After the City of Nome shared its intention last week to review its annual contribution to Nome Public Schools (NPS), outcry hit the city, prompting it to ask the public what its funding priorities were. The survey was requested by Council Member Cameron Piscoya and facilitated by the city’s Public Information Officer, Megan Onders.
The draft budget shared at a Nome Common Council meeting on April 28 placed the city’s contribution to NPS at its statutory minimum of about $1.4 million. Last year’s contribution was $3.4 million, making the non-departmental ledger NPS falls under the second largest behind the Nome Police Department.
The survey was open for just over two days and received 226 responses. Its first question asked how important it was to maintain or increase funding for NPS. 78.3% of the responses said it was “Very Important”, with less than 5% marking an increase or maintenance in funding as “Not Important”.
The survey went on to ask what parts of the budget were the highest priority for local funding. The survey allowed respondents to select up to three options, with Nome Public Schools, Road Maintenance and Snow Removal, and Public Safety earning the most selections.
As the city looks to balance its budget, which last year included over $2 million in deficit spending, it is weighing which departments may need cuts. On a question asking what areas should be reduced, over half of respondents selected Museum Library and Cultural, Economic Development and Business, and Public Safety. Only 8.4% of respondents selected Nome Public Schools.
The final two questions centered around ways to increase revenue for the city, either through increases in property or sales taxes. Nearly a quarter of respondents said they would support an increase in property tax, while 43% said they would need more information. 33% said they would not be in favor of an increase.
Just over 40% said they would be in favor of an increase in sales tax, which currently sits at 5%. 25.7% said they would not be in favor of an increase in sales tax.
When reached by email, Council Member Piscoya encouraged the public to attend the council’s upcoming work sessions and regular meetings to provide public comment. He also said council members can be reached by email.
The council will review the survey results and deliberate on the budget at Monday’s work session. Meetings are also scheduled for May 19 and 27 and June 9. The budget will be implemented by the start of the city’s upcoming fiscal year, which starts on July 1.
