Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage
Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan wants to use $11 million in savings from the 2010 municipal budget to fund a variety of initiatives. $7 million would go to lower property taxes this year. Sullivan says his plan would allow a lower annual increase for tax payers from 1.6 to 1.3 percent. He says he thinks the assembly will approve the plan because during the recent campaigns for six positions on the assembly, tax relief was favored.
$880,000 will pay for training 28 new police officers for the city, $84,000 will go toward the domestic violence prosecutor position and there are funds for 29 new firefighter positions and EMS staff for the Sand Lake neighborhood.
Sullivan says some of the money will go toward paying off a $3.7 million loan that went to the city to buy some park land in 2006.
Two environmental clean ups will also be paid for with surplus funds. One for lead contaminated soil in Kincaid Park and another for PCB clean up on Reeve Boulevard.
The Assembly will have to approve the mayor’s plan. That meeting is April 26.
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