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

Anchorage's mayor has earned approximately $145,000 a year, formally set at $145,392 by Resolution 2020-1, since April 2020. The Municipality of Anchorage Commission on Salaries and Emoluments voted Tuesday to examine whether that salary remains appropriate, aiming to finish before October when the city begins its annual budget work.

The commission also elected new leadership at the meeting, with Commissioner Joe Hayes chosen as chair and Pat Redmond as vice chair.

The commission last adjusted the mayor's salary in April 2020. Commission member Karen Norsworthy, reviewing the commission's records at the meeting, described a salary history that included a step to approximately $143,000 in 2020 before being advanced further, with the prior increase dating to 2015 when the salary stood at roughly $132,000 to $133,000. Norsworthy flagged the gap Tuesday.

"The current salary for the mayor is $145,000 a year plus a little bit of change on that," Norsworthy said. "In April, we advanced the salary to $145,000. And here we are at 2026."

Norsworthy suggested a 5 to 8 percent increase, pointing to union contracts that have outpaced the mayor's pay.

"I would suggest somewhere around 5%— 5 to 8% would be my suggestion on making adjustment on the salary. When I look at some of the— and granted, they're union employees— some of their contracts have given as much as 8% on increases. So you have a fair amount of employees that are making more than the mayor now."

She added that it was "something worth considering."

What Comes Next

The commission will not act immediately. Municipal code requires a public hearing before any compensation change takes effect. Past commission practice has involved one meeting to take up the issue, a subsequent meeting to develop a proposal, and a further public-comment opportunity before a final resolution. The body plans to gather comparison data first, including salaries for the Alaska governor, the UAA chancellor, the Anchorage School District superintendent, and the mayors of Fairbanks and Juneau. The commission declined to look at Lower 48 comparisons, with Vice Chair Pat Redmond saying the review should stay within Alaska.

Commissioner Hayes noted that any change would not take effect until April 2027. Norsworthy pressed for speed, with budget season as the hard backstop.

"If we are able to make a decision here sometime this summer to get it taken care of, then when the budgeting season starts, which that whole thing starts in October, they have time to prepare for the following year," she said.