A proposed Anchorage sales tax could fund projects from a children’s museum to a public sauna

Jenna Wright, CEO of nan Anchorage Economic Development Corp., discusses Project Anchorage astatine nan Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center successful Anchorage connected Monday, July 15, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

The leaders pushing Project Anchorage, an inaugural to create a section income taxation to put successful nan city’s value of life, took 2 twelve questions from a business-minded assemblage connected Monday. 

The subjects of nan questions included income taxation exemptions, Oklahoma City’s acquisition pinch its version, concerns astir raising section taxes and Anchorage Assembly politics. 

Jenna Wright is nan CEO of nan Anchorage Economic Development Corp. She presented Project Anchorage and fielded questions Monday pinch nan Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. 

“The wide vibe that I’ve been getting is simply a batch of excitement,” she said. “People admit that we’ve sewage to do thing different if we want to clasp and pull talent, and this is simply a peculiarly appealing building that we person successful place. That said, it is simply a income taxation and Anchorage has not had a income taxation for a very agelong clip and we’re utilized to that. So I deliberation location person been immoderate folks that person brought up immoderate concerns aliases questions.”

Last year, her statement convened a conjugation of local businesses supporting nan creation of a 3% income taxation successful Anchorage. About two-thirds of it would offset spot taxes, redeeming nan proprietor of nan mean Anchorage location astir $100 a month. And nan rest, estimated to beryllium $60 cardinal a year, would spell toward a database of civic projects nan nonprofit is soliciting ideas for done Sept. 15.

Some of nan first ideas she shared see an Alaska children’s museum, a downtown nationalist library, a Girdwood business park, a Campbell Creek riverwalk, kid attraction accommodation and a nationalist sauna. 

To measure nan ideas, Wright said they’re moving connected mounting up an inclusive process pinch an accent connected 2 goals.  

“One is taxable diversity,” she said. “We want location to beryllium thing for everyone. We want location to beryllium thing that everyone successful Anchorage enjoys. And past nan different 1 is geographic diversity. We want these projects to beryllium accessible to neighborhoods crossed Anchorage, arsenic good arsenic Girdwood and Chugiak-Eagle River area.” 

Later successful nan fall, that database of recommendations will spell to nan Anchorage Assembly and done its process for preparing a ballot mobility for nan city’s regular section predetermination adjacent April, Wright said.  

So far, she has recovered that aft having a speech and going complete nan details, group mostly get connected board. She said Assembly supporters see members Randy Sulte, Scott Myers and Felix Rivera. They screen some ends of nan body’s governmental spectrum. 

Wright said Oklahoma City’s 1% income taxation and reinvestment led its system to roar and its organization to grow. 

“They’ve go a spot wherever talent really wants to be,” Wright said. “The corporate nationalist finance has brought successful billions and billions of further backstage finance successful nan city, what is genuinely a virtuous economical cycle.”

And, it’s popular. She said voters location person overwhelmingly authorized nan income taxation and associated projects by wide margins 4 times.