Anchorage pushing for port, more flexible finances from Legislature

Alaska Public Media
By: Zachariah Hughes

In a departure from big wish lists of the past, Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’s legislative request has only one capital budget project. The administration is also pushing for a number of law changes designed to give local governments more financial flexibility.

Berkowitz submitted his legislative program to the city’s Assembly on Friday. It’s a menu of funding items and bills the municipality hopes to see from the Legislature in the upcoming session.

This year’s legislative program is just seven pages – six if you don’t count the title page. The small size and focused scope are intentional steps toward a new funding relationship between Anchorage and the state, according to Ona Brause, the mayor’s deputy chief of staff.

Read Full Story Here:
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/12/12/anchorage-pushing-for-port-more-flexible-finances-from-legislature/