Mayor asks to cut staff position

FAIRBANKS - The mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough has come up with a way to save money in tough economic times.

Mayor Jim Whitaker is proposing cutting a position from his six-person office. Whitaker said at a weekend budget work session that the special assistant position has been unfilled for months. The $83,000-per-year job can be cut, he said.

However, not all members of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly were convinced.

The Assembly also rejected a proposal made by Assembly member Tim Beck to give the mayor a raise. The job pays $93,000 per year.

Two years ago, the borough's Salaries and Emoluments Commission recommended increasing the mayor's salary by almost $20,000 per year, a recommendation Beck used as basis for the failed proposal.

Whitaker has proposed a $132 million budget, which largely would hold spending flat. A public hearing will be held in early May. The proposed budget must be approved before the end of June.