Focus on Budget & Taxes

The Municipality of Anchorage budget is a reflection of the values, vision and priorities of our community. Residents have a vital voice to give feedback and input on what they want to see in the budget. The approval of the municipal budget affects everyone – from the number of books on the shelves at libraries, playgrounds in our parks, and immunizations provided at health clinics, to the quality of the roads we drive on and the response times of emergency services, there are few things in our daily lives that aren't impacted by the municipal budget. Be part of the conversation. Learn how the current budget impacts you, participate in future budget planning processes and understand how taxes are used to make government work for you.

Get the Facts: Budget

The Municipality of Anchorage operating budget provides for local services like fire, police, parks, libraries, roads, building permits and health, as well as utilities and enterprises like the Port of Alaska, Merrill Field Airport, AWWU and Solid Waste Services.

The Municipality's capital improvement budget and capital improvement plan consist of capital projects for the upcoming fiscal year and for the next six fiscal years and identify funding sources such as future bond propositions and state and federal funding requests.

BUDGET 101 FACT SHEET

Get the Facts: Taxes

Each year, the Municipality of Anchorage collects property taxes from homeowners and commercial entities, and in return, those taxes fund local services like fire and police, schools, parks, libraries, roads, and health services.

Property taxes account for about half of the revenue needed to fund the Municipality’s operations. Other sources of funding include non-property taxes such as room, auto, tobacco, and alcohol taxes as well as investment revenue, fees and permits, and federal and state contributions.

PROPERTY TAX FACT SHEET ALCOHOL TAX FACT SHEET

Budget Process and Timeline

Every fall, OMB submits the mayor's budget to the Assembly, typically around the first of October (the legal requirement is 90-days before the end of the year). After that, the Assembly holds two worksessions in October to hear from municipal departments and the utilities and enterprises on their budgets and one worksession in November to discuss possible budget amendments. Public hearings on the budget are held in October and November and the budget is typically approved at the last Assembly meeting in November. From there, the budget is implimented by the Administration beginning January 1.

The process is repeated on a smaller scale each April in what is called the 1st Quarter Budget Revision. This gives the municipality a chance to see where the previous year’s revenue and expenses actually fell and make adjustments as needed, since the budget is based on projections from the previous fall.

VIEW THE 2023 BUDGET

All About Bond Propositions

Bonds are a way for a community to take on debt to invest in what voters value most. The Regular Municipal Election is an annual opportunity for proposed bonds, or bond propositions, to appear on the ballot in front of qualified registered voters.

Historically, bonds have paid for improvements to Anchorage schools, roads, parks, trails and public safety services. Departments and community organizations submit bond propositions to the Anchorage Assembly. After the Assembly hears public testimony on the bond propositions, the body considers whether or not the proposition will be added to the upcoming Municipal Election ballot.

ANCHORAGE VOTES 2023 BOND PROPOSITIONS