Anchorages population has only been growing  .19% a year for the last 3 years. A 2% increase in spending shows you how efficient government is when they have to take ten times the amount to cover costs of a growing population. Don't give me the 2% increase in employees wages either. I doubt many people in the private sector are getting that a year in wage increases and I am pretty sure our medical expenses have skyrocketed with little relief from our employers.