Girdwood is a good place to live; I have lived here for more than 50 years. When I built my present home in 1981, the total cost of my house, including the property, was less than $250,000. However, the property tax increases are absolutely going through the roof.
In 2021, my home property tax assessment was $798,100, and that was already a big percentage increase from the year before.
I just got my green card with the 2022 Real Property Assessment for my home, and it went from $ 798,100 to $927,900. That is shocking and represents more than a 16% increase in one year. That might be OK if you want to sell the house; however, this is my retirement home and the taxes are becoming too much on a fixed retirement income. I just hope the Assembly will lower the mill rate for our community.
I understood that when the Municipality of Anchorage sold Municipal Light and Power to Chugach Electric, that this big source of capital was supposed to help to reduce the property tax for us residents, and I hope the Assembly and the administration will consider this when setting the mill rate.
I still would rather support a sales tax in Anchorage to reduce the ever-increasing property tax burden.
Chris von Imhof
Girdwood
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