Skip to main content
Cover image for article: North Slope Borough ballot carries 11 bond propositions totaling $1.55 billion

Photo by Alina Bystrova on Pexels · Source

North Slope Borough ballot carries 11 bond propositions totaling $1.55 billion

by Lucas Brown(2h ago)
3 min readNorth Slope Borough, Alaska

North Slope Borough voters will decide 11 bond propositions totaling $1,554,176,040 on Tuesday, Oct. 6, alongside races for mayor, five Assembly seats and four school board seats, according to the borough's sample propositions ballot.

Each proposition asks whether the borough may issue general obligation bonds up to a set amount for one category of projects. Each passes or fails on its own majority. The Assembly adopted the ordinance that put them on the ballot, Ordinance 2026-04, on Aug. 4.

The 11 propositions, as the ballot lists them:

  • Proposition 1, schools and buildings related to education: $173,591,760

  • Proposition 2, public roads, streets, water-course and flood-control facilities: $178,030,800

  • Proposition 3, public housing: $76,500,000

  • Proposition 4, water facilities: $327,794,340

  • Proposition 5, sewage treatment disposal facilities: $204,340,680

  • Proposition 6, light, power and heating systems: $217,547,640

  • Proposition 7, public safety facilities: $96,652,140

  • Proposition 8, sanitary facilities: $82,069,200

  • Proposition 9, communication facilities: $2,427,600

  • Proposition 10, general capital projects: $192,926,880

  • Proposition 11, administrative facilities: $2,295,000

The ballot does not list specific projects, a cost estimate or a repayment schedule, and the ordinance does not either. Under the ordinance, the bonds would be repaid with property taxes levied "without limitation as to rate or amount" on all taxable property in the borough. A yes vote authorizes the bonds but does not require the borough to issue them: the ordinance lets the Assembly decide when and how much to borrow, and lets the borough decide how to divide the money among the approved projects.

The borough already carries debt. Its fiscal 2027 budget letter lists $510,895,000 in outstanding bond principal across 12 bond series and $103,687,000 in principal and interest payments due in fiscal 2027.

Candidates on the ballot

The borough's sample candidate ballot lists these races, with names as printed:

  • Mayor, districtwide: Harry K. Brower, Jr.; Josiah Aullaqsruaq Patkotak

  • Assembly District A-1, Point Hope: Robert Rex Omnik; Eva Kinneeveauk

  • Assembly District A-2, Wainwright: Chalmer Panik

  • Assembly District A-3B, Barrow: Craig "DAAQSI" Moore, JR; Martin Qalgilan Edwardsen; Stefanie Lozano

  • Assembly District A-3F, Barrow: Michael Quuniq Donovan

  • Assembly District A-5, Point Lay and Atqasuk: Cilia Attungowruk

  • School Board Seat A, Barrow: Megan Elizabeth Edwardson; Heidi Ahsoak

  • School Board Seat B, Barrow: Frieda N. Moore (Kaleak)

  • School Board Seat C, Barrow: Angel Alivrun Itta; Neal Johnston, II

  • School Board Seat E, Wainwright and Atqasuk: Madeline (Tagarook) Hickman

Each race also has a write-in line.

How to vote

Under borough code, polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee applications by mail or fax were due five business days before the election; in-person applications are accepted until one business day before it. Voters can also cast an absentee ballot in person at the borough election official's office until polls close at 8 p.m. Oct. 6. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the first Monday after the election. The borough had not posted 2026 polling locations as of Oct. 1. Borough Clerk Sheila Burke's office can be reached at (907) 852-0362 or [email protected].