City Government

The council has a significant term ahead: Balancing the budget amidst crab fishery closures; addressing skyrocketing airfare rates; and navigating the development of Unalaska as an arctic port are just some of the issues the council is expected to tackle in the coming year.

The City of Unalaska has a candidate for city manager, nearly three months after Erin Reinders’s contract expired. Stephen Jellie is meeting with city officials and the community this week, and the Unalaska City Council plans to interview him for the position Friday.

The City of Unalaska is preparing for major budget reductions. At Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting, City Manager Erin Reinders told council members that the recent red king crab closure, and major reductions in the snow crab fishery, will hit the city hard.

Unalaska’s mask mandate expired at noon on Wednesday, as local COVID-19 cases continue to decline.City council members voted unanimously at their Tuesday meeting to “encourage” face coverings, as opposed to requiring them. The city had enforced a mask requirement since Aug. 25, when the community experienced a surge of confirmed COVID-19 cases. At its peak, the city reported 30 cases of the virus.

Mayor Vince Tutiakoff Sr. and City Manager Erin Reinders spoke with KUCB's Caroline Lester about how Unalaska is preparing for COVID-19. TRANSCRIPT:KUCB:…