Elections in Alaska’s municipalities and boroughs are on Tuesday — except for Anchorage, of course, which votes in April.
In addition to lots of candidates vying for local mayor, assembly, council, and school board seats, there are interesting local propositions to consider. Some of them are:
BETHEL: Considering an increase on the alcohol tax from 12 to 15 percent. Some of that additional money will be used for social services.
FAIRBANKS CITY: Prop A would ban commercial pot establishments. Prop B would increase property taxes and allow the city to collect more than $1.7 million to make up for state revenue sharing which has dropped.
FAIRBANKS BOROUGH: Prop 1 would ban commercial pot establishments.
JUNEAU: Prop 1 extends the temporary additional 1 cent sales tax for repair and improve existing City and Borough of Juneau facilities. Prop 2 gives the CBJ more flexibility in awarding bids, to give a preference to local contractors.
KENAI BOROUGH: Prop 1 would ban the operation of commercial marijuana establishments outside borough cities. Prop 3 would increase the maximum amount of a sale subject to the sales tax to $1,000, except for residential rentals.
KETCHIKAN CITY: Prop 1 is to ban ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft from within city limits.
KETCHIKAN BOROUGH: Prop 1 is to tax marijuana an additional 5 percent in the borough.
PETERSBURG: Propositions to increase the sales tax exemption cap from $1,200 to $1,500, to permit off-road vehicles to be driven on roads on the island (with exceptions), and to ban fluoride in the borough’s water system.
TALKEETNA: Proposition B-1 is a three percent sales tax for the Talkeetna Sewer and Water Service Area.
DEMOCRATS GETTING THEIR FINGERS INTO LOCAL ELECTIONS
As reported over the weekend, we’re seeing the 24-hour reports at APOC and the Democrats are pouring money into local races that are typically “nonpartisan.”
ADN’s Nat Herz breaks it down even further and shows that the Democrats have a go-big ground game that involves hiring field personnel in targeted communities.