The Ted Ferry Civic Center is owned and operated by the City of Ketchikan.
A representative of the Alaska Department of Revenue will be in Ketchikan on Dec. 1st to present some of the governor’s ideas for closing the State of Alaska’s budget gap.
House District 36 Rep. Dan. Ortiz talked to the Ketchikan City Council on Thursday about the meeting. He said Ken Alper of the department’s Tax Division will give an overview about where the state is now, financially.
Ortiz said Alper also will talk about various revenue-generating solutions proposed by Gov. Bill Walker. One of those solutions that the governor already announced is a proposed cap on the Permanent Fund Dividend distribution.
Ortiz said other ideas will be presented, as well.
“He’ll throw out an idea about an income tax, I think. He’s going to throw out an idea about ending the oil tax credits after one year… And it will include some other things – an increase on the fuel tax, is what he’s proposing,” Ortiz said of the governor’s plan. “That’s pretty much what I know about it. Of course, he hasn’t officially released the whole plan yet.”
Ortiz said he hopes that plan will be released before the Dec. 1st public meeting.
“What I need to know and what I’m going to be there for is to hear input from folks like yourself as to what you think about the positives and negatives of that particular plan, and any suggestions that you think might work better,” he said. “That’s what I’d be looking to hear.”
The meeting is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Dec. 1, at the Ted Ferry Civic Center.
