Anchorage commission to review mayor's salary for first time since 2020

Anchorage's mayor has made about $145,000 a year since April 2020 — and on Tuesday, a city commission began asking whether that's still enough, noting that some unionized city employees now out-earn their boss.

The Commission on Salaries and Emoluments, which sets the mayor's pay, voted to take up the question and elected new leadership: Joe Hayes as chair, Pat Redmond as vice chair. The number hasn't moved in over six years. Commissioner Karen Norsworthy, walking through the records, traced the salary from roughly $132,000 in 2015 to its current $145,392, set by resolution in 2020. In that same stretch, she noted, some union contracts have delivered raises as high as 8 percent.

"You have a fair amount of employees that are making more than the mayor now," Norsworthy said, floating a 5-to-8 percent bump as "something worth considering."

Nothing changes quickly. Municipal code requires a public hearing first, and the commission's usual rhythm runs from an opening discussion to a drafted proposal to a comment period before any final vote. The body plans to gather Alaska comparisons — the governor, the UAA chancellor, the Anchorage School District superintendent, and the mayors of Fairbanks and Juneau — but declined to look outside the state. Any raise would take effect in April 2027 regardless.

The push now is mostly about the calendar. Norsworthy pressed to settle the question this summer so a new figure is ready when budget season opens in October; Hayes favored a late-July meeting. Staff was directed to poll for a July date, with a public hearing to follow before any vote.