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
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Anchorage Assembly weighs $254K economic development grant to AEDC
The Anchorage Assembly is considering a $254,000 grant to the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation to support city-wide economic development programming, including work toward a federally compliant planning document that could improve the city's competitiveness for U.S. Economic Development Administration grants.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote June 23 on $2.57M in HUD housing grants
Anchorage Assembly to vote June 23 on $2.57 million HUD housing and homelessness plan, with nearly half the funds unassigned to specific projects
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly considers removing duplicative child care licensing rules
Anchorage ordinance AO 2026-69 would repeal local child care rules on physicals, nutrition and training that the city calls outdated or duplicative of state law.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on $1.35M in supportive housing grants
The Anchorage Assembly votes June 23 on $1.35 million in grants to five nonprofits for homelessness, domestic violence, and housing-instability services, blending $550K in federal HOME-ARP funds with $800K in municipal general funds.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Eklutna committed $196,649 to Anchorage for Halong evacuee public safety
Native Village of Eklutna committed $196,649 to Anchorage for public safety services tied to Typhoon Halong evacuees from Western Alaska coastal communities
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage ordinance would open industrial zones to adult care facilities
Assembly Member Erin Baldwin Day introduced AO No. 2026-79, which would add adult care as a permitted use in Anchorage's I-1 Light Industrial District, bypassing Planning and Zoning Commission review while still meeting charter notice requirements.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage commission to review mayor's salary for first time since 2020
The Municipality of Anchorage Commission on Salaries and Emoluments voted Tuesday to examine the mayor's salary, which has stood at approximately $145,000 since April 2020, with a public hearing and decision targeted before October budget season.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to appropriate $1.75M federal port power grant
Anchorage Assembly votes June 23 on a $1.75M federal grant to relocate and harden the Port of Alaska's electrical systems against earthquakes and tsunami.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on burying power lines through two East Side parks
The Anchorage Assembly takes up AO 2026-86 and AO 2026-87 on June 9, granting Chugach Electric Association free perpetual easements through Russian Jack Springs Park and Ira Walker Park to bury existing overhead lines as part of a multi-year undergrounding program pushing east from Bragaw Street.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage raises veteran bid preference cap to $50,000
The Assembly's S-1 version replaces the sliding-scale local preference with a flat 5% preference capped at $50,000 for both local and veteran-owned businesses, effective July 1.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage School Board adopts class size policy under state mandate
The Anchorage School Board unanimously adopted a class size policy Saturday that sets two tiers: the state's statutory maximums and lower, evidence-based targets the district cannot currently afford.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage zoning board to review variance criteria changes
The Zoning Board of Examiners and Appeals will review a draft ordinance Thursday amending how Anchorage evaluates dimensional variances and minor modifications, potentially changing standards property owners must meet for setback exceptions.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage to issue $55.2M in bonds for roads, parks, fire equipment
The Municipality of Anchorage will issue $55.2 million in general obligation bonds in July to fund voter-approved capital projects spanning road repairs, park renovations, fire equipment, and public safety upgrades across multiple service areas.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Basher parking plan rises after city estimate showed need for more
Anchorage has increased the Basher Trailhead parking plan to 52 spaces after earlier reducing it to 45, though the revised design remains below the city's own demand estimate of 80 to 100 spaces.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cook Inlet Housing breaks ground on 24 senior apartments in Anchorage
Cook Inlet Housing Authority will begin construction this year on 24 affordable senior apartments in Airport Heights, funded through a public-private partnership and private foundations. The units are scheduled for completion in 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage police to train 10 officers in mental-health crisis response
The Anchorage Police Department secured a $50,000 grant from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to train up to ten officers and dispatchers in Crisis Intervention Team methods, addressing interactions between law enforcement and people with mental health disorders through a four-day September training.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage appropriates $2.5M in federal transit grants for bus fleet
The Anchorage Assembly appropriated $6.5 million in Federal Transit Administration grants Saturday to replace aging buses and paratransit vehicles, expand micro-transit capacity, and fund preventive maintenance. The Municipality will provide $1.2 million in local match from bonds and operating funds.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Eklutna subdivision wins road-deferral variance
The Anchorage Platting Board approved variances allowing Eklutna LLC to subdivide three tracts into two lots without immediately building 880 feet of Wood Spruce Street, deferring road construction until Lot 1 develops.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage zoning board postpones variance threshold changes
The Anchorage Zoning Board postponed a proposed ordinance Friday that would double the threshold for administrative approval of setback encroachments from 5 percent to 10 percent. Members requested data on how many cases would be resolved administratively under different thresholds and asked legal counsel to clarify whether all eight approval criteria must be met.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Senate Finance weighs Alaska LNG tax worth $124M a year — and whether it's enough for host communities
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche told the Alaska Senate Finance Committee Wednesday that the House version of the Alaska LNG tax bill provides a workable 70% property tax reduction, while the original 90% cut would have left local taxpayers subsidizing the project.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Anchorage advances 5% bid preference for veteran-owned firms
The Anchorage Assembly is advancing an ordinance that would grant veteran-owned businesses a mandatory 5% bid preference on municipal contracts starting July 1, 2026. The preference applies when funding sources allow it.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly postpones public safety commission to July
After hearing emotional testimony from families who lost loved ones to police shootings, the Anchorage Assembly voted 8-4 Tuesday to postpone debate on a substitute version of a public safety oversight commission that would give APD and other agencies voting seats.
by Cale Green3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage transfers Heritage Land Bank parcel for natural burial cemetery
The Anchorage Assembly voted 11-1 Tuesday to transfer a 9.6-acre Heritage Land Bank parcel to Alaska Natural Burial, a nonprofit that will create Anchorage's first natural burial cemetery. The move addresses the city's burial space shortage after Anchorage Memorial Park reached capacity and a 2024 cemetery bond failed.
by Cale Green3mo ago2 min read
Alaska DOT programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M
Alaska DOT&PF programmed four phases of the Fairview Bypass project into the 2052 transportation plan Thursday with combined construction costs of $220.5 million. The programming follows completion of a planning study that selected a parkway route through public land.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG could cost "tens of millions of dollars"
Anchorage's mayor said LNG would cost "tens of millions." The Halcyon report shows $23M-$173M depending on housing supply. Her housing plan targets $23M.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to consider letting licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits
Assembly member Zac Johnson has proposed letting state-licensed nuisance-wildlife operators use air rifles and air pistols inside city limits while performing licensed work. The ordinance would add an exception to existing municipal weapons code.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's alcohol tax can't fund everything it was promised to fund — and a board meeting Tuesday made the tradeoff explicit
Anchorage's alcohol tax fund must shrink in 2027, forcing a tradeoff between ASD preschool classrooms and emergency homelessness response. Both needs are real.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
A Pacific Islander nonprofit told an Anchorage homelessness commission its housing assistance program is over-subscribed — and asked for city funding to expand it
Nonprofit housing assistance request
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Planning commission recommends removing density requirement from Eagle River greenhouse property
Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly weighs veteran contracting preferences
Two competing versions of a veteran-owned business preference ordinance differ on eligibility windows, cost caps, and whether preferences should apply beyond price-based bids. The Assembly votes on a program that could shift millions in municipal contracts.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on free land for natural burial cemetery
The Municipality of Anchorage will vote on transferring a 9.6-acre public parcel valued at $583,000 to a nonprofit for free to establish a natural burial cemetery. The deal bypasses taxpayer-funded cemetery expansion after voters rejected a $4.1 million bond in 2024.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
ASD projects $40M FY28 deficit — two months after voters rejected school bond and tax levy
Anchorage School District confronts a $40 million structural deficit on top of $90 million in prior cuts, with uncertainty over both state energy relief funding (not known until August 31) and municipal contribution levels creating urgent budget planning challenges for FY28.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Assembly to hear natural burial cemetery proposal for South Anchorage
The Anchorage Assembly will hold a public hearing Tuesday on transferring a 9.6-acre Heritage Land Bank parcel to Alaska Natural Burial, a nonprofit that would operate Anchorage's first natural burial cemetery at no cost to taxpayers.
by Lucas Brownadded 3mo ago3 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on natural burial cemetery on HLB land
The Anchorage Assembly will hold a public hearing Tuesday on transferring 9.6 acres of Heritage Land Bank property at no cost to Alaska Natural Burial for a natural burial cemetery, addressing the municipality's shortage of burial space after voters rejected a $4.1 million cemetery bond.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage veteran preference splits on eligibility, contract scope
Two competing versions of a veteran-owned business contracting preference are before the Anchorage Assembly. They differ on who qualifies as a veteran, whether the preference applies to professional-services contracts, and whether to cap lifetime benefits at $500,000.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago3 min read
Anchorage schools adopt regional nurse model, will pull nurses from schools with fewer medical needs
Anchorage School District will deploy nurses across six regions next year, moving nurses from low-acuity schools to cover high-acuity schools when regular nurses are absent. The shift responds to a nursing shortage and repeated uncovered absences.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage veteran preference could exclude recent Afghanistan, Iraq vets
Anchorage Assembly debated Wednesday whether a proposed five-year eligibility window for veteran procurement preferences would exclude combat veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read