While I wrote previously that Acting Mayor Matt Claman would not return to the Assembly as chair a recent legal opinion from the Department of Law opines the opposite view, based in part on commentary associated with Anchorage’s charter. Reasonable minds might disagree but, since Mr. Claman has indicated that his first order of business upon his return in July would be election of a chair, an election in which he does not plan to stand, it seems an inconsequential point.
As we approach the May 5 mayoral run-off one of the issues at the fore is the question of taxes. One of the candidates has advanced the possibility of replacing Anchorage property taxes with a sales tax while the other rejects the idea. Part of the disagreement appears to stem from how a sales tax would be crafted (what items would be exempted, transaction caps, etc.) and what rate would therefore be required. Perhaps you’ve heard a sales tax of 6% would raise enough revenue to replace property taxes. If so, that assertion was probably based on work performed by Larry Persily back in 2005.
Tonight’s Assembly meeting is moving along at a not-too-glacial pace, in part because we delayed consideration of a few items to future meetings, and there’s hope we’ll get quite a few items completed by night’s end. One aspect I’ve enjoyed is the reappearance of three people from my past. To wit:
The Anchorage municipal election has come and gone, sort of, and those who follow local government could be forgiven for asking the question, “now what?” As it turns out, quite a bit.
By now readers are likely aware that the acting Mayor vetoed the Assembly’s version of the School District budget, thereby restoring the School Board‘s version and reversing a $3.8 million cut. (If you missed it here are links to the KTUU and ADN stories.) The move wasn’t exactly a surprise, given that I mused about it last week, but I’m more curious about the downstream effects.
Those of you who read the Anchorage Press are likely aware that the Alaska Press Club‘s 2009 “J-Week” is underway. The event, which brings together media folks from throughout Alaska to discuss the state of their industry and the trends affecting them, continues through Sunday. Among the events was a small Friday night party at the Press headquarters on Fifth Avenue to which I received an invitation (clearly a crossed wire on the electronic guest list).
After orchestrating a successful amendment reducing the Anchorage School District‘s budget by about $3.9 million I find myself in an interesting place. I’ve received several “thank you” e-mails from Anchorage residents who, previously, have been less than appreciative of my efforts on the Assembly. Yesterday Eddie Burke, whom I’ve known for many years, invited me to appear on his radio show for the first time. And a friend who spends far more time monitoring internet activity than me reported:
In my previous post I ruminated about what level of Anchorage School District spending the Assembly would be willing to approve for the coming year. I talked to Superintendent Carol Comeau over the weekend and, while she certainly doesn’t want to see ASD’s budget cut, she drew the same conclusions I did about the Assembly’s mood during the Friday work session.
On Friday, March 20, the Assembly held a joint work session with the Anchorage School Board, something we do roughly once a quarter. The primary topic of discussion was the proposed ASD budget, already approved by the School Board and scheduled before the Assembly at our March 24 meeting.
As I wrote back in January, one of the good aspects about things going wrong is the opportunity to improve upon mistakes. Last night’s Government Hill community council meeting was an excellent example.
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