Petersburg’s Borough Assembly is scheduled to witness a long-delayed award ceremony at its meeting today at noon. Lloyd Nakano, Alaska’s fire marshal, is on his way to Petersburg to present the 2023 Ken Akerley Fire Service Leadership Award to one of Petersburg’s volunteer firefighters.
The state award recognizes firefighters who showcase extraordinary commitment to leading their fire department, and who have earned the trust and respect of their team. The ceremony was originally scheduled for the Borough’s first meeting of the year. But it had to be postponed for several months because the fire marshal’s flight to Petersburg in early January was canceled due to poor weather.
The Assembly will also take testimony on an ordinance to rezone four lots from “single family residential” to “public use.” The Petersburg Children’s Center, a local childcare nonprofit, currently leases those lots from the Borough. The Center requested that the lots be rezoned so that it can further develop its childcare and learning facilities.
In new business, the Assembly will look at an ordinance to increase the Borough’s tax on room rentals from four percent to seven percent. The transient room tax is applied to rooms that are rented at Petersburg hotels, motels, lodges, and Airbnbs for fewer than 30 days.
The Borough estimates that bumping the tax up to seven percent would bring in about $53,000 in additional revenue. Those funds would support Borough infrastructure and tourism-related expenses in town. If the Assembly passes this ordinance in three readings, it will go before voters as a ballot measure in the municipal election in October.
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will meet at 12 noon today in the Assembly Chambers. KFSK will broadcast that meeting live and post the recording in our Assembly Archives. Anyone can join the meeting in person, by phone, or on Zoom. There’s more information on KFSK’s community calendar.
