Largest local government in Alaska, covering 1,961 square miles from Girdwood to Eklutna. A unified home-rule municipality combining city and borough powers over a population of roughly 290,000.
Anchorage, AK, USA
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Speaker C
“the very drafty version that you're seeing here with a bunch of notes and kind of fill this in is a first pass at doing this from myself, Mr. Boland, and Ms. Baldwin-Day, who has joined us as the third member on this committee. But this— the goal is not that this coming from three of us, it's from all of us.”Anchorage Assembly: Budget and Finance Committee-of-the-Whole · Jun 18, 2026
Speaker C
“last year we passed this in September. We know that's pretty late. In terms of kind of when some kind of guidance like this would be useful, what timeframe would you recommend?”Anchorage Assembly: Budget and Finance Committee-of-the-Whole · Jun 18, 2026
Speaker C
“So fixing this is going to involve a real trade-off.”Anchorage Assembly: Budget and Finance Committee-of-the-Whole · Jun 18, 2026
Speaker C
“the intent is that we bring this forward probably at the July 21st meeting, so we have some time. And of course, this does not need to reflect every single person's individual priorities. We want to find what, you know, at least a majority of us can agree on at this point.”Anchorage Assembly: Budget and Finance Committee-of-the-Whole · Jun 18, 2026
Speaker C
“The first section really deals with asking for information in what's called the preliminary budget memo or the 120-day memo that that will come out around September 1st. So it's really asking for basically scenarios or any information to really, you know, project that the point of that memo is to say, here's the revenue we expect, here's the big trends, here's our capital improvement program list, and really kind of a preview of what the actual budget will look like.”Anchorage Assembly: Budget and Finance Committee-of-the-Whole · Jun 18, 2026
Speaker C
“the thing that Bill did not say, Mr. Fauzi did not say, was if we build more stuff, the Building Safety Service Area also fills itself back up, as we saw in the revenue. And so that is also a relevant piece piece of that conversation.”Anchorage Assembly: Budget and Finance Committee-of-the-Whole · Jun 18, 2026
The Assembly says Anchorage hunger is rising. Its resolution does not say how it knows.
A Hunger Action Month resolution set for reading at the Anchorage Assembly on Aug. 18 says nearly 40,000 Anchorage residents, including more than 12,000 children, face food insecurity, with the overall rate at 13.8 percent and the child rate above 18.4 percent.
by Walter AlaskaNews2h ago1 min readAI
Anchorage pushes for an emergency boat launch on Turnagain Arm after a drowning
An Anchorage Assembly resolution urges Alaska's congressional delegation to fund an emergency boat launch on Turnagain Arm, citing a 2026 drowning where rescuers had no way to launch.
by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago4 min readAI
An Anchorage cannabis grower's license renewal turns on a $12,760 tax bill
AK Legend Gardens owes the Municipality of Anchorage $12,760.98 in delinquent property taxes and collection items. The Anchorage Assembly entered a protest of its state cultivation license renewal Tuesday until the debt is paid and a site inspection is completed.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min readAI
A former legislator asks the Assembly to judge a Muldoon marijuana permit by the usual rules
Les Gara wrote the Anchorage Assembly in support of Baltazar Arias, who has run Baltazar's Tire Shop for 25 years and wants a marijuana retail license at 1431 Muldoon Road. The letter is in the Assembly's file alongside written opposition from the Northeast Community Council area.
by Walter AlaskaNews22h ago2 min readAI
The same water-chemical contract came back $855,400 higher, with no explanation
The Anchorage Assembly is scheduled to vote Aug. 18 on two AWWU chemical supply contracts worth up to $4.34 million combined: fluoride additive for Eklutna and the coagulant used to clarify water at Eklutna and Ship Creek.
by Walter AlaskaNews13h ago2 min readAI
Anchorage's assessment appeal surge reaches hearings next week
The Municipality of Anchorage Department of Finance has scheduled six Board of Equalization sessions between Aug. 18 and Aug. 21 at City Hall to hear contested property appraisals, continuing a heavy 2026 appeal year.
by Walter AlaskaNews14h ago1 min readAI
Former Anchorage Assembly member Karen Bronga killed in Sterling Highway crash
Former Anchorage Assembly member Karen Bronga was killed in a head-on crash at mile 62 of the Sterling Highway near Cooper Landing on July 24, 2026, according to Alaska State Troopers.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
A missing health certification is holding up the Homestead Lounge's liquor license transfer
A missing Anchorage Health Department certification would hold up the sale of the liquor license at The Homestead Lounge in Eagle River. The Anchorage Assembly holds a public hearing Tuesday, its last regular meeting before a Sept. 5 protest deadline.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min readAI
A faulting cable under the Loussac Library would cost the city a permanent easement
An ordinance before the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday, Aug. 18, would grant Chugach Electric a free perpetual easement across about 49,780 square feet of the Loussac Library grounds to replace faulting buried cable the city calls the only alternate feed for the area.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min readAI
A Midtown hotel vacant since a 2019 fire seeks approval to serve alcohol
The Anchorage Assembly is scheduled Aug. 18 to act on an alcohol special land use permit letting the Courtyard by Marriott Midtown sell drinks on site seven days a week. The Planning Department mailed 121 notices and received no public comments.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min readAI
Anchorage is considering expanding its surveillance network. The privacy rules are still a draft.
The Anchorage Assembly weighs $1.4 million for APD, including a Real Time Crime Center tied to license-plate surveillance, funded entirely by forfeiture and federal money that bypasses budget scrutiny.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readAI
A matter the Anchorage Assembly declared closed still draws a request for five minutes
Pastor Leon D. May filed an appearance request Aug. 12 seeking five minutes at the Anchorage Assembly's Aug. 18 meeting to speak about Assembly Member George Martinez, saying audience participation timed out at the last two meetings.
by Walter AlaskaNews13h ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly weights resolution would back JBER buildout as base housing nears full
An Anchorage Assembly resolution would commit the city to planning for a projected JBER buildup, on a base whose family housing is already about 98% occupied.
by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly to weigh $77,500 increase to SRW Homeowner's road contract
Ice and spring runoff eroded roads in the SRW Homeowner's Limited Road Service Area, and the administration is asking the Anchorage Assembly on Aug. 18 to raise a Snowline Alaska maintenance contract from $21,450 to $98,950.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly to take up nearly $954,000 for Merrill Field planning work
Two resolutions before the Anchorage Municipal Assembly on Aug. 18 would appropriate nearly $954,000, mostly federal FAA grant money, for a Merrill Field master plan phase and an Airport Layout Plan update required after six new instrument flight procedures were published in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago1 min readAI
Anchorage's Women's Commission is building a survey to ask women what matters most
The Anchorage Municipal Women's Commission is drafting a survey and planning listening sessions to gather women's policy priorities. It is coordinating with Health Department outreach staff and a municipal innovation strategist, and the full commission must review the draft before it launches.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min readAI
Anchorage wants a public board to steer its Chugach access money — and set qualifications for who runs it
An Anchorage ordinance would create a formal, public advisory board to prioritize Chugach State Park access projects funded by a 2023 voter-approved tax, replacing an ad hoc working group.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
Who controls Chugach access spending: trail advocates or the neighborhoods next door?
Road service areas, neighborhood residents and community councils split over who should sit on a proposed Chugach State Park Access Advisory Board and whether the ordinance strips their consultation rights. The Anchorage Assembly voted 12-0 Tuesday to continue the hearing to October 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Anchorage cited 36 for-hire drivers for unlicensed operation, denied 9 licenses for barrier crimes
Enforcement data released Monday shows Anchorage's Transportation Inspection Division cited 36 for-hire drivers for operating without a valid chauffeur license between 2025 and July 2026, while nine applicants were denied licenses outright for barrier crime convictions including sexual assault and serious drug offenses.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
Anchorage studies four ways to tax property owners for wildfire work
A University of Alaska study commissioned by the Anchorage Fire Department lays out four preliminary ways to assess property for wildfire mitigation, and the center says it intends to recommend a service area covering the whole municipality rather than only high-risk neighborhoods. Final recommendations are due by the end of October.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago3 min readAI
Two Assembly members want Martinez out. The removal law may not reach him
Donald Handeland, Jared Goecker call for Anchorage Assembly's George Martinez to resign over APOC fines; AMC 2.70.030 removal law faces private-capacity carve-out
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min readAI
Anchorage seeks 50 acres of JBER land for a waste-to-energy plant
Anchorage officials told the Assembly Legislative Committee on Thursday that both House and Senate defense bills would convey about 50 acres of JBER land next to the Anchorage Regional Landfill for a waste-to-energy plant. The House version orders the transfer. The Senate version only directs study.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
A year in, Anchorage's camping ordinance mostly moves people along, not into services
Anchorage's first-year camping ordinance report shows high voluntary compliance and few arrests, but that most people contacted left without any documented referral to services.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Second Eagle River road contract in weeks draws just one bid
A brush and stump disposal contract for the Eagle River service area drew a single bid from Eklutna Inc., the second sole-bid road procurement there in weeks. Assembly votes Aug. 4.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly unanimously passes veteran-owned business preference ordinance
The Anchorage Assembly voted 12-0 Tuesday to create a veteran-owned business preference program for municipal contracting, with a key 'right to match' amendment requiring qualifying businesses to accept contracts at the lowest competing bid price rather than automatically winning at a higher amount.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly rejects investigation into member Martinez's travel, 5-6
The Anchorage Assembly voted 5-6 Tuesday against directing an independent investigation of Assembly Member George Martinez's taxpayer-funded travel, then declined 3-8 to reconsider. Vice Chair Daniel Volland said he no longer believes the accusation document behind the case.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
APOC fines George Martinez after campaign-paid flight to Florida
The Alaska Public Offices Commission fined Anchorage Assembly member George Martinez $3,050 and ordered him to repay his campaign $2,255.70 after finding campaign funds improperly covered a Florida flight and emissions payment.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
The military is adding a thousand people to a base that's already full
JBER family housing is nearly full as the military plans to add about 1,050 personnel in Alaska. An Anchorage Assembly resolution weighs the added housing pressure.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Von Imhof Launches Anchorage Mayoral Bid With 'Fix and Grow' Platform
Former Alaska state senator Natasha Von Imhof formally kicked off her Anchorage mayoral campaign Friday on a 'fix and grow' platform, centering on homelessness, housing, economic growth, and major infrastructure projects ahead of the April 6, 2027 municipal election.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
A Muldoon pot shop clears the park buffer, by measuring to the playground
A marijuana store proposed inside a Muldoon Road tire shop meets Anchorage buffer rules by measuring to park playground equipment. The Assembly hears it Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Rockfall risk added to Anchorage flood watch as second rain round targets Monday commute
NWS Anchorage warns that a second round of moderate to heavy rain is likely to hit the Anchorage Bowl during Monday's morning commute, falling on already saturated ground and raising the risk of rockfalls along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage. The Flood Watch runs from 4 AM through Monday evening.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Anchorage would sell rights over its City Hall lot below appraisal
Two private LLCs would pay $200,000, or $80,000 below a 2025 appraisal, for a perpetual no-build easement on a 2,800-square-foot strip of the Anchorage City Hall parking lot, clearing a fire-code hurdle for a downtown redevelopment that has no plans yet. The Assembly reads the ordinance Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly recognizes four Eklutna youth interns for Elders meal program
The Anchorage Assembly passed AR No. 2026-220 on Tuesday recognizing four Native Village of Eklutna Rural Youth Services interns who built an Elders Freezer Meal program, repaired village sites, and are preparing to seat a planned Eklutna Youth Council.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
New law ties Anchorage's federal housing grant to how fast it builds
A new federal law will tie Anchorage's Community Development Block Grant funding to how fast the city adds housing, starting in 2028, raising concerns about fairness for constrained cities.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAISouth Anchorage rezone would allow industrial use in a residential area
A draft Anchorage ordinance would convert 3.8 acres at Lot 1, Block 9, Laurel Acres from single-family residential to heavy industrial zoning. The Planning and Zoning Commission takes the case up August 3, and the Anchorage Assembly makes the final call.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Anchorage tax-exempt property audit won't finish until 2031 or 2032 under current staffing
A formal report to the Anchorage Assembly finds that reviewing roughly 570 flagged tax-exempt properties will take until late 2031 or early 2032 at current staffing levels, with an estimated $811,000 annual tax burden shift at stake. The report is scheduled for the July 21 Assembly meeting.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago3 min readAI
Anchorage funded a program to fix 20 homes. It fixed one — and no one was penalized.
An internal audit found Anchorage rarely held its federally funded housing and shelter programs to their goals — one repaired a single home out of 20 — and never enforced penalties for falling short.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Girdwood's park plans would move to Anchorage's standard public review
An Anchorage ordinance up for a vote Aug. 4 would route Girdwood's park master plans through the citywide review process, which includes a public hearing with oral comment.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Anchorage resolution would steer infrastructure to neighborhoods absorbing new housing
A resolution set for an Anchorage Assembly reading on July 21 would make it formal policy to prioritize sidewalks, drainage, lighting, and transit upgrades in neighborhoods designated for housing growth, but it appropriates no money and sets no deadline for the administration to act.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
Two Anchorage housing votes on June 23: a tax break and new fees on the same new homes
Anchorage will vote June 23 on a 10-year property tax break for starter-home buyers and new utility connection fees on the same new construction
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAI