City of Bethel is the municipal government that serves Bethel, Alaska, the hub city of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Its city council sets ordinances and budgets, and its commissions oversee the port, taxi fares and public safety.
Photo: Andrea Pokrzywinski via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
cityofbethel.org ↗Bethel, AK 99559, USA
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Week of Aug 3
Bethel weighs fixes or demolition for three problem properties
Bethel holds a hearing Sept. 1 on three problem properties it's chased for months — one nearly two years — to decide on fixes or demolition.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Bethel weighs a climbing fee to force action on empty buildings
A draft Bethel ordinance would make owners of empty buildings register and pay a fee that climbs the longer they sit vacant: $100, $500, then $1,000-plus.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Bethel's mayor files to run for her city council seat again
Bethel Mayor Rose "Sugar" Henderson filed a letter of intent to run for re-election to her city council seat in the Oct. 6 election.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Bethel weighs buying road salt before the river freezes
Bethel is weighing $55,000 in road salt before freeze-up — in a town with no highway in or out, once the Kuskokwim freezes, the barges bringing it stop.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 27
Bethel's safety and taxi commission is down to two of six members
Bethel's commission overseeing public safety and its huge taxi fleet is down to two of six seats — with a taxi fare hike on its agenda in a busy hub town.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 20
Many Bethel homes still haul water. This money starts to change that.
Many Bethel residents still get water by truck. The state just forgave $3.4 million in loans that starts the design work toward piping it instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 13
A shifting wall threatens Bethel's freight lifeline
A sheet pile wall at Bethel's port is shifting, and the Corps wants an engineering fix — a worry for the roadless Y-K Delta's only real freight lifeline.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Week of Jul 6
Bethel's free bulky-item pickup ends this month
Bethel's one free bulky-item pickup of the year ends in July — last call to haul off the busted four-wheeler before it's your job to get it to the landfill.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Bethel moves to repay firefighters shorted on their pay
Bethel's firefighters were shorted on paid days off while stuck at the lower rate meant to offset them — and the city's now moving to pay back what they're owed
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min readFrom 
Bethel lands $3.4M for water — and won't pay most of it back
Bethel's picking up $3.38M in state water loans that get fully forgiven once spent — a near-free upgrade for a town where plenty of people still haul their own water.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min readFrom 
Bethel hauled water and sewer deliveries shift early for Independence Day
Bethel shifted hauled water and sewer deliveries one day early Saturday to beat the Independence Day holiday, affecting all three service routes.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 29
Bethel wants to charge owners who let buildings sit empty and rot
Bethel would charge owners to leave buildings empty, and help demolish burnt-out ones — waiving the cost if the owner rebuilds, or filing a lien if not.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
America's taxi capital is a roadless Alaska town
Bethel, Alaska has more taxis per capita than anywhere in the U.S. — because in a roadless tundra town, cabs are the bus, and this week the city's weighing what a ride should cost.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
One Bethel gym burns through $419,000 a year in energy. An audit says it doesn't have to.
A single Bethel fitness center spends $419,000 a year on energy, mostly heating oil at $5.77 a gallon. An audit found it could save $51,000 a year for almost nothing.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
About City of Bethel
Photo: Andrea Pokrzywinski via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
cityofbethel.org ↗Bethel, AK 99559, USA
The City of Bethel is the municipal government that serves Bethel, the hub city of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Its city council passes ordinances and budgets and chooses the mayor from among its members, and its commissions oversee the port, taxi fares, planning and public safety.
The city runs piped and hauled water and sewer service, the landfill, police and firefighters, and facilities such as its gym and fitness center. Water quality and sewage leaks are recurring concerns, and the city holds hearings to abate nuisance properties that sit empty or damaged. The council also regulates taxis, collects taxes and leases city land.
The Port of Bethel's dock on the Kuskokwim River is the freight lifeline for the city and the roadless region around it. State loans and grants pay for much of the city's water system work.