Anchorage Assembly takes up $1.15 million downtown assessment on 779 properties

Owners of 779 downtown Anchorage properties would owe a combined $1,147,531.10 this year for snow removal, security, tourism promotion and beautification under a resolution the Anchorage Assembly is scheduled to take up Tuesday, Aug. 18.

The resolution confirms the 2026 assessment roll for the Downtown Improvement District, Special Assessment District 1SD97, created in 1997 and continued most recently under Anchorage Ordinance 2020-130, As Amended. The rate is 1.5 mills on assessed value up to $10 million, plus $100 for each $1 million above that. Because the charge tracks assessed value, downtown property owners and business stakeholders have said rising appraisals can push the bill higher even when the district's services stay the same.

Bills range widely. The largest single line on the roll is $23,563.66, billed to 700 G Street LLC. Hickel Investment Co. is assessed $20,472.98 on one Block 38 parcel, and Columbia Properties owes $20,442.06. Dozens of condominium owners are billed under $300.

The measure also appropriates an additional $12,314 to the Public Services Special Assessment Fund. A projected $33,000 cash-pool cost brings the district's 2026 service budget to $1,114,531, above the $1,102,217 already appropriated in the operating budget. That gap is why the resolution adds $12,314 rather than the full roll total.

The assessments cover security services but not law enforcement.

The municipality mailed written notice of the public hearing by first-class mail to each property owner to be assessed, including the estimated or actual assessment amount and the manner and method of protesting or objecting. The resolution states that the Assembly held a public hearing to hear objections to the assessment roll, correcting any errors and inequalities where valid objections were raised. The administration recommends approval.

Municipal records show the Tax Office mails the annual bill each Oct. 1, with payment due Nov. 30. State guidance says unpaid special assessments become a lien enforceable through foreclosure.