Town Square Park in downtown Anchorage, seen here in a view from City Hall on February 6, 2025. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Municipal bonds pay for a number of services in Anchorage, including upgrading infrastructure, replacing bus and police fleets, repairing schools and tackling projects outside the regular scope of the budgets of the municipality and the school district.

In the last five years, voters have rejected a handful of bonds, and two ballot propositions supporting the Anchorage School District this year are narrowly failing, according to preliminary results from this April’s election. A bond to fix up Anchorage Police Department facilities is also failing.

State funding has decreased over time, and just over half of the city’s revenue comes from property taxes. Without new revenue streams, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has said the city is heading toward a “fiscal cliff.”

We’re hoping to speak with residents across Anchorage about these issues and what factored into how you voted this spring.