Skagway residents went to the polls Tuesday for a special election on three ballot initiatives on sales taxes and a local health care facility. Unofficial results were posted the morning of April 18.

The first ballot question, Proposition One, would have raised sales taxes from 5% to 6.5% from April through September. It was narrowly defeated by 34 votes, with 158 in favor and 192 against. Officials said the increase would have funded operational and infrastructure demands during the summer months. 

Skagway Mayor Andrew Cremata had said that an increase in the tax rate would allow for more flexibility in funding. Opponents of the proposition, such as the Skagway Business Association, argued that the timing for an increase was wrong as the Skagway tourism industry attempts to get back on its feet. 

Voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition Two, which called for a public vote before a municipal healthcare facility can be leased or sold. The Municipality of Skagway has retained ownership of the Dahl Memorial Clinic for twenty years and runs it as one of its departments. A nine-person board oversees the clinic, which is partly funded by the municipality. The proposition passed by a more than 200-vote margin, with 278 in favor and 71 against.

Proposition Three piggybacked off of Prop Two, asking whether the Municipality of Skagway should lease the E.A. and Jenny Rasmuson community Health Center building and land for $1.00 to the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, the regional tribal health provider.Voters rejected that proposal by more than 160 votes, 254 to 93. Vice Mayor Orion Hanson had supported the measure, noting that the sale would save municipal funding of the clinic by over a million dollars per year. 

The Canvass Board will meet in the Assembly Chambers at 4:00 p.m. on April 20, 2023 to count absentee and questioned ballots. The Borough Assembly is scheduled to certify the election results at its meeting at 7:00 p.m. that same day. 

Total registered voter turnout was 34%.

For more information contact the Borough Clerk at s.burnham@skagway.org or 907-983-9706.