Sitka voters will weigh in on a seasonal sales tax change in a special election on Feb. 2. The Sitka Assembly gave final approval at its meeting Tuesday night, and allocated nearly $20,000 to hold the election.

“This is going to be something where the people of Sitka are deciding that this is something we need to keep the economy of Sitka going, because this is an economic question more than anything,” said Assembly Member Thor Christianson. “It’s the right thing to do to take care of the kids, but as importantly, it’s something we need to keep the economy going because the lack of childcare is making it harder and harder for us to get employees and have them stay in Sitka. But again, at the end of the day, it’s not our call. It’s going to be the people of Sitka’s call.”

If approved by voters, the local sales tax rate between April 1 and September 30 would increase from 6% to 6.5%. City staff anticipate the increase could raise more than $1 million in additional sales tax revenue per year to help fund a local childcare initiative. The tax increase would sunset in 10 years. 

Local Kari Segal read from a statement on behalf of Sitka Early Childhood Coalition member Lauren Wild. In it, Wild said she wondered what the summer sales tax increase would look like for a family like hers. She said for her family of four, they spend about $13,000 on things like groceries, utilities, harbor moorage, and miscellaneous expenses over that proposed six-month period. 

“A half percent sales tax on 13,000 is $65,” she said. “That is the increased amount of sales tax we would pay over the summer if this ballot initiative were to pass. This equals about $11 per month for the six-month period.”

Segal, reading from Wild’s letter, said that $65 is an investment in the sustainability and future of the community, which has experienced a massive decline in student enrollment over the past two decades. 

“The childcare crisis is one of the top two reasons we are losing families. The other is housing,” she said. “It is worth investing in childcare to stop this decline. This revenue would help Sitka stabilize our plunging youth population and enable us to grow back into a thriving community for families.”

Ultimately, the assembly voted unanimously to move forward with the special election. Several assembly members noted that if the city finds another steady source of income to stabilize the local childcare system in the future, the assembly could choose to hold another special election to lower the tax rate again. 

In 2019, the city created a cemetery district in its zoning code. At the time, local cemeteries were zoned with more permissive designations that would allow for redevelopment that could disturb those interred, according to the city. In a memo, staff said this zoning change is a gesture of respect towards those buried locally, and is “of particular resonance when applied to those who have been, at times, historically disinterred without regard.”

In other business, the assembly will consider allocating nearly $20,000 to support a special election in early February. 

The money will go towards additional personnel costs, contract services, like election officials stipends, ballots, and advertising. The cost of the special election was not included in the FY2027 budget.

The Sitka Assembly meets at 6 p.m. tonight at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Raven News will broadcast the meeting live, following Alaska News Nightly.

The Sitka Assembly voted Tuesday night (10-27-26) to hold a special election in the new year. If the initiative is approved on second reading, Sitka voters will weigh in on a seasonal sales tax increase to fund a local childcare initiative. 

While assembly members agree the funding mechanism isn’t ideal, they say asking voters whether or not they support it is a step in the right direction. 

Childcare access in Sitka has been named a top priority by the city. According to a 30-page study commissioned earlier this year, Sitka’s childcare system has the capacity to serve only about half of the young children who need it.

In June, the Sitka Assembly settled on a $1 million a year plan to help address the growing shortage, but still had to find a way to pay for it. That’s how they ultimately came up with the idea of a seasonal sales tax increase. 

“We have been working on this now for pushing two years, I believe,” said co-sponsor Thor Christianson. “It’s been before the assembly a number of times. And we reached out and had more meetings and town halls than anything else [during] the entire time I’ve been on the assembly.”

If approved by voters, Sitka’s summer sales tax rate — that’s from April through September — would increase from 6% to 6.5%. Winter sales tax would remain unchanged. City staff anticipate the increase could raise more than $1 million in additional sales tax revenue per year to put towards workforce incentives, grants, a family scholarship fund, and a childcare career pathway program. 

Laurinda Marcello was one of a handful of community members who gave feedback on the proposal at the meeting. She said if private solutions could have solved the childcare shortage, they’d have worked by now. So instead, she said she throws her full support behind putting the sales tax question to voters.

“I got on a wait list for daycare when I was pregnant shortly after I announced to friends and family. But we did not get offered a licensed spot until my son was old enough to attend preschool,” she said. “So my husband left his job for about 1.5 years, which was a way more significant financial hit than a .5% sales tax increase would be to our family.”

Marcello said if she’d decided to have more children, she likely wouldn’t be able to continue to live in Sitka due to the financial stress. 

“I want new parents and parents adding children to their families to have better options than my family did, so that they can remain in Sitka for the long haul. That requires public investment,” she said.

Enrollment in the Sitka School District has been declining over the past two decades, and Lauren Wild, with the Early Childhood Coalition, said the lack of childcare is a factor. 

“Everyone in Sitka should be alarmed. That’s the future of our town,” Wild said. “We can argue over why, but people, like Laurinda said, are leaving Sitka if they want to have children. They’re not having children in Sitka. They’re only having one child. I hear these stories every day.”

Wild said passing this proposal is “the first step and a critical step in turning the tide.” 

Newly-elected Assembly Member Sherri Blankenship said she thinks the tax increase is “a lot like robbing Peter to pay Paul.” It’s solving one issue while adding to the financial burden on young people.

“Have we aggressively pursued every funding opportunity that we could possibly do as a community. That is something I don’t think that we have done,” she said. “I don’t think that we have fleshed this out completely to the point that it is structured, organized, and figured out before we brought this to the people and said ‘We’re going to raise your taxes because that’s the easiest thing to do to figure out how to fund this.’”

Blankenship, who ultimately voted in favor of putting the proposal to voters, suggested looking at things like adjusting the senior sales tax exemption or leaning into the assembly’s proposed public-private partnership where local businesses would make a financial contribution.

Co-sponsor Katie Riley said she also doesn’t love the funding mechanism the assembly settled on — she thinks it’s “a regressive tax” on the most tax burdened population in Sitka. But she said she wants the community to weigh in. 

“I don’t know how people are supposed to pay for childcare and a mortgage, especially with interest rates at this point in time, and still afford groceries,” Riley said. “This is really really impeding the ability of young people to make this community their home. With that being said, I strongly believe that we need some level of municipal investment in childcare to support the stabilization and the growth in our community.”

Ultimately, the assembly voted 6-1 on first reading in favor of putting the question to voters, with Assembly Member Darrell Windsor opposed. The issue will come back to the assembly table for a final vote on November 10. 

If passed, the city will hold a special election on February 2. 

Sitka voters could soon weigh in on a seasonal sales tax to fund a local childcare initiative. When the Sitka Assembly meets tonight (9-22-26), it will consider setting a special election for February 2. 

If approved, Sitka’s upcoming summer sales tax rate would increase from 6% to 6.5%. Winter sales tax would remain unchanged. The city anticipates it could raise more than $1 million in additional sales tax revenue per year with the increase. 

Sponsors of the proposal say, if approved by voters, the funds will be put towards workforce incentives, grants, a family scholarship fund, and a childcare career program. 

In other business, the assembly will consider protesting a liquor license renewal application for Little Tokyo, which hasn’t operated at its approved premises since at least 2022, and will make appointments to the city’s tourism commission. 

The Sitka Assembly meets at 6 p.m. tonight at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Raven News will broadcast the meeting live, following Alaska News Nightly.

The Sitka Assembly on Tuesday (10-13-26) approved a contract extension with investors looking to ship bulk water out of Sitka. This is the second contract extension for Arctic Blue Waters Alaska Inc. since the city agreed to sell them the right to purchase water from Blue Lake in 2021. 

Under the agreement, the international bulk water shipping company was given several years to engineer and build a pipeline to collect water from the lake, but the company has failed to meet its deadlines to submit plans.   

Gary Paxton Industrial Park Director Garry White told assembly members Tuesday they had three choices: 

“You could go with the GPIP board’s direct or recommendation of having them pay $25,000 to extend their contract for one year. You could take Arctic Blue’s new proposal to do an extension for no dollars down, or you could allow the 45-day letter to run its course, and then terminate the contract,” White said.

Arctic Blue Director Fred Paley told the assembly they are asking for the extension due to increased shipping costs and unrest in the Middle East — which has an interest in obtaining Sitka’s bulk water. 

“Why we’re asking for that is we’re hoping that there’s a settlement of the Middle East war with Israel, the United States, and Iran, and that things settle down in the Middle East, and Strait of Hormuz gets opened up, as well as the other areas that bunker oil is being shipped from to bring down prices,” he said.

Paley said even if the geopolitical situation stabilizes in the Middle East, it’s unlikely engineering and construction plans could be completed within the one-year extension. 

Assembly Member Katie Riley said she understands there are benefits to keeping the water under contract and creating a pathway for future development. She suggested a “good faith” contribution from the company for the costs incurred by the city to manage the contract, and adding a more realistic deadline. 

“If they’re serious about selling our water, fantastic,” she said. “It says here that they have invested approximately $10 million over a 30-year period in attempts to do so. So I don’t think asking them for 10 grand to continue extending this out for two years is too much.”

Assembly members ultimately voted unanimously in favor of an extension until October of 2028 for a $10,000 fee — giving Arctic Blue two more years to complete design and construction plans.

Sitka’s new mayor and assembly members took their oaths of office at the Sitka Assembly meeting Tuesday night (10-13-26). The group also said farewell to outgoing mayor Steven Eisenbeisz, who served in the role since 2020.

Eisenbeisz served two terms on the assembly before he was elected to the mayor’s chair. After three terms at the helm, he did not seek re-election this year. 

At Tuesday’s meeting, he read from a prepared speech. In it, he thanked city staff, fellow assembly members, and his family for their support. He said people often run for a seat on the assembly to change the world, but the first budget cycle hits hard. Then, over time, they slowly realize the system isn’t broken.  

“Every administration leaves a small mark in the process,” Eisenbeisz said. “I’ve always looked at it with a lens of longevity. It is my intent to grow old and die here, and the decisions that I have made will directly affect the quality of life in the hopefully faraway future.”

Eisenbeisz’s departure was met with some tears. Assembly Member JJ Carlson, who has served as deputy mayor under Eisenbeisz, said they’ve both grown a lot since they met in the second grade. She thanked him for his leadership and said he leaves big shoes to fill.   

“You’ve built this team,” Carlson said. “You’ve built us to be the leaders of this community. And I really appreciate that time and that patience you’ve had with us to find our way, and not just do it as a mirror to you, but that support that you’ve given, and I’ve seen you do it to all of us, and there’s just lots of appreciation.”

Following Eisenbeisz’s recognition and a short recess to share cake, Sitka’s newly-elected mayor Kevin Mosher was sworn into office. He said he learned a lot from Eisenbeisz and expects the new body to continue to make respect a priority.

“I’ve been so fortunate to work with the assemblies I have, especially these last couple years,” he said. “It has been an absolute honor. You know, you look around and you see other assemblies or city councils, and they bicker, and that doesn’t happen [here]. We speak and discuss fervently for our opinions, but at the end of the day, we agree and we are kind and friendly to each other. And I just want to thank the assembly for that.” 

Mosher has served on the assembly since 2018, and ran one unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2022. He won the mayor’s seat with nearly 58% of the vote in last week’s municipal election. 

Incumbent JJ Carlson and newcomer Sherri Blankenship were also sworn in at Tuesday’s meeting. The assembly then voted 5 to 1 to appoint runner-up Darrell Windsor to fill Mosher’s vacant assembly seat until next year’s municipal election. Carlson voted against the appointment, saying she preferred to advertise for letters of interest. 

After months of searching, Sitka has a new city administrator. At its meeting on Tuesday (10-13-26), the Sitka Assembly approved an employment agreement with incoming municipal administrator Gerrie Cotter. 

“Gerrie was the top tier candidate of many, many applications,” Assembly Member JJ Carlson said. “It was a long process of months of review and several executive sessions and interviews, and she came out really as what the group wanted to see as our next administrator.”

Over the course of several months, the assembly interviewed Cotter multiple times and hosted a public meet-and-greet in Sitka. In mid-September, the group directed city staff to negotiate the employment contract and terms with Cotter. 

Her employment could begin as soon as November 9, giving her about a month to overlap with current administrator John Leach before his departure. Cotter’s annual salary will start at $200,000.

A proposition to change a city law governing special elections was rejected by voters Tuesday night. Under Sitka’s charter, if a citizen-led referendum gets enough signatures, it triggers a mandatory special election. That’s how a local advocacy group’s initiative to limit cruise visitation went to a special election last year. 

Proposition 1, which was approved for the ballot by the Sitka Assembly in May, sought to change that rule, pushing any future citizen initiatives to the next regular municipal election, unless the Sitka Assembly decides to hold a special election sooner.

981 Sitkans, roughly 55% of voters, rejected the proposition, so the charter will remain unchanged.   

In the mayor’s race, current Assembly Member Kevin Mosher secured the seat with 1062 votes. Assembly Member Thor Christianson came in second with 495 votes, and political newcomer Lisa Lane came in third with 263 votes.

“I’m humbled and grateful for the support I have,” Mosher told KCAW following Tuesday’s election results. “Lots of people have texted me today their thoughts of support, and I really appreciate it. And I also thank everyone for voting, regardless if they voted for me or not. It’s a great thing about our country. We all get a voice, and Sitkans love to make their voice heard, and I think that’s a beautiful thing.” 

For Sitka Assembly, incumbent JJ Carlson and Sherri Blankenship were neck and neck with 1117 and 1111 votes respectively, each earning one of two available assembly seats.  Darrell Windsor trailed close behind with 1022 votes, and 55 votes were cast for write-in candidates.

“I feel like there’s so much more to learn,” Blankenship said. “I know that it’s going to be a steep hill to climb in the first couple of months, but I’m excited about learning. A lot of people wanted to mentor me, and I’m very appreciative of that.”

New assembly members will join a group in the middle of tackling issues like childcare, housing, and affordability for Sitkans. The assembly is considering putting a question about funding a public/private childcare program out to voters in a special election next spring. It will also be working with a new administrator — John Leach steps down in December and an offer to a finalist is in the works.

For Sitka School Board, Kat Richards took the lead with 1445 votes, followed by Phil Burdick with 1441 votes, and Matt Potter with 1308 votes. The top two vote earners will be elected to three-year terms, while Potter will serve a one-year term.

While over 60 votes remain uncounted, that number is too low to change any of the preliminary results. The Municipal Clerk’s office will tally the votes on Friday, cementing the election results, which will be certified by the Sitka Assembly on October 13.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on 10/7/2026 at 3 p.m.

Finding housing in Sitka is tough. There aren’t enough affordable units, the seasonal nature of the community limits the availability of year-round housing, and there really isn’t that much buildable land between where the ocean ends and the mountains begin. But a lot of folks have empty backyards. 

That’s where Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs come in. ADUs are essentially smaller, detached units on the same lot as a larger home. At a Sitka Assembly meeting on September 22, Assembly Member Katie Riley said they’re one part of the solution to Sitka’s housing shortage.

“We’ve talked a lot about the housing shortage here in this body, and this is definitely not a silver bullet that’s going to solve it,” she said. “But it is a way to create more affordable and accessible housing on already developed land.”

Riley has been working with the Planning Commission for months on an ordinance that would make them easier to build. Housing advocates in Sitka have long said that local ADU regulations are a barrier to development. 

Under current code, a proposed ADU must meet 14 separate requirements. And if any one requirement can’t be met, the applicant has to get a Conditional Use Permit — a process that requires a public hearing before the Planning Commission.

“That whole process can take up to five or more weeks,” Riley said. “This will create the opportunity for many more property owners to be able to build [ADUs] outright, given that they meet all of the existing conditions.”

The code change would cut the requirements from 14 down to 8. It would also create a clearer pathway to construct an ADU first, so the owner has a more affordable landing pad while they build a primary residence, and would allow the owner to use an ADU as a short-term rental for a time to recoup some of their initial building costs. 

Assembly Member Thor Christianson said he’s optimistic that the changes will make a real difference for Sitkans and help with some of the community’s housing issues.

“I’ve often said that we’re not going to fix our housing issues in one big fell swoop. We have to nibble at it from the edges,” he sais. “This is more than a nibble, it’s a bite. It’s definitely a move in the right direction.”

Ultimately, assembly members voted unanimously in favor of the changes, on first reading. If they give final approval, Sitka will join other Southeast communities like Ketchikan and Juneau in taking steps to encourage building ADUs. Juneau currently offers nearly $14,000 to homeowners seeking to develop them on their properties.

The assembly will review the ordinance for a final time at its next meeting in early October.

The Sitka Assembly will offer the municipal administrator job to Gerrie Cotter. At its meeting on Tuesday, it directed city staff to negotiate an employment contract and terms with Cotter following an executive session.

Cotter was the lone finalist for the city’s top job. She currently works as the administrator of Perry Township in Ohio, and visited Sitka last week to meet with locals following two public interviews with the assembly. 

For months, the assembly has been seeking a replacement for current Municipal Administrator John Leach, who is stepping down from the position in mid-December. A previous finalist, Jenny Alber, withdrew from consideration in July. 

The position is advertised at $200,000, and is open until filled.