Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska's fastest-growing region and commuter belt for Anchorage. Home of the Iditarod headquarters, Hatcher Pass, and the Alaska State Fair in Palmer.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK, USA
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Mat-Su Borough: Planning Commission Meeting - August 3rd, 2026 · Aug 3, 2026
Mat-Su Borough: Planning Commission Meeting - August 3rd, 2026 · Aug 3, 2026
Mat-Su Borough: Planning Commission Meeting - August 3rd, 2026 · Aug 3, 2026
Mat-Su Borough: Planning Commission Meeting - August 3rd, 2026 · Aug 3, 2026
Mat-Su Borough: Planning Commission Meeting - August 3rd, 2026 · Aug 3, 2026
Mat-Su Borough: Planning Commission Meeting - August 3rd, 2026 · Aug 3, 2026
The Legislature let local voters decide school board term lengths — and Mat-Su is first in line
The Legislature unanimously passed SB 143, letting Alaska communities decide by vote whether school board terms run three or four years, as Mat-Su weighs putting the question on its November ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago3 min readAI
Mat-Su Assembly declares Talkeetna flood emergency, seeks state aid for permanent fix
The Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted Tuesday to declare a local emergency over Susitna River erosion and flooding threatening Talkeetna, unlocking 180 days of emergency authority and formally requesting state assistance to help cover non-federal matching funds the borough cannot provide alone.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
A proposed cap would limit how high Mat-Su can set its property tax rate
A proposed Mat-Su Borough ordinance would cap the areawide property tax rate at 7 mills, below the current rate, limiting what future assemblies could set.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min readAI
In Talkeetna, a debate over whether weather or a bridge is eroding the riverbank
At a Mat-Su Borough meeting on Talkeetna erosion, a longtime observer said a rebuilt railroad bridge narrowed the Talkeetna River channel and cannot pass the basin's water, citing recent flows of 44,000 CFS on the Talkeetna and 40,000 CFS on the Susitna.
by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
A hiker was carried off a Hatcher Pass trail, the second rescue there this summer
Alaska State Troopers, State Parks, Palmer Rescue and Mat-Su Borough EMS carried an incapacitated adult hiker off Reed Lake Trail in Hatcher Pass on Thursday to a waiting ambulance. It was at least the second rescue on the route this summer.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4d ago1 min readAI
Mat-Su commission backs the $9 million road route over the $30 million one
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission voted down its staff's recommended northern alignment for the Engstrom Road to Trunk Road connector Monday and adopted a substitute resolution backing a southern route estimated at about $9 million, after testimony on cost, safety and property rights.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Mat-Su voters will decide whether the borough can tax valley-wide for big road projects
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly adopted an ordinance Tuesday putting a borough-wide road powers question on the Nov. 3 ballot, letting areawide money buy right-of-way and build roads, a power now held only by individual road service areas.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Landowner gets variance to split land off Wasilla-Fishhook Road
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Platting Board approved a variance Thursday allowing a nearly 13-acre parcel near North Wasilla Fishhook Road to be split into two lots, after the state denied the property direct highway access and a board member questioned whether the hardship was self-created.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Talkeetna's erosion fight reaches a new stage: buying people off the riverbank
The Mat-Su Borough reported one home lost and several structures damaged in Talkeetna after the Talkeetna River crested at 13.07 feet, its highest level since September 2012, following nearly three inches of rain in a single day.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
Governor's disaster declaration unlocks state aid for Talkeetna flooding
A July 25 disaster declaration authorizing state public assistance for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough over Talkeetna flooding was read into the Alaska State Senate record Tuesday during a technical session.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Mat-Su weighs a flood emergency and a tax overhaul
The Mat-Su Borough Assembly will consider a Talkeetna flood emergency declaration and a proposed November ballot measure pairing a 3% sales tax with a property tax cap.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Mat-Su Platting Board approves Starlight Subdivision master plan over neighbor objections
The Mat-Su Borough Platting Board unanimously approved the Starlight Subdivision master plan Thursday, authorizing up to 184 lots across 200 acres near West Carmel Road in 13 phases over 10 years, despite written objections from neighbors citing traffic on a washboarded gravel road, mail delivery problems, and one landowner's concern about a planned private airstrip next door.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Mat-Su Planning Commission backs multifamily code overhaul
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission passed Resolution 26-09 on Monday, recommending a rewrite of multifamily development standards to create tiered permitting, tighten drainage and fire access rules, and resolve a longstanding problem with how condo plats are treated under borough code.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
A neighbor found the missing Butte woman walking near his home
An elderly woman who wandered from her Butte home was found safe nine hours later by a community member, after a borough-wide search by fire crews, drones and volunteers.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
A $700 property tax break, paid for by a 1% sales tax
Mat-Su Borough voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to trade a roughly $700 property tax exemption for owner-occupied homes for a new 1% borough-wide sales tax.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Tessera hiring event comes to Mat-Su Job Center July 29
Tessera, an employer focused on hiring people with disabilities and veterans, will meet directly with Mat-Su job seekers at the Wasilla job center on July 29 from noon to 3 p.m. Walk-in resume help is available before the event.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Mat-Su moves to clean up 'forever chemicals' in its groundwater
The Mat-Su Borough will consider $400,000 to clean up PFAS "forever chemicals" in groundwater, traced to old firefighting foam and detected near Cottonwood Creek Elementary.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Palmer Courthouse finally gets funding for long-needed expansion
The Alaska Court System is moving forward with a $4.95 million expansion to address growing judicial demand in the state's fastest-growing borough, with bids due May 25 and construction starting by mid-August—a concrete response to Mat-Su's population pressures that larger outlets haven't covered at the procurement stage.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
Matanuska Electric offers free EV chargers to local businesses, but hosts pay install costs
Matanuska Electric Association is expanding its Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging Pilot Program, recruiting local businesses, nonprofits, housing authorities, and government organizations to host commercial-grade chargers at no equipment cost — but installation, electrical upgrades, and transformer work are the host's responsibility. MEA will collect anonymized usage data for three years to shape future energy planning.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Mat-Su Planning Commission approves Deshka River watershed land classification
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission approved Monday a resolution recommending classification of borough-owned land along the Deshka River as a salmon stream protection area, citing the river's importance to king and coho salmon populations.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Where Alaska's fire morels may pop next
Recent wildfires across Alaska's road system have created potential morel mushroom hunting grounds for spring 2026, with burns near Fairbanks, the Elliott Highway, Tok, and Southcentral offering foragers new places to search.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Two Mat-Su subdivisions approved — and the small details say something about how the borough is growing
The platting board approved a three-lot subdivision in Palmer and a seven-tract remote subdivision near Big Lake. Both moved forward without public opposition at Thursday's hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Mat-Su landfill fire draws multi-department response near Palmer-Wasilla corridor
A construction debris fire at Mat-Su Central Landfill drew Central Mat-Su and Lakes fire departments Monday evening, partially closing the site overnight while crews used an excavator to break apart the burning debris cell.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min readAI
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Platting Board approves Settler's Bay Unit 11 subdivision
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Platting Board unanimously approved Thursday a preliminary plat for Settler's Bay Unit 11 despite neighboring homeowners' concerns about design compatibility and drainage in the swampy area.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Mat-Su Borough Platting Board approves Bartlett Hills subdivision with road waiver
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Platting Board approved a four-lot subdivision near Montana Creek on Friday, granting a variance that exempts the developer from building an improved access road despite staff opposition.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Assembly transfers nine riverfront parcels to state for erosion control
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly unanimously approved transferring nine borough-owned parcels along the Matanuska River to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to enable faster erosion protection construction and more flexible emergency response.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI
Wasilla advances 63-unit affordable housing project as Mat-Su growth continues
A conditional use permit for up to 63 affordable housing units in North Star Estates—Wasilla's largest affordable housing proposal in recent memory—goes before the Planning Commission June 9, with the full application record now public and a June 2 comment deadline creating a narrow window for resident input on traffic, infrastructure, and neighborhood impacts.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
If you're camped on a Susitna gravel bar this week, watch the river
Heavy rain will hit the Susitna Valley through midweek, with the Skwentna and Yentna rivers cresting Wednesday into Thursday and riverside campsites at flood risk.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Mat-Su Assembly passes resolution affirming residents' right to use leaf blowers
Mat-Su Borough Assembly resolution affirming residents' right to use leaf blowers
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Underwood-Eastman rematch gives Wasilla voters another House District 27 choice
Rep. Jubilee Underwood and former Rep. David Eastman are set for a rematch in House District 27, reprising their 2024 race that Underwood won by 196 votes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Mat-Su Platting Board approves Primrose Point Phase 4 preliminary plat despite unresolved driveway questions
The Mat-Su Borough Platting Board approved the preliminary plat for Primrose Point Phase 4 without objection, relocating an internal road to meet grade requirements, but left shared driveway access for four to five lots fronting Lone Cub Drive to be resolved during pre-construction engineering. Neighbors who have tracked the project since 2005 called the timeline incomplete.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAIMat-Su Parks Recruiting Summer Trail Crew, Campground Workers
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Parks Department is hiring seasonal workers for summer 2026 trail maintenance and campground operations, offering hands-on training in outdoor recreation management.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min readAI
MEA wins easement on Mental Health Trust land in Wasilla
The Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office granted Matanuska Electric Association a term non-exclusive easement Wednesday covering 0.007 acre on Church Road and Shampine Lane in Wasilla for utility access and infrastructure work.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Willow Woman Charged After 25 Sled Dogs Found Dead on Property
A Willow woman faces 26 felony animal cruelty charges after 25 sled dogs were found starved to death on her property following months of ignored complaints to Mat-Su Animal Control.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAIMat-Su Planning Commission advances multifamily design standards rewrite
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission on Monday introduced a resolution to modernize multifamily development design standards, aligning permitting requirements with project scale and complexity, with a public hearing scheduled for June 15.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Mat-Su Assembly blocks sales tax proposal before public hearing
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly voted 6-3 Wednesday to remove a sales tax proposal from the agenda before it could reach public hearing, sparking debate over process and whether members should allow public discussion of competing tax reform ideas.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Senate Finance weighs Alaska LNG tax worth $124M a year — and whether it's enough for host communities
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche told the Alaska Senate Finance Committee Wednesday that the House version of the Alaska LNG tax bill provides a workable 70% property tax reduction, while the original 90% cut would have left local taxpayers subsidizing the project.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Mat-Su Planning Commission to schedule Eagle River annexation presentation
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission agreed by consensus Monday to schedule a formal informational session and a draft resolution on a proposal to annex Chugiak–Eagle River from Anchorage into Mat-Su, with Planning Director Alex Strawn noting an August assembly deadline if the question is to reach voters.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Mat-Su Says No to Swapping Property Tax for Sales Tax
The Mat-Su Borough Assembly rejected putting a property-tax-for-sales-tax swap on the November ballot, citing impacts on renters, small businesses, and legal uncertainty.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Mat-Su removes gravel permit barrier in Knik-Fairview
The Assembly passed an ordinance eliminating comprehensive plans as a binding standard for gravel permits. Planners must now give plans 'due consideration' but are not bound by them.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI