Guide to the Anchorage Area Charter Commission records
1951-1971
Collection number: HMC-0047.
Creator: Anchorage Area Charter Commission.
Title: Anchorage Area Charter Commission records.
Dates: 1951-1971.
Volume of collection: 2.9 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Papers of a commission created to write a charter for the unification of the governments of the City of Anchorage and the Greater Anchorage Area Borough.
Organizational history:
The Anchorage Area Charter Commission was formed in 1969 to write a charter providing for the unification of the governments of the City of Anchorage and the Greater Anchorage Area Borough into the Municipality of Anchorage. The commission consisted of eleven elected members and operated between 1969 and 1971. A second charter commission, named Greater Anchorage Area Borough Charter Commission, was formed in 1975. The charter went through numerous revisions and was defeated by the voters in 1970 and 1971 before being passed in 1975.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the operating records of the Anchorage Area Charter Commission. The collection includes meeting minutes and agendas, correspondence, reference files, drafts and hearing reports, records relating to citizen groups, as well publicity files. The collection also contains the meeting minutes and notes of commission members Arlee R. Cada and G.F. McMahon.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in the following series:
Series 1: Minutes and agendas; 1967-1971
Series 2: Correspondence; undated, 1969-1971
Series 3: Reference files; undated, 1951-1971
Series 4: Draft files; undated, 1970
Series 5: Citizen group files; 1966-1971
Series 6: Publicity; undated, 1970
Series 7: Member files; undated, 1969-1971
Digitized copies: Two scrapbooks containing news clippings relating to the Charter Commission have been digitized, however they are not available online. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Access restrictions: The collection contains material in electronic format. Please consult archivists for access.
Rights note: Archives does not own copyright to this collection.
Preferred citation: Anchorage Area Charter Commission records, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Separated materials: Publications were removed from the collection and some added to the Consortium Library’s Rare Books collection. Please contact Archives and Special Collections for further information.
Acquisition note: This collection was deposited in the Archives by the Anchorage Law Library in 1981. Additional materials were added in 1983 and 1984.
Processing information: This collection was described by Michele Wellck in 1993. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard and publications removed by Veronica Denison in 2015.
Container list:
Series 1: Minutes and agendas; 1967-1971. 0.8 cubic feet.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/1 | Preliminary report | 1967 |
| 1/2-23 | Minutes and agendas | 1969-1971 |
Series 2: Correspondence; undated, 1969-1972. 0.2 cubic feet
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/24-27 | Correspondence | undated, 1967-1972 |
Series 3: Reference files; undated, 1951-1971. 0.4 cubic feet.
This series includes files that were used as reference for the Commission.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 2/1 | Alaska Statute 29.85.030 Municipal Corporations | undated |
| 2/2 | Bonds | 1968 |
| 2/3 | A Report on Borough Government; “Local Government in Anchorage Area Through the Years” by Wilda Hudson; “A Talking Paper: Local Government and Alaska” | 1961, 1969 |
| 2/4 | Draft Unification Legislation | 1966 |
| 2/5 | Elections information | 1969-1970 |
| 2/6 | Greater Anchorage Area Borough: Expenditure Summary Report; Notice of Bonded Indebtedness; agendas; ordinances and resolutions | 1969-1970 |
| 2/7 | Juneau Unification: Background and Charter | 1969 |
| 2/8 | League of Women Voters (Local Government) | 1968-1971 |
| 2/9 | Other materials and notes, including local government information, tax distribution | circa 1968-1971 |
| 2/10 | Newsletters of Anchorage Area Charter Commission | 1970 |
| 2/11 | Petition for Unification | 1969 |
| 2/12 | Politics of Change-The Workings of a Charter Commission | 1969 |
| 2/13 | Public utilities | 1970 |
| 2/14 | Schedules of reapportionment | 1975 |
| 2/15 | Schools: Fiscal responsibilities | 1951, 1962 |
| 2/16 | Senate Bill 328 | 1968 |
| 2/17 | Service areas | undated |
| 2/18 | Tax Distribution | 1969 |
| 2/19 | Testimony of 1st Charter | undated |
| 2/20 | Unification: Results of elections by precincts | 1971 |
Series 4: Draft files; undated, 1970. 0.5 cubic feet
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 2/21 | Initial drafts | 1970 February-March |
| 2/22-25 | Drafts | 1970 April-June |
| 2/26 | Final Draft Pre-Public Hearings | 1970 June |
| 2/27 | Review of Final Draft | 1970 June 22 |
| 2/28 | Hearing: Fairview School | 1970 June 19 |
| 2/29 | Hearing: Denali School | 1970 July 6 |
| 2/30 | Hearing: North Star School | 1970 July 8 |
| 2/31 | Hearing: Dimond High School | 1970 July 9 |
| 2/32 | Hearing: Turnagain School | 1970 July 14 |
| 2/33 | Hearing: Rabbit Creek School | 1970 July 15 |
| 2/34 | Final draft, post hearings | 1970 |
| 2/35 | Other drafts | undated |
Series 5: Citizen group files; 1966-1971. 0.35 cubic feet.
This series contains the files of various citizen groups with records pertaining to the unification of the governments of the City of Anchorage and the Greater Anchorage Area Borough.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 2/36 | Citizen’s Council for Community Improvement | 1968-1969 |
| 2/37 | Citizen’s Committee for Unification | 1969-1970 |
| 3/1 | Congress of Organizations for Unification: General | 1970 |
| 3/2 | Congress of Organizations of Unification: Unification file | 1970 |
| 3/3 | One People | 1971 |
| 3/4 | Rural 30 | 1966. |
| 3/5 | Unification Task Force | 1970-1971 |
Series 6: Publicity files; undated, 1970. 0.15 cubic feet.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 3/6 | Anchorage Area Charter Commission report flyer; “The Choice is Still Yours” handbill; Home Rule Charter, Anchorage; “Mayor G. Sullivan Gives His Views on the Charter” pamphlet | undated, 1970 |
| 3/7 | One People sticker and button | undated |
| 3/8 | Public Hearings Notice; “Questions and Answers about the Montgomery County Charter” pamphlet; “The Time Has Come for Us to Unite” pamphlet | 1970 |
| 3/9 | Unification bumper stickers | undated |
| 3/10 | “What is Unification?” pamphlet; “What You Always Wanted to Know About the Charter” pamphlet | undated |
| OS Folder 1 | Posters | undated |
Series 7: Member files; undated, 1969-1971. 0.5 cubic feet.
This series contains the member files of commission members Arlee R. Cada and G.F. McMahon. A majority of the files contain meeting minutes with the members’ notes.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 3/11-16 | Arlee R. Cada files: Meeting minutes | 1969-1970 |
| 3/17-30 | G.F. McMahon files: Minutes and meeting notes | 1970-1971 |
| 3/31 | G.F. McMahon files: Committee administration | 1970-1971 |
| 3/32 | G.F. McMahon files: Annexation | 1970-1971 |
| 3/33 | G.F. McMahon files: Consolidated information | undated |
| 3/34-36 | G.F. McMahon files: Minutes and summaries, meeting notes | 1970-1971 |