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Anchorage Area Charter Commission records

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

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