Utqiagvik council weighs finance and executive director appointments

The Utqiagvik City Council is set to appoint new leaders for two of the city's top administrative offices at its meeting Thursday — a new finance director and a new executive director — along with naming a mayor pro tempore.

The finance job has been held since early 2023 by the city's current director. The council's agenda offers no explanation for either change, listing the two appointments simply as action items with no stated reason behind the turnover at the top of the city's administration.

The appointments share the agenda with a few other matters of local interest: a proposed suspension of the city's 2026 sales tax, up for introduction, and a change to the city's marijuana tax, set for a public hearing. The council meets Thursday evening in the City Chambers and will take public comment on the marijuana tax.