Alaska Matters: West Anchorage Constituent Survey Results

Protecting Your Rights: Serving West Anchorage

March 29, 2024

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Our constituent survey is out! Thank you to everyone who took the time to give us their feedback. We received nearly 440 answers and present the results below. We value this constituent feedback and will use it to inform our policy decisions going forward.

And in the last few days, the House and Senate both passed HB 193, the Internet for Schools bill, and the Governor signed this important legislation. Rural schools are now working to access millions of dollars in federal grants to improve broadband speed and internet access.

Constituent Survey Results

This year, nearly 440 friends and neighbors from across Senate District H completed our constituent survey!

We appreciate your input and will keep your views in mind as the session continues. Having compiled the information and analyzed the results, we have key takeaways in this email:

75% of West Anchorage constituents gave the Governor's FY2025 budget proposal a failing grade (D or F).
74% support using Permanent Fund earnings to help pay for essential services.
82% believe we should not pay a statutory dividend.
72% of West Anchorage constituents support Alaska returning to a pension retirement program for public employees.

Here are the rest of the results:

Question #1

Governor Dunleavy’s FY2025 proposed budget largely flat funds services, adds no new revenue or taxes, and includes a Permanent Fund dividend payment totaling $3,400 (costing approximately $2.3 billion). While the governor’s budget doesn’t propose overdrawing the Earnings Reserve Account (ERA), if approved, it would leave us with a $1 billion deficit to be paid from savings accounts. What grade do you give the Governor’s FY2025 budget proposal?

Question #2

In 2018, Senate Bill 26 (AS 37.13.140) established a cap on the annual withdrawal from the Permanent Fund Earnings Reserve Account (ERA) to ensure the ERA is available for future generations to support the costs of state government—including public education, public safety, public health, capital projects, and dividends. There is competition between essential government services and dividends for funds from the sustainable draw required by AS 37.13.140. Understanding that the principal of the Permanent Fund is constitutionally protected, do you support or oppose prioritizing Permanent Fund earnings to pay for essential services, even if it means limiting the dividend payment?

Question #3

Balancing the state budget will likely require a combination of spending cuts, changes to the dividend, and new revenue. For the following choices (A, B, and C), what best reflects your position:

A: Budget Cuts

B: Dividends

C: Taxes

Question #4

In what areas of government do you think the legislature should prioritize spending?

Education (weighted average 2.37)
Health and Social Security (weighted average 3.45)
Public Safety (weighted average 3.48)
Roads and Road Maintenance (weighted average 3.96)
Infrastructure Projects (weighted average 4.12)
Alaska Marine Highway (weighted average 4.88)
Senior Benefits (weighted average 4.98)
$3,400 Permanent Fund Dividend (weighted average 6.66)
Oil and Gas Tax Credits (weighted average 6.69)
Other*

*“Other” responses included: Childcare, Homelessness, Teacher Retirement Reinstatement, Renewable Energy, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation, and more.

We analyzed these results using a “weighted average” formula in which the lower number shows stronger support. The weighted average formula calculates the average value of particular responses. Applied to the ranked choices, the lower number reflects greater support for the choice and the higher number reflects less support. For example, the “Education” response has a weighted average of 2.37, which shows that many constituents ranked this choice as their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd choice.

Question #5

Which of the following new revenue measures would you support?

Sales Tax (weighted average 1.93)
Income Tax (weighted average 1.89)
Increased Motor Fuel Tax (weighted average 2.18)
Education Head Tax (weighted average 2.19)
State Lottery (weighted average 2.28)
I do not support any of these measures: (weighted average 0.14)*

*10% chose "I do not support any of these measures" as their first or only choice.

Question #6

If we raise new revenue through a sales tax, income tax, modifications to oil and gas taxes, or other revenue measure, we should use the new revenue to:

Pay for public safety: police, troopers, and prosecutors (weighted average: 1.57)
Pay for public education: teachers, schools, and training (weighted average: 2.08)
Pay for infrastructure projects: roads, airports, and ports (weighted average: 2.32)
Increase the dividend payment and help pay for dividends (weighted average: 3.26)*

*74.7% chose increasing the dividend payment as their last choice for using any new revenue.

Question #7

Alaska is the only state without a pension retirement program for public employees. Do you support Alaska returning to a pension retirement program for public employees?

Question #8

The Alaska Constitution provides for “a system of public schools open to all children of the State.” What are your education funding priorities?

Improve teacher recruitment and retention (weighted average 1.85)
Inflation-proof education funding (weighted average 2.06)
Expand career and technical education (weighted average 2.44)
Increased accountability through student testing and standards (weighted average 3.08)

The Legislature Passes the Broadband Assistance Grants Bill

On Monday, the Senate passed House Bill 193 by a vote of 18-1 after it passed the House by a vote of 36-4. And the Governor signed this important legislation into law on Wednesday, March 27, two days after the Senate passed the bill.

HB 193 was the companion bill to Senate Bill 140, the education funding package that the Governor vetoed earlier this month and the Legislature failed to override the veto. While the Legislature changed SB 140 to include a variety of education funding provisions, HB 193 remained a simple bill that will allow rural school districts to access federal grants to increase broadband and internet speeds.

Now that the Legislature has passed the bill to increase rural broadband speed, school districts are working to access federal funds. I am pleased that the Legislature and the Governor moved efficiently to pass this bill and help provide much-needed broadband assistance to our rural schools.

Anchorage Municipal Election: April 2nd

The last day of the Anchorage Municipal Election is Tuesday, April 2nd.

Voters are deciding the next Mayor of Anchorage, with candidates including Mayor Dave Bronson, former Assembly Chair Suzanne LaFrance, former Representative Chris Tuck, former AEDC director Bill Popp, and others.

Three school board seats also appear on this year’s ballot.

And finally, there are nine propositions on the ballot. Most of these ask for voter approval for capital improvement bonds. Some of the bonds directly impact West Anchorage:

Proposition 1 would fund improvements to several Anchorage public schools, including Lake Hood and Klatt Elementary Schools
Proposition 8 would fund public restrooms throughout Anchorage
Proposition 4 would fund improvements for parks and trails, including the Fish Creek Connector and the Sand Lake Dock

For the full list of candidates and propositions, you can visit the League of Women Voters' nonpartisan ballot review.

Anchorage Elections are conducted by mail. This vote-by-mail process means that you should have already received your ballot in the mail. After you fill out your ballot, make sure to sign the envelope. You can return your ballot in the mail with first-class postage or to one of 18 secure Municipal ballot dropboxes . There are three dropboxes in West Anchorage:

Dimond High School
Spenard Community Rec Center
West Anchorage High School.

You must deliver your ballot to a dropbox by 8 PM on Tuesday April 2^nd. And if you send your ballot through the mail, it must be postmarked on or before April 2^nd.

If you didn’t receive your ballot or don’t want to vote by mail, there are options to vote in-person on election day. If you live in West Anchorage, the nearest location to vote in-person is Loussac Library.

For questions, the Anchorage voter hotline is 907-243-VOTE (8683).

You can find more information about the election, including how to vote as well as candidate and proposition information, on the Anchorage Municipal Website: muni.org/elections.

Thank you for voting!