Recall Dunleavy effort – has not disclosed its backers or its funding and may never have to.
It is funny that in the talk about decreased state aid, and the “need and cost” of maintaining government services there is something glaringly missing:
Making spending equal revenues. Not much discussion about that. That is something Anchorage residents could bring up at the town halls.
