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.
Photo by Paxson Woelber, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
muni.org ↗Anchorage, AK, USA
Inside Municipality of Anchorage
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Week of Jun 8
Basher parking plan rises after city estimate showed need for more
Bashing in Basher, but can't unbash what's been bashered.

Cook Inlet Housing breaks ground on 24 senior apartments in Anchorage
Cook Inlet Housing Authority will build 24 senior apartments in Anchorage by 2027. This project addresses a housing cost burden for seniors who spend over a third of their income on rent.

Anchorage to issue $55.2M in bonds for roads, parks, fire equipment
Anchorage will issue $55.2 million in general obligation bonds in July for roads, parks, fire equipment, and transit, with annual debt service of $4.0 million paid by property taxpayers.

Anchorage zoning board postpones variance threshold changes
Anchorage zoning board postponed a proposal to raise the setback encroachment threshold from 5 percent to 10 percent, which would let single-family homeowners avoid a $710 public hearing fee.

APOC fines George Martinez after campaign-paid flight to Florida
Oh goodness... I guess campaign finance laws were made for a reason.

Anchorage police to train 10 officers in mental-health crisis response
Anchorage police will train up to ten officers and dispatchers in mental health crisis response this fall using a $50,000 state grant and $1,100 in city matching funds.

Anchorage appropriates $2.5M in federal transit grants for bus fleet
Anchorage Assembly approved $6.6 million in federal and local funding on June 9 to replace aging buses, expand paratransit service, and maintain the People Mover fleet.

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

Anchorage Assembly postpones public safety commission to July
Assembly kicks can down the road on Public Safety Commission vote

Anchorage transfers Heritage Land Bank parcel for natural burial cemetery
After land transfer from HLB, people are dying to get in there.

Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG could cost "tens of millions of dollars"
Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG would cost "tens of millions" — a number that lands somewhere between $23M and $173M. Her plan targets $23M.

Anchorage Assembly to consider letting licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits
Anchorage may let licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits — sorry, attic squirrels.

Anchorage's alcohol tax can't fund everything it was promised to fund — and a board meeting Tuesday made the tradeoff explicit
Anchorage alcohol tax revenue is dropping to 5.2 million dollars for 2027. • The city must now choose between funding school preschools or emergency homelessness services. • School district preschools face potential cuts while the district manages a 90 million dollar budget gap. • Childcare providers are also asking for a share of the limited funds.

A Pacific Islander nonprofit told an Anchorage homelessness commission its housing assistance program is over-subscribed — and asked for city funding to expand it
Polynesian Association seeks Anchorage funding for housing assistance

Alaska DOT programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M
Alaska DOT programmed the Fairview Bypass into its long-range transportation plan at $220.5 million across four phases, with construction stages starting at $60 million for a regional connection near Merrill Field.

Planning commission recommends removing density requirement from Eagle River greenhouse property
Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended removing a minimum-density requirement from an Eagle River greenhouse property, allowing duplexes or triplexes instead of 13 required units. The Assembly will make the final decision.

Coming up
Anchorage Assembly 2027 Budget Final Action
Anchorage Assembly Chambers
Meeting
Anchorage Assembly Regular Meeting
Meeting
Anchorage Assembly Public Hearing on Water Special Improvements Assessment Roll 2026-W-1
Hearing
Anchorage Assembly Public Hearing on Sewer Special Improvements LUC Roll 2026-S-1
Hearing
Property Tax Payment Deadline
Public notice
About Municipality of Anchorage
Photo by Paxson Woelber, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
muni.org ↗Anchorage, AK, USA
The Municipality of Anchorage is the unified home rule government that combines city and borough powers for Anchorage, from Girdwood to Eklutna. It is led by a mayor and an elected Assembly, which adopts ordinances, approves contracts and confirms appointments to city boards.
The Municipality runs the Anchorage Police Department, the Anchorage Fire Department, public works, planning and the Loussac Library. Recurring questions concern zoning and housing density rules, police practices and surveillance rules, traffic safety, and the replacement of aging equipment and facilities.
Its boards and commissions, among them the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Equal Rights Commission, are filled by mayoral appointment with Assembly confirmation. Communities within its boundaries, including Eagle River, Chugiak and Girdwood, have their own road contracts and reserves that the Assembly approves.
More from Municipality of Anchorage
Week of Jun 1
ASD projects $40M FY28 deficit — two months after voters rejected school bond and tax levy
Anchorage School District projects a $40 million deficit for fiscal year 2028 on top of $90 million in earlier cuts, after voters rejected a $12 million tax levy and $79 million bond in April.

Anchorage Assembly to vote on free land for natural burial cemetery
Anchorage Assembly will vote on giving a 9.6-acre parcel worth $583,000 to a nonprofit to build a natural burial cemetery in South Anchorage, avoiding municipal construction costs as the city's main cemetery nears capacity.

Assembly to hear natural burial cemetery proposal for South Anchorage
Anchorage Assembly votes June 9 on giving a 9.6-acre South Anchorage parcel to Alaska Natural Burial to operate the city's first natural burial cemetery at no taxpayer cost.

Anchorage veteran preference splits on eligibility, contract scope
Anchorage Assembly weighs two veteran business preference plans with different eligibility and scope. S-1: 5 percent preference up to $50,000 for any veteran discharged under honorable conditions, applies to both commodity bids and professional-services proposals. S-2: limits to Alaska residents separated within five years under non-dishonorable conditions, sliding scale, bids only, $500,000 lifetime cap. Scheduled for debate June 9, effective July 1, 2026 if passed.

Anchorage schools adopt regional nurse model, will pull nurses from schools with fewer medical needs
Anchorage schools will reassign nurses from schools with fewer medical needs to cover schools with students requiring tube feedings or diabetes management, responding to a shortage that left some schools without staff.

ASD claims state funding bill comes too late
Anchorage School District says a potential $37 million state funding increase tied to an August 31 revenue determination arrives too late to hire teachers before the 2026-27 school year begins.

Week of May 25
Anchorage Assembly continues public safety commission hearing to June 9 after criticism of advisory-only powers
Anchorage Assembly postponed a vote on a proposed Public Safety Commission to June 9 after community members criticized it for lacking investigative power, subpoena authority, and ability to discipline officers.

Anchorage Assembly recognizes Gun Violence Awareness Day after contentious debate over statistics
Anchorage Assembly voted 9-3 to recognize June 5-7 as Gun Violence Awareness Weekend, rejecting an attempt to remove language about gun deaths and economic costs from the resolution.

Anchorage School District to receive $37 million from state education funding increase
Alaska Legislature approved a $144 million education funding increase, sending $37 million to Anchorage schools to help cover budget shortfalls from inflation and rising costs, plus a 4 percent annual cap on required local contributions.

Anchorage secures $25M for Port of Alaska in state capital budget
Anchorage won $25 million in state funding for Port of Alaska, with $15 million guaranteed and $10 million conditional on oil prices staying above $80 per barrel through mid-2026.

Anchorage resident takes Assembly removal case to U.S. Supreme Court
Anchorage resident Dustin Darden asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block his removal from an Assembly meeting after he used public comment time to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and discuss his Christian faith instead of the streetlight ordinance being debated.
Week of May 18
Anchorage proposes second round of child care licensing code changes
Anchorage Assembly votes May 26 on second round of child care licensing cuts to remove rules that duplicate state standards. Changes include dropping annual physicals for children, eliminating nutrition rules already covered by state and USDA, and allowing more online training. City oversees 92 licensed homes and 98 centers with no new revenue impact expected.

Anchorage faces $31M deficit across internal service funds
Anchorage has $31 million in deficits across internal service funds. • Whoops!

Anchorage Assembly considers new Public Safety Commission with community focus
Anchorage Assembly considers reviving a Public Safety Commission with nine voting community members and five non-voting agency reps. Commission would advise on police and fire policies, hold public hearings, and request records, but cannot investigate or discipline. Public hearing set for May 26.

Seven Western Alaska typhoon evacuees graduate from Anchorage schools
Seven students evacuated from Western Alaska villages after ex-Typhoon Halong in October 2025 graduated Monday from Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School after completing their senior year there.

Anchorage schools eliminate elementary health teachers, shift to integrated model
Anchorage cuts 27.5 health teacher jobs, embedding health into reading, PE, and social-emotional learning instead. • K-3 students learn health through reading curriculum, grades 4-5 use existing materials with teacher training. • Board member warns piecemeal approach may not meet district's own 2024 health education policy. • Main risk is finding time to train teachers in already packed school days.

East High students organize benefit concert to save band program
East High students host benefit concert Saturday to save band program facing elimination due to budget cuts. • School plans to cut band director position, affecting 100 students across five classes. • Concert runs 2 to 5 p.m. at Club Nyt Lyt with $15 suggested donation, all proceeds to band account. • Anchorage schools cutting programs after state education funding remained flat.

Anchorage faces $1.3 billion stormwater infrastructure deficit
Anchorage has 400 miles of failing storm pipes creating a $1.3 billion repair deficit with no dedicated funding. • Current emergency bonds cannot keep pace with deterioration causing sinkholes and flooding. • Replacing 4,000 feet of pipe on one street costs $25 to $50 million. • City exploring dedicated stormwater utility for long-term funding.

Crews battle South Anchorage vegetation fire near 100th Avenue and C Street
Firefighters battled a 5-acre vegetation fire Tuesday afternoon near 100th Avenue and C Street in South Anchorage, with no evacuations ordered as of early afternoon.

Week of May 11
Downtown library to be named for Anchorage's original townsite
Anchorage's naming commission scheduled a June 10 hearing to name the new downtown library after the city's original townsite, honoring a $12.5 million gift from Janet Goetz's estate.

Assembly Approves $64.8M Bond Appropriation for Capital Projects
Anchorage Assembly unanimously approved $64.86 million in bond funds for roads, fire protection, parks, transit and other city projects on May 12.

Planning commission postpones wetlands plan update over staffing gaps
Anchorage's Planning Commission postponed wetlands plan updates Monday after staff admitted no one on payroll can use the technical tools needed to manage wetlands permits.

Week of May 4
True North Recovery proposes Fairview behavioral health center
True North Recovery wants $750,000 in city funds for a Fairview health center. Neighbors oppose the site due to service density.

Anchorage budget crisis mirrors national school funding squeeze
Anchorage School District approved closing three elementary schools and cutting over 500 staff positions to address a $90 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2027.
