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.
Photo by Paxson Woelber, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
matsu.gov ↗Palmer, AK 99645, USA
Inside Mat-Su Borough
Places and topics in this news
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Week of Jun 22
Mat-Su landfill fire draws multi-department response near Palmer-Wasilla corridor
TRASH FIRE, TRASH FIRE!!!
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 15
If you're camped on a Susitna gravel bar this week, watch the river
Up to 3 inches of rain is about to hit the Susitna Valley, and the gravel bars everyone camps on are exactly what floods first. Maybe move the tent.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A new Mat-Su road would cross the ground its drinking water comes from
The Mat-Su drinks only groundwater — and keeps building over it. A new road would cross two drinking-water zones near a creek with a known PFAS problem.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su Says No to Swapping Property Tax for Sales Tax
Mat-Su weighed trading its property tax for a 6.5% sales tax — same money, different payers — and decided renters, shoppers, and an untested legal handcuff made it a bad bet for the ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su Planning Commission to schedule Eagle River annexation presentation
Mat-Su Planning Commission scheduled a presentation on annexing Chugiak and Eagle River from Anchorage, a preliminary step that does not endorse the idea or require a vote by the Borough Assembly.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su Planning Commission backs multifamily code overhaul
Mat-Su Planning Commission backed a tiered multifamily code allowing homeowners to add mother-in-law suites without permits. • Larger projects must meet new drainage, fire access, and road standards, including 100-foot building setbacks from roads. • The Assembly must approve the ordinance before the new rules take effect.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Week of Jun 8
Where Alaska's fire morels may pop next
Oh, Mushroom hunters / Information they kept close / Now for all to know
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
MEA wins easement on Mental Health Trust land in Wasilla
Matanuska Electric Association won an easement on Mental Health Trust land in Wasilla to install electric utility infrastructure
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Senate Finance weighs Alaska LNG tax worth $124M a year — and whether it's enough for host communities
Governments are making compromises on the amount of property tax they'll receive - not all are happy about it
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Week of Jun 1
Two Mat-Su subdivisions approved — and the small details say something about how the borough is growing
Mat-Su Borough Platting Board approved two subdivisions Thursday • Palmer project scaled to three lots after sewer extension costs ruled out six-lot plan • Lakeside development near Parks Highway approved for seven tracts accessible by float plane • Utility costs and geography shape where borough growth actually happens
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su removes gravel permit barrier in Knik-Fairview
The Mat-Su Assembly voted 6-1 to remove comprehensive plans as a binding standard for gravel permits, replacing it with a requirement that planners give plans due consideration but are not bound by them.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su Planning Commission advances multifamily design standards rewrite
Mat-Su Planning Commission approved a resolution Monday to rewrite multifamily design standards, with a public hearing set for June 15 before the proposal goes to the borough assembly.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Underwood-Eastman rematch gives Wasilla voters another House District 27 choice
Rep. Jubilee Underwood and former Rep. David Eastman, both Wasilla Republicans, are set for a rematch in House District 27 after Underwood defeated him by 196 votes in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 25
Palmer Courthouse finally gets funding for long-needed expansion
Palmer courthouse is getting a $4.95 million expansion with three new courtrooms after five years of the heaviest caseloads in Alaska, with construction to start by August 2026.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su Assembly creates musher-led kennel board after 25 dogs died
Mat-Su Assembly created a musher-led advisory board Tuesday to review kennel standards after 25 sled dogs died at a Willow property this spring, with recommendations due by mid-December.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Wasilla advances 63-unit affordable housing project as Mat-Su growth continues
Wasilla set a June 9 public hearing for a 63-unit affordable housing project in North Star Estates as the Mat-Su Borough continues rapid growth and housing costs strain residents.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Coming up
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly Special Meeting: Election Certification
Assembly Chambers, 350 East Dahlia Avenue, Palmer, AK 99645; testimony by phone at 1-855-225-2326
Meeting
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly Regular Meeting
Meeting
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Agriculture Advisory Board Regular Meeting
Meeting
Alaska Supreme Court oral argument: Leif S. Backlin v. Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Hearing
Talkeetna Sewer & Water Board Regular Meeting
Meeting
About Mat-Su Borough
Photo by Paxson Woelber, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
matsu.gov ↗Palmer, AK 99645, USA
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is the borough government for the Mat-Su region north of Anchorage, based in Palmer. An elected mayor and Assembly govern borough-wide planning, zoning, land use, roads and property taxes, and a borough manager runs its departments.
Recurring questions concern property tax limits, the borough's power to build and pay for roads, subdivision approvals and road waivers, and outside grants for projects such as Port MacKenzie. The borough also runs libraries and recreation facilities, declares emergencies over flooding, and works on groundwater contamination.
Wasilla, Palmer and Houston are cities within the borough, and communities such as Talkeetna and Trapper Creek are unincorporated. The Mat-Su Borough School District serves the same area, and the Assembly and school board meet jointly on shared questions such as school buildings.
More from Mat-Su Borough
Mat-Su Assembly passes resolution affirming residents' right to use leaf blowers
Mat-Su Assembly says 'blow away' in direct contrast to the Anchorage Municipalities position on leaf blowers
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Assembly transfers nine riverfront parcels to state for erosion control
Alaska borough transfers nine riverfront parcels to the state to build erosion barriers before the Matanuska River threatens the highway.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su Assembly blocks sales tax proposal before public hearing
Mat-Su Assembly blocked a 1.5% sales tax proposal before public hearing, voting 6-3 to remove it from the agenda. • Assemblymember Nowers wanted to pair the tax with a $75,000 property tax exemption for homeowners. • Opponents said it added taxes rather than replacing them. A different 6.5% sales tax proposal remains scheduled for June 16 hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 18
Mat-Su Borough Platting Board approves Bartlett Hills subdivision with road waiver
Matanuska-Susitna Borough approved a four-lot subdivision near Montana Creek and waived the requirement to build an improved road, allowing access only by existing pioneer road and trail.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su Planning Commission approves Deshka River watershed land classification
Mat-Su Planning Commission voted May 18 to classify borough-owned land along the Deshka River as watershed to protect cold-water salmon habitat, forwarding the resolution to the Assembly for final approval.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Platting Board approves Settler's Bay Unit 11 subdivision
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Platting Board approved a preliminary plat for Settler's Bay Unit 11.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Week of Apr 27
Mat-Su Parks Recruiting Summer Trail Crew, Campground Workers
Mat-Su Borough Parks is hiring seasonal trail crew and campground workers for summer 2025, with positions offering training in sustainable trail building and facility management.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago1 min read
Willow Woman Charged After 25 Sled Dogs Found Dead on Property
A Willow woman was arrested after 25 sled dogs starved to death on her property, with the borough investigating why animal control ignored months of neighbor complaints.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read