Anchorage canceled five assessment appeal sessions over the summer

Five Board of Equalization sessions were canceled between June and August while Anchorage worked through a record backlog of property assessment appeals, according to the board's schedule. Hearings that normally wrap by May are still running in September.

Board Chair Ian Moore told Assembly members in March that even at two sessions a day, the 1,953 appeals filed for 2026 would not all be heard before Nov. 12, as Alaska News reported.

Waiting does not postpone the bill. Owners with a pending appeal still have to pay their taxes when due or take a 10 percent penalty, and get a refund with interest if their valuation drops.

Most appeals never reach the board at all. An appraiser resolves roughly three quarters of them during the informal review period that comes first.

One piece of the response is still missing. In February the Assembly directed the municipal assessor to report by April 28 on patterns in the appeals and possible changes to how properties are valued. Those findings have not been made public.