City and Borough of Sitka is the unified home-rule municipal government that governs Sitka on Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska. Its Assembly and mayor set policy on housing, harbors, and cruise tourism, while the administrator oversees city departments.
Photo by NPS Alaska Region, via Flickr · Photo source · Public domain
cityofsitka.com ↗Sitka, AK, USA
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Sitka voters will decide Feb. 2 on a summer sales tax increase for child care
Sitka voters will decide Feb. 2 whether to add half a cent on the dollar to the city's summer sales tax to pay for child care. To vote, residents must be registered by Sunday, Jan. 3, the City and Borough of Sitka said in a reminder Friday.
If voters approve, the sales tax from April through September would rise from 6% to 6.5% starting April 1, 2027. A $10 summer purchase would carry 5 cents more in tax, and a $100 purchase 50 cents more, according to a city FAQ. The 5% winter rate wouldn't change.
City staff estimate the increase would raise about $1.19 million a year, more than the Assembly's $1 million goal, according to a ballot proposition memo.
The Assembly has spent months studying child care. Licensed programs serve about 204 children, while about 485 children up to age 9 may need regular care outside the home, according to a report the Assembly commissioned. Center-based infant care costs $24,413 a year, about a quarter of the area's median household income.
The money would go to grants for local child care providers, training for child care workers and scholarships to help families pay tuition. An outside organization chosen through a competitive process would run the program. After administrative costs, the sponsors suggested a rough split: 60% to providers, 20% to recruiting and keeping staff, 15% to family scholarships and 5% to a career training pathway.
The tax would end March 31, 2037, unless voters renew it. Long-term rentals wouldn't be affected, and the summer point already set aside for school buildings wouldn't change.
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Alcoholic Beverage Control Board Meeting
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Sitka Special Election on Child Care Tax
Sitka Assembly favors a half-point summer sales tax for child care, with no vote taken
Sitka's Assembly favored a half-point summer sales tax for child care on Sept. 8.. Staff estimate it would raise about $1.19 million a year against a $1 million package.
Latest
November 2026
Sitka's wind gusted to 53 mph Thursday, and an advisory runs through noon Friday
Sitka's airport gusted to 53 mph Thursday, past the 45 mph forecast, before a high wind warning went up. It eased, and an advisory runs through noon Friday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Sitka shoppers will pay no city sales tax Nov. 27 and 28, the days after Thanksgiving
Sitka is skipping its sales tax the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, a yearly break expected to cost the city $32,500. Fuel and booze still get taxed.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
October 2026
Sitka's residential electric rate drops more than a third for the winter
Sitka's residential power rate drops from 21.93 to 13.71 cents a kilowatt-hour for winter, when Sitkans lean on electric heat. Summer rates return in May.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Sitka to close downtown Lincoln Street for Halloween trick-or-treating
Sitka closes Lincoln Street downtown from 3 to 6 pm on Halloween for trick-or-treating. Cars left inside the closure stay put until the crowd clears.
by Alaska News2w ago1 min read
Sitka cellphone callers can't reach 911; city gives direct numbers for police and fire
Cellphone callers in Sitka can't reach 911 or the police and fire lines. The city posted direct numbers to use until carriers fix it. Landlines still work.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Sitka delays Lake Street reopening and Monastery Street 'Do Not Enter' signs
Sitka has delayed reopening Lake Street, pushing back new "Do Not Enter" signs at two Monastery Street entrances. The road could reopen as early as next week, weather permitting.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Sitka proposes moving six cemeteries into its restrictive cemetery zoning district
Sitka wants six cemeteries, including the national cemetery and the Russian Orthodox one, zoned strictly for cemetery uses. Planners take testimony Wednesday.
by Melinda Communities.News4w ago2 min read
Sitka to post 'Do Not Enter' signs at two Monastery Street entrances
Sitka will post Do Not Enter signs at two Monastery Street entrances once Lake Street reopens Oct. 21, blocking turns from Arrowhead and DeGroff onto Monastery.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
Sitka's Moller Field parking lot paving moves to Monday, Oct. 12
Sitka's Moller Field parking lot paving slid again, now to Monday, Oct. 12. The main lot closes while crews pave; park at the skate park or Lower Moller.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
Sitka voters choose a mayor and decide when citizen petitions reach the ballot
Sitka voters choose a mayor and two Assembly members Tuesday, and decide whether to end automatic special elections for citizen petitions, which cost the city $18,250 in May.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
Sitka panel weighs splitting Halibut Point Road lot in two
One Sitka lot, two futures: a retirement home on one side, a duplex with two long-term rentals on the other, if the Planning Commission OKs the split.
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Sitka closes Moller Field's main parking lot for paving Oct. 7-8 and part of Lincoln Street for water line work
Sitka's Moller Field lot closes Oct. 7-8 for paving, and Lincoln Street by St. Michael's closes to through traffic Oct. 5-15. Park where the cones say.
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September 2026
Sitka gets $1.1 million state grant to upgrade Eliason Harbor electrical systems and floats
Sitka landed a $1.1 million state grant to fix aging floats and electrical systems at Eliason Harbor, where most visiting boats tie up. Design is nearly done.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Sitka Assembly votes to negotiate contract with Gerrie Cotter for municipal administrator
Sitka's Assembly voted 7-0 to start contract talks with its only finalist for city administrator. Salary and start date are still up for negotiation.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Sitka planners favor 30 to 40 single-family lots near Sitka High School
Sitka planners like 30 to 40 single-family lots near Sitka High, with room saved for apartments or dorms later. Final findings are due by year's end.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Lincoln Street in downtown Sitka to close Oct. 5 to 15 for water line work
Part of Lincoln Street by St. Michael's Cathedral closes Oct. 5 to 15 for a new water line. Sitka's downtown gets a detour, and everyone gets a longer walk.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
About City and Borough of Sitka
Photo by NPS Alaska Region, via Flickr · Photo source · Public domain
cityofsitka.com ↗Sitka, AK, USA
The City and Borough of Sitka is the unified home-rule municipal government of Sitka, on Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska. Its Assembly and mayor set policy, and a municipal administrator hired by the Assembly oversees city departments.
The city runs the Planning Office, Harbor Office, Public Works, police and a volunteer fire department, and it manages streets, water lines, Moller Field and the seaplane base. The Assembly decides housing ordinances such as rules for accessory dwelling units, sales taxes, taxi rules and public records appeals. Child care, housing supply and getting around town are recurring questions.
Sitka's Blue Lake Dam supplies its electricity, and the debt behind the dam drives a program that subsidizes residents' electric bills. Harbors and cruise tourism tie city decisions to the town's fishing and visitor economy.
More from City and Borough of Sitka
FAA awards Sitka $2 million for seaplane base land and final design
Sitka has federal money to buy land and finish designs for a new floatplane base. The $34 million to actually build it hasn't turned up yet.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read
Most of Sitka's administrator search has happened in executive session
Sitka's sole finalist for city administrator dropped out in July. The Assembly decides Tuesday on a different candidate, possibly in closed session.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Sitka's sales tax drops a point Oct. 1, the one that funds schools
Sitka's sales tax drops from 6 percent to 5 on Oct. 1 through March. The summer point that comes off is the one dedicated to funding school buildings.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A write-in candidate has entered Sitka's Assembly race for two seats
Sitka's Assembly race just went from three candidates to four. Mary Ann Hall has until Oct. 1 to make write-in votes for her actually count.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sitka's Assembly takes up how to pay for child care
Sitka's Assembly takes up a possible child care funding source Tuesday. A survey found most parents struggle to find care and employers are feeling it too.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sitka Assembly to interview municipal administrator applicant Gerrie Cotter on Sept. 10
Sitka's Assembly will interview Gerrie Cotter for municipal administrator on Sept. 10, the sole remaining candidate after a months-long search that started over at least once.
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August 2026
Sitka requires appointments for large scrap loads and vehicles at Gary Paxton yard
Sitka's scrap yard now requires appointments for loads larger than a dump truck or for large vehicles, citing limited space and shipping container shortages.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sitka's Planning Office will be closed for a full week in September
Sitka Planning Office closes Sept. 8-11 for internal work on code updates and land management, with no walk-in, phone, or email service during those four days.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Heads up, Sitka flyers: the airport's pre-security restrooms close for six weeks in September
Sitka's airport closes its pre-security restrooms for about six weeks starting in September for a remodel — part of a $40M terminal expansion. Temporary restrooms will sit outside in the loading zone.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sitka school zone flasher on Kashevaroff Street is out of service
A school zone flasher outside a Sitka elementary is down for a few weeks, but the speed limits still apply. The city asks drivers to slow down for kids.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sitka may rewrite its rules for second homes on residential lots
Sitka's planning commission takes up a draft rewrite of its accessory dwelling unit rules Monday. The draft does not say which direction it goes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Sitka Assembly takes up a public records appeal Tuesday
A Sitka resident is appealing a records determination to the Assembly Tuesday. The agenda doesn't say what records he asked for or what he was told.
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Sitka is set to confirm a fire chief who's already been doing the job
Sitka's Assembly is set to confirm Brian McLaughlin as fire chief this week, a role he already appears to have been filling for the volunteer-heavy department.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Sitka's sole finalist for city administrator is gone, and the Assembly is starting over
The sole finalist Sitka introduced for city administrator last month is gone, and the Assembly interviews two new candidates Friday, with no explanation given.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Davidoff Street closes Saturday morning for Sitka manhole repair
Somebody blew their lid. I'm just kidding, but the road will be closed down temporarily.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Lower Barracks Street closes Wednesday morning for Sitka crosswalk painting
Lower Barracks Street closes Wednesday morning from 8 a.m. to noon for volunteers to paint crosswalk art as part of Sitka's pedestrian safety project.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sitka Harbor Office closes at noon Friday, reopens Monday
Sitka Harbor Office closes at noon Friday and reopens Monday, leaving boat owners and fishers without walk-in service or phone access until then. Call 907-738-0835 for emergencies.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sitka's old pulp mill site keeps filling up — another lot goes out for development
Sitka is seeking a developer for another lot at its former pulp mill site — long mostly empty after the mill's 1993 closure, and now steadily filling up.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago1 min read
Why Sitka subsidizes electric bills: the Blue Lake Dam debt
Sitka is taking applications through Oct. 31 to subsidize electric bills — a program driven by the $125M Blue Lake Dam debt that keeps local power expensive.
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July 2026
Eleven Sitka islands lose power for a day as crews swap a channel cable
Eleven islands off Sitka go dark for eight hours on July 31 while crews swap out an aging underwater cable. Charge everything Thursday night.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sitka moves to fix its late-night ride problem
Sitka has few cabs, no Uber, and a hard time getting anyone to the airport. The city is rewriting its 1990s taxi rules to fix that.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sitka crosswalk art project brings morning delays to Lincoln Street starting Thursday
Volunteers paint decorative crosswalk art on Lincoln Street in Sitka Thursday and Friday mornings, expect delays as part of a pedestrian safety project.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Pioneer Park main shelter closes mornings July 23-24 for volunteer work
Pioneer Park's main shelter closes 9 a.m. to noon Thursday and Friday, July 23-24, while volunteers including Outer Coast do maintenance work. The park itself stays open.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sitka names sole finalist for municipal administrator, schedules public receptions
Sitka named Jenny Alber as sole finalist for municipal administrator and scheduled two public receptions July 26 and 27 before the Assembly votes on hiring.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read