Community & Regional Affairs
RSSCommunity & Regional Affairs in Alaska is the coverage of local government and regional planning across boroughs, cities and unincorporated communities. It spans borough assemblies, city councils, community councils and planning commissions that decide local taxes, infrastructure and land use.
Fairbanks trails commission to discuss standards for commercial tours on borough trails
Fairbanks trails commission meets Monday, Oct. 26, to hash out rules for commercial tour operators on 1,000+ miles of borough trails.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Homer library board recommends making its meeting room free after hours
Homer's library got a security grille, so staff no longer need to stay late for evening meetings. Its board says the room should be free, night or day.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Nome council reverses vote, denies cab license to man convicted of sexual abuse of a minor
Three days after the mayor's tiebreaker granted a cab license to a man convicted of sexual abuse of a minor, Nome's council reversed itself 6-0.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
State sets last two block grant workshops as Alaska towns eye Dec. 4 deadline
Alaska towns can chase up to $850,000 each in federal block grant money, now including housing. Two workshops left to learn how, and Dec. 4 won't move.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
North Slope's comprehensive plan informs its $1.5 billion capital plan, mayor says
North Slope voters just approved up to $1.55 billion in borrowing. The mayor says the borough's long-range community plans will help decide where it goes.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Kodiak Assembly certifies election, swears in three as fourth winner waits
Kodiak certified its election and swore in three Assembly members. A fourth winner hasn't been seated yet, and two incumbents lost their seats.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Homer council to hear ordinance letting residents live-trap feral rabbits
Homer may finally let residents trap the feral rabbits damaging their homes. The catch: the shelter mostly can't take them, and you can't let them go.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read
Mat-Su Assembly to revisit lake and river setback rules in a special meeting
Mat-Su Borough Assembly special meeting Oct. 20 on waterbody setbacks, the 75-foot rule for lakes and streams, after an earlier advisory board's recommendations.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Fairbanks senior commission to consider asking mayor to speed up a Senior Center bus shelter
Fairbanks Senior Citizens Advisory Commission votes Thursday on asking Mayor Grier Hopkins to move a covered bus shelter at the Senior Center from 2037 to the next few years of the capital budget.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Denali Borough staff plan to waive tour permit user fees again, drawing committee pushback
Denali Borough land staff plan to waive commercial tour permit fees again in 2027, but all three Finance Committee members objected Wednesday, saying the delay wastes years of work on the fee program.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Mat-Su Planning Commission backs Oil Well Road community council district
Mat-Su Planning Commission recommended the Assembly create a community council district for Oil Well Road property owners, which would let them seek state grants if incorporated.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Three more Bethel properties head toward City Council nuisance abatement hearings
Bethel's Planning Commission picked three more properties for possible nuisance abatement hearings. One has no living owner and no known heir.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Court orders former Curyung Tribal Council accountant to repay $125,834 to tribe
Federal court ordered former Curyung Tribal Council accountant William Corbett to repay $125,834 after he embezzled funds through forged checks and falsified payroll documents.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Alaska Municipal League sets Oct. 23 deadline for 2027 resolutions
Got a gripe with Juneau or Washington? If you're a city council or borough assembly, the Alaska Municipal League wants it in writing by Oct. 23.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
State boundary commission revisits a rule that could stop Eaglexit before a full review
A state commission will revisit a rule that could stop Eaglexit early. One commissioner can't take part, and two would sit out the petition itself.
by Cale Green3w ago3 min read
Juneau committee moves board recruitment plan out of resolution and into a letter
Juneau had 33 vacancies across its city boards. The plan to fill them was moved out of the resolution and into an attachment to a cover letter.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Wasilla's road plan expired on a population forecast 38 percent too high
Wasilla's road plan expired, its parent comprehensive plan was repealed in 2011, and it assumed 3,700 more residents than the city actually has.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska towns can build housing with this grant now, up to a point
Alaska communities can finally use block grant money to build housing. The most any one of them could put toward construction is about $170,000.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Juneau's Fourth of July parade committee disbands after free-speech flap
Juneau's July 4th parade has no organizer for 2027 — the committee disbanded weeks after barring a veteran's anti-war banner. The record doesn't say why.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks ordinance would shift board appointments from Assembly to borough mayor
Mayor Hopkins would gain power to appoint most borough board members now split between the Assembly and Fairbanks and North Pole, under an ordinance the Assembly takes up Wednesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Housing projects can compete for Alaska CDBG grants, with applications due Dec. 4
Alaska's Community Development Block Grant applications are due Friday, Dec. 4, with about $2.5 million available and a maximum of $850,000 per community. Any Alaska municipal government except Anchorage may apply.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su weighs a council district for a group staff say does not meet the code
Mat-Su staff back giving landowners along Greater Oilwell Road a recognized borough voice, though the group asking for it doesn't meet the council definition.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kenai Peninsula planning commission to hear Cohoe road vacation Sept. 14
Kenai Peninsula planning commission will hear a petition Sept. 14 to vacate Keyros Avenue in Cohoe, with the borough assembly retaining veto power over any approval.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
The lone applicant for a Kenai Peninsula Assembly seat could be seated Sept. 1
Nathan Berga is the only applicant for Kenai Peninsula Borough's vacant District 7 seat and could be appointed Tuesday, Sept. 1, restoring the assembly to nine members.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage considers naming Northeast Connector Trail after Karen Bronga
Anchorage's naming commission will weigh renaming a Centennial Park trail for Karen Bronga, a former Assembly member killed last month, at a Sept. 9 hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
The Kenai Assembly will fill the vacant Kalifornsky seat Tuesday
The Kenai Assembly will appoint someone to the vacant Kalifornsky seat Tuesday from three applicants — voters decide who finishes the term in November.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage's Women's Commission is building a survey to ask women what matters most
Anchorage's Women's Commission is building a survey to ask women citywide what issues it should tackle, partly to measure unreported abuse.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kodiak is projected to lose about 1,200 residents by 2045 as young adults leave
Kodiak is projected to lose about 1,200 people by 2045, shrinking every census since 2000 as young adults leave — numbers one business owner called "scary."
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su voters will decide whether the borough can tax valley-wide for big road projects
Mat-Su voters will decide Nov. 3 whether the borough can use borough-wide taxes to build big road projects no single service area can afford — with debate over whether it shifts money from urban to rural areas.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Juneau aging commission chair tells Assembly paratransit has failed seniors for nine months
Juneau concerned that folks aren't getting rides.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Free daily meals and pantries available across Anchorage in August
A free hot meal is available somewhere in Anchorage every day this month, plus two dozen food pantries citywide. Call 211 or check anchoragefood.org for the schedule.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bethel's safety and taxi commission is down to two of six members
Bethel's commission overseeing public safety and its huge taxi fleet is down to two of six seats — with a taxi fare hike on its agenda in a busy hub town.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sterling residents want to tax themselves for recreation
Sterling residents want to tax themselves for recreation. On Aug. 4 the borough sets the date for a public meeting where they can back or fight the plan.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
State tells Alaska communities: check for unclaimed assistance payments
The state says some Alaska communities have unclaimed Community Assistance payments waiting — and FY27 awards start landing July 29. Paperwork required.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sitka Assembly reconsiders hatchery lease at Gary Paxton park
Sitka's Assembly takes another swing at leasing a chunk of the Gary Paxton park to a hatchery group, plus two more parcels up for private bids.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage police oversight proposal dies without a second
Anchorage has had no police oversight body since 2024. A proposal to create one — with no power to investigate — died Tuesday for lack of a second.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly members frame Fairview grant as a civil-rights question
Two Anchorage Assembly members are opposing a $750,000 behavioral health grant for Fairview, arguing it repeats a pattern of concentrating services in neighborhoods already burdened by discrimination.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Fairbanks trails commission to weigh commercial vehicle rules Monday
Fairbanks trails commission meets Monday to weigh rules on commercial vehicles on borough recreational trails, part of a larger dispute over who uses the system and how.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kodiak weighs selling four parcels, including its ballfields
Kodiak's Lands Committee will consider selling four borough parcels July 20, including Killarney Hills, a 16-acre site with two shared baseball fields that faces wetland and sewer obstacles.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Bethel's free bulky-item pickup ends this month
Bethel's one free bulky-item pickup of the year ends in July — last call to haul off the busted four-wheeler before it's your job to get it to the landfill.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
