Southernmost borough in Alaska, gateway to the Inside Passage. Known for rainforests, totem poles, commercial fishing, timber history, and a thriving cruise tourism industry.
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK, USA
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0:33
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
0:51
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
0:39
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
0:53
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
0:41
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
0:27
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 library faces 40% budget cut if borough-city contract expires
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough voted to terminate its library services agreement with the city effective December 31, 2026, putting roughly 40% of the public library's budget at risk. A citizens' petition drive had 289 signatures as of Tuesday and needs at least 400 by July 20 to place a borough-wide library powers measure on the October ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readAIKetchikan, Alaska
