North Slope Borough voters approve all 11 bond propositions

North Slope Borough voters approved all 11 general obligation bond propositions on the Oct. 6 ballot, authorizing about $1.55 billion in borrowing. The North Slope Borough Assembly certified the results Tuesday, sitting as the canvass board.

The vote lets the borough issue bonds for schools, roads, water, sewer, power, housing, public safety and other facilities across North Slope communities. Each measure sets the most the borough may borrow for its purpose.

Water facilities drew the largest authorization. Proposition 4 allows up to $327.8 million and passed 1,447 to 180. Proposition 6, for light, power and heating systems, allows $217.5 million. Sewage treatment drew $204.3 million. General capital projects drew $192.9 million. Roads and flood control drew $178 million. School construction drew $173.6 million. Sanitary facilities drew $82.1 million. Public housing drew $76.5 million. Proposition 9, for communications facilities, authorized up to $2,427,600 and passed 1,258 to 361.

Public safety facilities, at $96.7 million, passed 1,245 to 379. Administrative facilities drew the most opposition. That $2.3 million measure passed 1,196 to 425.

Assembly President Crawford A. Patkotak signed the resolution certifying the election.

Bonds sold under the new authority would add to existing debt. The borough's FY2027 Office of the Mayor Budget Letter listed about $510.9 million in outstanding principal across 12 bond series, with about 84 percent scheduled to mature within five years. The same letter lists $103,687,000 in current fiscal-year debt-service payments. The borough's 2023-2028 Six Year Capital Plan projected $814 million in capital needs over six years to repair or replace existing infrastructure.

Mayor Josiah Patkotak described the borough's reliance on borrowing to the Alaska State House Finance Committee on May 29. "We build all of our schools on our own debt in the North Slope Borough," Patkotak said. He told the committee the state tax cap formula limits operating dollars, "and then that forces you to shift more cost to long-term debt."