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
Anchorage Assembly designates Sept. 20 as LGBTQ Veterans Day
The Anchorage Municipal Assembly passed and approved AR No. 2026-250 on Tuesday, recognizing Sept. 20, 2026 as LGBTQ Veterans Day in Anchorage. The date marks the anniversary of the 2011 repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' The resolution names no program or funding.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to take up $4.7 million grant to plan Port of Alaska fuel terminal replacement
A municipal memo says inspections found corrosion and damage to piles, fenders and pile caps at Petroleum Terminal 2, which handles about half the Port of Alaska's fuel capacity. A resolution appropriating a $4.725 million federal planning grant is up for reading Sept. 1.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage elementary schools drop pre-packaged meals for traditional food service
Anchorage School District has moved every elementary school to a new lunch service format, according to the state education department's September school meals bulletin, and the district says meal consumption and participation are rising.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage youth can apply for $1,000 to $5,000 climate project grants
Anchorage residents ages 15 to 24 can apply for $1,000 to $5,000 micro-grants from a $40,000 Bloomberg Philanthropies pool for local climate projects. Applications close Oct. 18, awards are announced on or around Nov. 2, and each applicant must line up a nonprofit fiscal sponsor.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage weighs selling city land for housing by units built, not just the highest bid
A resolution up for reading before the Anchorage Assembly on Sept. 1 would direct the Municipality to weigh dwelling units, affordability and its duration above purchase price when it disposes of city-owned land, and to consider ground leases instead of outright sale.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's new emergency plan still has no chapter for disease outbreaks
Anchorage's 2026 emergency operations plan adds six annexes and 34 documented changes, and still lacks hazard appendices for tsunami, disease and air pollution.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's drone report leaves out the one thing the code requires
A Municipality of Anchorage public record logs Anchorage Police Department drone flights from May 2022 through April 2026, including SWAT callouts, homicide cases and four officer-involved shootings. Most entries say only "Search." No policy on footage retention accompanies the log.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
The Anchorage Assembly may audit every member's spending
Three Anchorage Assembly members are asking the Office of Internal Audit to review every member's $24,000 Individual Spending Account back to January 2023, expanding a narrower travel review. The resolution is scheduled for reading Sept. 1.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's school board says closures won't fix the budget; residents aren't so sure
The Anchorage School Board argued at its first rightsizing meeting that closing schools won't meaningfully shrink its deficit, even as most surveyed residents back consolidation.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage permits more housing than last year, but from a near-record low
Mayor LaFrance says Anchorage permitted more housing in 2026 than in 2024 or 2025, but those were near-record-low years and the city remains far below its 10,000-homes-in-10-years target of 1,000 units a year.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly set to waive protest of Serrano's liquor license renewal
A memorandum before the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday would waive the municipality's right to protest the beverage dispensary license renewal for Serrano's Mexican Grill on East Tudor Road, days before the Sept. 8 deadline under state law.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage's proposed tax break caps at $497,000. New homes average $750,000.
A proposed 10-year Anchorage property tax exemption for first-time buyers of new homes would apply only to homes selling at or below $496,746, while the administration's own worksession materials put average new construction near $750,000.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Eagle River lot could shed 2002 limits at a Sept. 15 hearing
The Anchorage Assembly will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 15, on stripping special limitations from a 1.04-acre commercial lot at 17026 Santa Maria Drive in Eagle River. Written and phone testimony is due by 5 p.m. the day before.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage moves to clarify its wetlands permitting, though some say it doesn't go far enough
An ordinance up for reading before the Anchorage Assembly on Sept. 1 would formalize that wetlands oversight is shared between the Planning and Development Services departments, five years after the Municipality lost its general permit and its dedicated wetlands staff.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's next park would sit on the Knik Arm bridge route it has long fought
Anchorage may turn a former fuel depot above the Port of Alaska into a park, on the route of the Knik Arm Crossing — a bridge the state backs and the city has fought for years.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A state grant would keep TB screening running at Anchorage homeless shelters
A $2.77 million state grant up for reading before the Anchorage Assembly on Sept. 1 pays for tuberculosis screening at homeless shelters and transitional living centers, and for emergency housing to isolate people with contagious airborne disease.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage weighs a $6.7 million bleach contract for its wastewater
The Anchorage Assembly votes Sept. 1 on a three-year contract worth up to $6.7 million for sodium hypochlorite used to disinfect Asplund wastewater effluent before it enters Cook Inlet. Only one company bid, the utility's current vendor.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
The Anchorage Assembly recognized September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
The Anchorage Assembly passed a resolution recognizing September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, citing state data on suicide deaths in the region.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage set to get $3 million to expand its crisis-response system
Anchorage won a $3 million Rural Health Transformation Program grant from the Alaska Department of Health, the first year of a proposed $7 million, three-year plan to expand mobile crisis teams, mobile opioid treatment and short-term assisted living beds.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage would drop landscaping buffers for three- and four-unit homes
An Anchorage ordinance would exempt three- and four-unit homes from landscaping buffer requirements along property lines. The Assembly public hearing is Oct. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage may have paid the state's traffic-signal power bill for 20 years
Internal Audit Report 2026-05 found Anchorage's Traffic Engineering Department did not track the actual electricity cost of state traffic signals it operates under a 2005 agreement, making it hard to tell if the city paid bills the state owed. The Assembly takes up the report Sept. 1.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage considers naming Northeast Connector Trail after Karen Bronga
The Anchorage Public Naming Commission will hold a Sept. 9 hearing on renaming the Northeast Connector Trail for Karen Bronga, the former Assembly member killed in a July crash.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage wildfire mitigation would be paid for citywide, researchers say
A University of Alaska progress report recommends any Anchorage wildfire service area cover the whole municipality rather than high-risk neighborhoods alone.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Driver kills Anchorage pedestrian at Seward Highway and Benson Boulevard, flees scene
A woman died after a dark-colored SUV struck her at the Seward Highway and Benson Boulevard early Saturday. Anchorage police say the driver did not stop.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly committees would consolidate under a draft from the Rules chair
A draft from the Anchorage Assembly's Rules chair would merge committees and cut meeting frequency, combining homelessness and health into a single panel.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
As a crime center vote nears, Anchorage weighs whether its privacy limits should be policy or law
Chief Sean Case says a $600K Anchorage crime center purchase buys no new surveillance, as the Assembly weighs an ordinance to write the system's privacy limits into law.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago3 min read
Anchorage holds more property-appeal hearings, as hundreds of over-assessed homes get lower valuations
Anchorage's Board of Equalization holds six more property-assessment appeal hearings the week of Aug. 24, as a city review finds about 660 over-assessed homes will receive lower valuations.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage keeps blowing past overtime budgets stuck on a 2010 baseline
Anchorage has spent 51% of its 2026 budget with 58% of the year gone, but OMB Director Ona Brouse told the Assembly Budget and Finance Committee on Thursday that police, fire and transit overtime remain over budget and the alcohol tax fund shows 107% spent because of accounting mismatches.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage schools will open a new listening effort with a $42 million shortfall
Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt presented ASD Listens to the Anchorage School Board, a four-step engagement cycle of surveys, pulse polls and community conversations. The district named the projected FY28 deficit and responsible stewardship as the first subject.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Ordinance would make police ask before buying surveillance tech
An Anchorage ordinance would require Assembly approval before police buy surveillance technology and bar the municipality from joining outside surveillance data networks.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage opens contract talks with one of its unions
The Municipality of Anchorage and Teamsters Local 959 opened talks Aug. 17 on a successor labor contract. The current agreement, effective since Oct. 10, 2023, expires Dec. 31, and any replacement must be ratified by the bargaining unit and the Anchorage Assembly.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
An Anchorage marijuana grower has to pay its back taxes before it can keep growing
AK Legend Gardens must pay $12,760.98 in delinquent Anchorage taxes and pass a Land Use Enforcement inspection before its state cultivation license renewal can proceed, under a conditional protest the Anchorage Municipal Assembly entered Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Girdwood petitioner seeks stream setback variance for house and bridge
Alyeska Serendipity, LLC is asking the Anchorage Zoning Board of Examiners and Appeals to let a house, garage with accessory dwelling unit and connecting bridge encroach into Girdwood's 25-foot stream setback. A public hearing is set for Oct. 8.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage approves a Muldoon Road marijuana store, over a dispute about how close it sits to a playground
The Anchorage Assembly voted 8-3 Tuesday to approve a marijuana license and special land use permit for a retail store at 1431 Muldoon Road, over an assembly member's objection that planning staff misread the code's playground buffer rule.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage wants to buy three new garbage trucks for about $1.47 million
Anchorage Solid Waste Services is asking the Assembly to approve buying three new garbage trucks for about $1.47 million, using a cooperative deal that saves about 16%.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage approves $40,000 to update Merrill Field's airport layout plan
The Anchorage Assembly approved $40,000, almost entirely FAA grant money, to update Merrill Field's airport layout plan after new instrument flight procedures changed what the plan must depict.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A Hillside road area may spend far more than planned after erosion damage
Ice buildup and spring runoff eroded roads in the SRW Homeowner's Limited Road Service Area, and a contract amendment before the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday would add $77,500 to a maintenance contract originally set at $21,450 a year.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A Sitka Street railroad crossing rebuild will cost Anchorage $91,000 more than agreed
Bids for the Sitka Street grade crossing upgrade came in above estimate, and the Alaska Railroad Corporation asked Anchorage for $91,200 more, raising the total to $342,500. The administration recommended approval at the Assembly's Tuesday meeting.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage will ship contaminated concrete to Oregon after the state tightened disposal rules, adding $850,000
The Anchorage School Board approved about $850,000 to send PCB-contaminated concrete from the old Inlet View Elementary to Oregon, after the state raised its disposal standards for the banned chemicals.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to mark Women's Equality Day tonight
The Anchorage Assembly passed AR 2026-245 on Tuesday, recognizing Women's Equality Day and naming domestic violence and professional barriers as unresolved obstacles for Anchorage women. The resolution pledges continued dedication to gender equality but names no new program or funding.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read