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
Eagle River hillside lot could lose the development limits set in 2002
An ordinance before the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday would strip 2002 special limitations from a 1.04-acre commercial lot at 17026 Santa Maria Drive in Eagle River. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval in June over two neighbors' written objections.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Downtown Anchorage owners face $1.15 million in assessments for services the city doesn't cover
Owners of 779 downtown Anchorage properties would owe a combined $1,147,531 under a resolution before the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday, Aug. 18. The measure raises the district's spending authority by $12,314 for snow removal, security and tourism services.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage water chemical contract returns $855,400 higher with no explanation
The Anchorage Assembly votes on a $3.6 million contract for water treatment chemicals after two of three bids were rejected as non-responsive, leaving one valid bid.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
An Anchorage cannabis grower's license hinges on a $12,761 tax bill, with tonight the deadline
The Anchorage Municipal Assembly hears public testimony at 6 p.m. Tuesday on renewing AK Legend Gardens' municipal cultivation license and on a conditional protest of the matching state license, tied to $12,760.98 in delinquent municipal taxes.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage races a deadline to build a downtown library before a grant expires
Anchorage is working to build a new downtown library before a $2.5 million state grant expires at the end of 2026, with a related architectural contract before the Assembly Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage tore down the Big Timber, a downtown blight a decade in the making
Anchorage demolished the derelict Big Timber Motel, a downtown building vacant a decade that drew emergency responders for years, part of a push against nuisance properties.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Researchers weigh broadening who pays for Anchorage wildfire work.
A University of Alaska progress report going to the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday recommends any new Wildland Interface Service Area cover the entire municipality, with a preliminary assessment estimated below 0.1 mills and final recommendations due by the end of October.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A Muldoon pot shop passed city rules, but a tribal youth program cites stricter state rules
A proposed Muldoon Road marijuana store cleared Anchorage's separation rules, but Cook Inlet Tribal Council says a stricter state youth-center buffer should block it, as the Assembly weighs the permit.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
The Assembly says Anchorage hunger is rising. Its resolution does not say how it knows.
A Hunger Action Month resolution before the Anchorage Assembly says food insecurity has risen to 13.8 percent, affecting nearly 40,000 residents, though the figures' source is unstated.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's water-coagulant contract returns with a pricier winner
Anchorage's water-coagulant contract returns to the Assembly recommending a supplier $855,400 more than the bid that died, unexplained. A fluoride contract is also up.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
The Assembly votes Tuesday on confirming a longtime trustee to run Anchorage's police and fire pension
The Anchorage Assembly is scheduled to vote Tuesday on confirming Glenn Cipriano, a former trustee and treasurer, as director of the Police & Fire Retirement System.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A resident wants Anchorage's Chugach park-access board rewritten to give locals more control
Patrick Pourchot told the Anchorage Assembly in written testimony for its Aug. 4 meeting that he supports creating a Chugach State Park Access Advisory Board. He wants its duties spelled out and two seats reserved for road service area members.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
A Muldoon pot shop divides the Assembly, with a former legislator and the chair for it and a council member against
A marijuana store proposed on Muldoon Road drew support from a former legislator and the Assembly chair and opposition from a council member at an Anchorage hearing carried over to Aug. 18.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
One rough winter tore up Hillside roads, and self-funded neighborhoods are footing the bill
One winter of ice and runoff damaged Hillside roads enough that a self-funded neighborhood district's budget would nearly quintuple, other areas asking too.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage is studying a new wildfire tax on every property owner as the federal money runs out
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Merrill Field gets nearly $954,000, mostly federal, to plan its future
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly meets six finalists for youth representative seat
Six Anchorage-area high school students met the Anchorage Assembly at a Friday worksession as finalists for the 2026-27 youth representative cohort, a seat that carries a non-binding preferential vote from September 1 through the end of April. The Assembly Chair makes the final pick.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage wants to speed up its check on 570 questionable tax exemptions
Anchorage's Property Appraisal Division is asking the Assembly to speed up review of about 570 flagged tax-exempt properties, with roughly $811,000 a year in potential revenue at stake.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A Hillside road district taps its own savings to fix its own roads
A resolution before the Anchorage Municipal Assembly Tuesday would appropriate $150,000 from the Mountain Park/Robin Hill Limited Road Service Area's fund balance for summer road rehabilitation, drawing down savings rather than raising assessments on Hillside property owners.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage union deals would sweeten benefits amid a labor shortage
Two administrative agreements pending before the Anchorage Assembly would let former municipal employees rehired within 10 years keep credit for prior service toward leave accrual, and would extend firefighter tuition reimbursement to master's degree programs.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
The road to Bear Valley Elementary would narrow, and won't fix the jam
A reconstruction of Mountain Air Drive by Bear Valley Elementary would narrow the road from 36 to 28 feet, and a memo says it won't resolve the school's pickup queuing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A Northwest think tank has ideas for Anchorage housing
The Sightline Institute, a Northwest think tank that advocates for denser housing, recommended Anchorage zoning changes to ease home prices. One was already adopted in 2025.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage school board bets its emergency reserve on money that may not come
The Anchorage School Board weighs spending $6.8 million of its emergency reserve to reinstate up to 45 positions, betting on uncertain state funding, and extends its school-consolidation committee.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly weighs 10-year tax break for condos above shops and offices
Buyers of new owner-occupied condos above Anchorage shops and offices would owe no property tax on the residential value of their units for 10 years. The ordinance was scheduled for reading June 23 and remains before the Anchorage Assembly with no passage date on the document.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage weighs $1 million for nonprofits feeding and sheltering vulnerable residents
The Anchorage Assembly weighs just over $1 million for nonprofits providing food, emergency shelter, and health and housing support to vulnerable residents, with a vote Aug. 4.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Audit of $11.8M in off-the-books Anchorage spending heads to the Assembly
An Anchorage internal audit of at least $11.8 million in "non-PO" spending that bypassed purchase orders and the city's transparency tracker goes before the Assembly Aug. 4.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage moves to sell an old Government Hill fire station to Chugach Electric
An ordinance before the Anchorage Assembly would sell the former Fire Station No. 2 on Government Hill to Chugach Electric for $470,000 without competitive bidding.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read