Company Profile

Company Overview

THE COMMUNITY
Ketchikan is an island community of approximately 13,377 residents on the southern tip of the Inside Passage, surrounded by the Tongass National Forest. Known as the First City, it is the economic and medical hub of southern Southeast Alaska and the gateway to Alaska.
PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, the Ketchikan Shipyard, the United States Coast Guard, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration anchor the local economy alongside the visitor industry and commercial fishing.
Ketchikan is 90 minutes by air from Seattle, with multiple daily flights to Seattle, Juneau, and Anchorage. The Alaska Marine Highway System is headquartered here.
LIFE IN THE FIRST CITY
Small town values alongside world class fishing, boating, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Residents have a full-service medical center, a nationally recognized arts and theatre community, and Borough parks, beaches, trails, and recreation facilities. Local government work is visible here, and the Manager is a known and trusted figure.
THE BOROUGH
A second class borough with approximately 125 full time employees and a total budget of $70 million. The Borough operates an international airport, a transit system, and three fire departments, and provides parks and recreation, planning, and animal protection services. It funds the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District and owns the District’s facilities. The District is governed by an elected School Board with its own administration.
The Borough manages and leases the Ketchikan International Airport from the State of Alaska, the only such arrangement in the state, and operates the ferry that serves it. Borough Transit is an award winning system, running fixed route bus service with complementary paratransit, and is among the most efficient in Alaska per capita.
GOVERNANCE
The seven member Assembly is elected at large in nonpartisan elections to staggered three year terms. The Assembly appoints the Manager, the Clerk, and the Attorney. All Borough employees other than Clerk and Attorney office staff report to the Manager. The current Manager retires in June 2027.