Second-largest island in the United States and one of Alaska's most productive commercial fishing ports. Home to Kodiak bears, a Coast Guard base, and a processing fleet for salmon, pollock, and crab.
Kodiak Island Borough, AK, USA
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Nate Sabota
“92-230 Clearly states you cannot negligently feed wildlife.”Kodiak Borough: Assembly Work Session of August 13, 2026 · Aug 13, 2026
Jeremiah Gardner
“So at what point is a bear damaging the borough's property, and at what point do we have the authority to euthanize?”Kodiak Borough: Assembly Work Session of August 13, 2026 · Aug 13, 2026
Scott Arndt
“There's an agenda item that says review of Service Area Number 1 lease with Fields Rental. I've not been contacted as to why this is on the agenda, so I'm here to answer any questions in regards to this.”Kodiak Borough: Assembly Work Session of August 13, 2026 · Aug 13, 2026
Nate Sabota
“there's undoubtedly going to be bears now and in the future that have to be dispatched just because we can't change that behavior. It's so ingrained in them at this point that no matter what we do, it might not be successful at all. We're fine with that.”Kodiak Borough: Assembly Work Session of August 13, 2026 · Aug 13, 2026
Nate Sabota
“keeping bears out of the landfill— and I know this frustrates Cody because it is a moving goal, but, but you want a measurable objective— that is the measurable objective. If there's one bear in the landfill, that objective is not met.”Kodiak Borough: Assembly Work Session of August 13, 2026 · Aug 13, 2026
Anamika Powers
“what it boils down to is basically bears must be kept out of the trash, period.”Kodiak Borough: Assembly Work Session of August 13, 2026 · Aug 13, 2026
Kodiak Assembly keeps $12,600-a-year lease for road material storage
After a year of signaling it wanted out, the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly reached consensus Thursday to continue Service Area No. 1's lease at Fields Rentals, roughly $12,600 this year, while asking staff to price out moving the piles to borough-owned land at Dark Lake.
by Bill AlaskaNews16h ago4 min readAI
Bears are still raiding the Kodiak dump, weeks after a state plan to keep them out
Bears continue to get into the Kodiak Island Borough landfill on Monashka Bay Road despite a repaired electric fence and a Bear Management Plan the state approved July 15, and borough staff attribute it to a constant attractant. ADEC and ADF&G will join an Assembly work session Thursday.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min readAI
Kodiak votes Thursday on barring officials from stacking offices, and staff say it's broken
An ordinance barring the Kodiak Island Borough mayor, Assembly members and school board members from holding more than one of those offices returns for final Assembly action Aug. 20, six months after it was postponed. A staff report flags an unresolved conflict in the draft.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min readAI
Kodiak is projected to lose about 1,200 residents by 2045 as young adults leave
The Kodiak Island Borough could lose roughly 1,200 residents by 2045, its draft comprehensive plan projects, continuing a population decline that has run through every census since 2000.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
A Larsen Bay spillway is 'nearing failure' and unfunded in Kodiak's list
A reservoir spillway supplying Larsen Bay's drinking water and power is "nearing failure," Kodiak Island Borough's draft capital list says, but the $1.2 million fix remains unfunded.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Kodiak boats have nowhere legal to store hazardous waste
Kodiak marine businesses have no permitted local storage for antifreeze and hydraulic oil between the borough's twice-yearly hazardous waste collection events.
by Bill AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Kodiak moves to boot Assembly members who don't show up
A Kodiak Island Borough ordinance would vacate an Assembly seat after a member misses a quarter of the year's meetings, down from half, tightening rules on absences.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Kodiak weighs sounding its tsunami sirens the moment a warning hits
A draft Kodiak policy would sound the island's tsunami sirens immediately on any federal warning, and let dispatch activate them on local signs before an alert arrives.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Should every Kodiak nonprofit get the same grant? One assembly member says yes
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly weighs flat versus need-based nonprofit grants ahead of an Aug. 6 vote, with the Humane Society's spay-neuter funding at stake.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
Kodiak wants dispatch to sound tsunami sirens without waiting for a federal alert
A draft policy before Kodiak's emergency planning committee would let local dispatch trigger tsunami sirens on observed signs, before a National Tsunami Warning Center alert.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
The only applicant for Kodiak's open seat is making it about representation
Mark Anthony Vizcocho was the only applicant for Kodiak's vacant borough Assembly seat, framing his bid around greater Filipino representation in the island's elected leadership.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kodiak Assembly splits over what a marijuana tax should pay for
At a July 30 work session, Kodiak Island Borough Assembly members disagreed over whether a proposed 3% marijuana retail sales tax should fund a new Community Well-Being Fund or reduce the mill rate. The measure goes to public hearing Aug. 6 and to voters Oct. 6.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Kodiak Island Borough opens candidate filing for October 6 election
Nominating packets for the Oct. 6 Kodiak Island Borough municipal election are available now at the Clerk's Office; candidates must file in person Aug. 1–15, with the effective deadline extended to Monday, Aug. 17 at 3 p.m. because Aug. 15 falls on a Saturday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
A remote Kodiak village tries tp fix its water
The Native Village of Karluk is replacing its deteriorating water treatment system to secure year-round safe drinking water, part of a wider rural Alaska sanitation push.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Four candidates interview for Kodiak Island Borough Assembly vacancy
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly interviewed four applicants Thursday to fill the seat vacated by Dave Johnson, with Mayor Jared Griffin telling candidates a vote could come that same evening or no later than the following week.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAI
Nearly half of Kodiak's landfill is organic. A resident wants the borough to look at composting.
A Kodiak resident asked the borough Solid Waste Advisory Board to study community composting, citing that 43 percent of the local landfill is organic material.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
ADEC proposes final discharge permit for Kodiak landfill leachate plant
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation issued a proposed final APDES permit Monday authorizing the Kodiak Island Borough to discharge up to 288,000 gallons per day of treated landfill leachate into wetlands draining to Monashka Bay, with strict limits on mercury, copper, and ammonia that must be met at the end of the discharge pipe.
by Melinda Communities.News3w ago1 min readAI
Roald Amundsen brings 530 passengers to Kodiak on August 2
Discover Kodiak has posted a welcome event for the Roald Amundsen, which is scheduled to dock August 2 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., giving downtown merchants, restaurants, and shops a nine-hour window to capture spending from 530 passengers and crew.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Kodiak Borough OKs Water Upgrade for Village of Karluk
The Kodiak Island Borough Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 Wednesday to grant the Native Village of Karluk a conditional use permit to upgrade its water treatment facility, with the project aimed at providing a year-round source of potable water to the remote Kodiak Island community.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Kodiak's nonprofits need more than the borough can give
Kodiak nonprofits requested far more than the borough's $270,000 grant budget, with health and social services most oversubscribed as Medicaid cuts raise demand.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readAI
Kodiak weighs selling four parcels, including its ballfields
The Kodiak Island Borough Lands Committee meets Monday, July 20, to review four borough-owned parcels for potential disposal, including the 16-acre Killarney Hills site hosting two baseball fields used under a joint-use agreement. A staff memo from Community Development Director Chris French documents sewer gaps, wetlands, and public opposition that have complicated disposal attempts for years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
A 'conservation' rezone on Kodiak's coast draws a federal warning
A proposed conservation rezoning of 47 acres on Kodiak's Cliff Point Road drew a warning from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over possible harm to adjacent refuge waters.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Ouzinkie's tsunami shelter is zoned as a house. The borough is about to fix that.
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly is scheduled to adopt an ordinance July 16 rezoning a parcel on the former Ouzinkie Airport from single-family residential to public use land, allowing the Native Village of Ouzinkie to legally operate a tsunami shelter and tribal offices in an existing building.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Where thousands of seabirds flew, a Kodiak commissioner counted 30
As Kodiak begins its 20-year comprehensive plan, a Native commissioner pointed to vanishing seabirds and struggling fisheries, urging that Indigenous knowledge shape the borough's land-use future.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kodiak is shrinking and greying, even as the rest of Alaska grows
Kodiak Island Borough has lost about 650 residents in five years, roughly 5% of its population, and is aging quickly, Mayor Jared Griffin told the assembly, citing new state estimates.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Kodiak developer's conservation rezone draws a refuge objection
Oceanfront Kodiak LLC seeks to rezone Cliff Point Estates lots to a Conservation District; borough staff recommend approval while the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge objects.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kodiak Assembly weighs new revenue and unlocks unused savings
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly weighed a natural-resource excise tax on nonresident hunters and anglers and activated a Sourcewell cooperative purchasing account to cut costs.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAI
Commission approves subdivision, rezone for Native Village of Ouzinkie tsunami shelter
The Kodiak Island Borough Planning and Zoning Commission voted Wednesday to approve a subdivision and rezoning that will allow the Native Village of Usinki to take ownership of land containing a tsunami shelter structure.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI
Kodiak plans September DC lobbying trip as defense program bid fails again
Turned down again in its effort to access the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, Kodiak Island Borough is shifting tactics: Borough Manager Williams secured a key contact who could help strengthen a future application, and Mayor Griffin announced a joint DC lobbying trip with the city for the week of September 21st, targeting more than $150 billion in federal defense and energy capital funds.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAI
Kodiak Borough advances marijuana excise tax to public hearing on 4-1 vote
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly voted 4-1 Thursday to advance a 3% marijuana excise tax ordinance to public hearing, drawing sharp opposition from a local dispensary owner who called the draft poorly written and said Alaska already carries the nation's highest marijuana tax.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAI
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly appoints Mark Vizcocho to vacant seat
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly filled its vacant seat Thursday night, selecting Mark Vizcocho from four applicants through a two-round secret ballot and swearing him in before the meeting adjourned.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAI
Kodiak weighs a 3% marijuana tax, and a dispensary owner cries foul
Kodiak's Borough Assembly takes a proposed 3% marijuana sales tax to hearing Aug. 6, with voters deciding Oct. 6. Revenue would fund a Community Well-Being Fund.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Kodiak Borough set to rezone Ouzinkie parcel for tsunami shelter and government offices
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly is scheduled to vote Thursday on a rezone that would allow an existing building in Ouzinkie to be used as a tsunami shelter and government offices, correcting an outdated industrial land-use designation tied to the now-closed Ouzinkie Airport.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Kodiak Borough weighs tax on recreational harvest
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly discussed a broad natural resource excise tax on fish, game and other products harvested recreationally in the borough at its June 25 work session. The Borough Attorney said the levy could be structured to avoid a public vote, though no rate or final ordinance has been adopted.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kodiak Borough advances FY27 budget with 8.91 mill rate to hearing
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly voted Friday to advance its FY2027 budget to public hearing after deciding to allocate 75% of facilities fund interest to debt service rather than lowering the property tax mill rate, keeping it at 8.91 mills.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Borough proposes $580K budget with new staff, building upgrades
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly reviewed the FY 2027 budget proposal, which includes adding a construction management position, transitioning to electric heating, and planning ADA accessibility improvements to the borough building entrance.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago3 min readAI
Kodiak planners advance Karluk water system overhaul
The Kodiak Island Borough Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday reviewed a conditional use permit for a complete replacement of Karluk's water treatment infrastructure, including a new water tank, extended mains, and upgraded treatment equipment.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min readAI
Kodiak Lands Committee directs staff to study housing development at youth baseball field
The Borough Lands Committee is requesting staff analysis of the 16-acre Killarney Hills parcel (also known as the Cannonball Field) for potential residential subdivision, despite its current use as a youth baseball facility and previous rejection by planning officials in 2018.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Kodiak Assembly weighs $800,000 school funding compromise
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly debated Thursday how to balance the school district's request for a $1.6 million funding increase against competing pressures to avoid raising property taxes and preserve funds for major capital projects.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Lands committee advances KEA land transfer despite cost concerns
The Kodiak Island Borough Lands Committee voted 5-0 to recommend transferring 1,584 acres valued at $1.2 million to Kodiak Electric Association at no cost for the Terra Lake Hydroelectric project, despite one member's objection that KEA has the financial capacity to pay.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI