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Residents press Assembly over property assessments and board of equalization pay increase
Summary
Several residents accused the borough assessment office of undervaluing raw land and overvaluing improvements, and urged a forensic audit. Separately, the assembly approved doubling the board of equalization daily pay to $100 amid debate over timing while schools face budget pressure.
Public testimony at the April 7 assembly meeting included strong accusations that borough assessment practices have unfairly shifted tax burdens onto homeowners. Dawson White and other property owners alleged the borough has not followed a cited statute (AS2945110 as referenced by the speaker) on full-and-true-value assessments for raw land, resulting in homeowners paying proportionally more tax while raw land owners received reductions. Speakers asked for a third-party forensic audit and for the borough to produce assessment records; one resident said he had to submit multiple public-records requests to obtain assessor documents.
Those complaints came as the assembly debated ordinance 26-035 raising daily compensation for the board of equalization from $50 to $100. Supporters said the rise is modest and recognizes the time commitment of volunteer board members who meet during the day to hear appeals; opponents said the timing looked inappropriate while schools face closure and budget debates. The ordinance passed with one dissenting vote.
What the record shows: Multiple residents presented case histories of large assessment swings and appealed decisions. The assembly approved a modest pay increase for the BOE, and staff said the board meets typically during the day after the appeal period, with a limited number of hearings heard last year. Members asked staff to provide additional transparency on assessment appeals and to provide requested public records when feasible.
Follow-up: Assembly members requested that manager and assessor staff respond to public records requests and that the assembly be provided a briefing on assessment methodology and appeals outcomes.
