Playing with fire: Anchorage Assembly resists giving an awarded state grant to a hillside nonprofit for fire mitigation and prevention [Video]

A nonprofit that represents landowners on the south Anchorage hillside won a $200,000 grant from the Alaska Legislature to use for fire mitigation work in the area of town most prone to wildfire. It’s also an area of town that provides massive amounts of property taxes to the municipality, all of which could be erased if fire swept through the area.

HALO, the Hillside Home and Landowners Organization, had received the grant through the Municipality of Anchorage, which serves as the fiduciary middleman.

But at Tuesday night’s meeting, it became clear that several on the Assembly are hostile toward HALO, and so voted to postpone releasing the money.

After the city scrapes its 10% fee, HALO would actually only get $180,000 to coordinate activities with volunteers, nonprofit groups, veterans groups, contractors, and the Anchorage Fire Department to make the area …