Municipal government of Ketchikan, Alaska (Southeast). City Council, advisory boards, public hearings.
City Hall, 334 Front St, Ketchikan, AK 99901

Kathy Bolling
“just last year, Assemblymember Arntzen made a move to, to pull all funding for the library, right? Reduce that library levy to zero and give notice to cancel the contract.”Ketchikan: Library Advisory Board Quarterly Meeting of July 8, 2026 · Jul 9, 2026

Kathy Bolling
“whether it stays as a city department or moves to the borough, you have a borough assembly who is not interested in spending very much money on the library. So it's going to be a battle no matter what.”Ketchikan: Library Advisory Board Quarterly Meeting of July 8, 2026 · Jul 9, 2026

Pat Bowling
“The whole borough discussion is the big unknown. Will the library become a department of the federal? If not, will the terminated borough-city library services agreement be renegotiated by the December 31st deadline? According to the old agreement, which remains in place until the end of December, the borough pays a percentage of the library's budget that is the same as the percentage of the borough population who lives outside the cities of Ketchikan and Sassafras.”Ketchikan: Library Advisory Board Quarterly Meeting of July 8, 2026 · Jul 9, 2026

Pat Bowling
“due to concerns over the recent increases in the borough's contribution, the borough assembly voted to terminate the current library services agreement effective December 31st, 2026. This gives the assembly time to consider their options, which are option 1, to renegotiate the library services agreement, uh, with a view to limit the amount that the borough is contracted to pay the non-area-wide library services. Option 2, put a measure on the October ballot for the borough to adopt area-wide library powers. If passed, the borough would provide and pay for library services for all residents of the borough.”Ketchikan: Library Advisory Board Quarterly Meeting of July 8, 2026 · Jul 9, 2026

Kathy Bolling
“What is tightly woven into this challenge, this argument between city and borough and people not wanting to pay a non-area-wide fee, is they want control of collection development, which is so offensively absurd to me.”Ketchikan: Library Advisory Board Quarterly Meeting of July 8, 2026 · Jul 9, 2026

Kathy Bolling
“my understanding in response to my colleague's question is that that non-area-wide tax will be collected. The borough is still obligated. To fund the library. It just depends at what, at what level.”Ketchikan: Library Advisory Board Quarterly Meeting of July 8, 2026 · Jul 9, 2026
Ketchikan's public showers for the commercial fishing fleet are closed after a drain pipe collapsed under the floor, with repairs weeks away during peak fishing season.

Port officials confirmed Tuesday that Tender Float 3 meets building codes without guardrails. The 18-inch freeboard falls below the 30-inch threshold that would trigger guardrail requirements.

The City of Ketchikan closed bids in early May 2026 for vehicle fuel supply, City Hall HVAC replacement, and Ted Ferry Civic Center flooring replacement, with award decisions not yet public.

The City Council voted 7-0 to shelve a $290,000 design contract for Berth 1 expansion after members said the community has reached a saturation point with cruise traffic. The project returns to the council in one year.

Port officials told the advisory board Tuesday that police and parking enforcement are working through a backlog of abandoned vehicles at harbor lots. The city went months without a removal contract.

Ketchikan City Council approved a $2.74 million HVAC replacement contract for city hall Thursday, funding it by deferring other capital projects and drawing from reserves. The 4-3 vote split on cost-of-living concerns.
