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Support Alaska’s Municipal Clerks!

Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks (AAMC) Fundraising

The Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks (AAMC) was established in 1965 with the intent to promote sound local government and the continuing education of municipal clerks throughout Alaska. As a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization (EIN 92-0105247), AAMC’s sole fundraising purpose is to raise money for educational scholarships for clerks to attend professional development opportunities.

Scholarships, funded 100% through these fundraising efforts, are awarded for two primary events: the Northwest Clerks Institute,  week-long professional development experience in Tacoma, WA; and the AAMC Annual Conference, a multi-day training on topics specific to Alaskan clerks, held during the same week as Alaska Municipal League’s (AML) Local Government Conference in Anchorage, AK.

Donations can be made online using the payment portal at the bottom of this page. Make sure to select ‘AAMC Fundraising Donation’. Donations can also be made by check, payable to Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks (AAMC), mailed to AAMC, c/o Alaska Municipal League, One Sealaska Plaza, Suite 302, Juneau, AK 99801 (please include in the memo line: AAMC Fundraising).

AAMC also has an apparel & merchandise store: www.bonfire.com/store/aamc-store/

For questions or more information about AAMC fundraising efforts, contact the committee chair, Colt Chase, at cchase@fairbanks.us.

Thank you for your generosity and support of Alaskan Clerks!

Clerks: the ‘backbone’ of local government.

Clerks are responsible for nearly everything, from record-keeping and organizing meetings, to managing local elections and cooperative activities with other local and Tribal governments.

After statehood in 1959, municipal clerks helped set the policies and procedures for newly formed state-chartered institutions such as cities and boroughs. In the early years, clerks were hired with little practical knowledge of how ‘government worked’ and professional support was nonexistent, requiring the clerks to ‘self-train.’ Taking what they had learned on their own, the clerks created a network amongst themselves to develop and share the practices and systems that became the core elements of Title 29, governing municipal activities throughout Alaska.

Often the primary source of continuity and institutional memory in municipal administration, clerks have outstanding longevity records in contrast to the high turnover rate among mayors and municipal administrators (e.g., in more than 50 years within the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, only five individuals have held the clerk position), making clerks the ‘backbone’ of local government.

Those serving in these critical roles would benefit from more sources of professional support and easier access to educational opportunities. Often isolated in demanding jobs in remote communities, clerks face growing work demands such as staying informed about changing election security procedures and voting technology and administering formal agreements and increased cooperation between municipal and tribal governments.

AML Municipal Officials Scholarship Fund

The AML Municipal Officials Scholarship Fund supports Alaska’s local government officials to attend and participate in the Annual Local Government Conference, Summer and Winter Legislative Conferences, and various other events and activities hosted by the Alaska Municipal League. These events include technical assistance and information that are critical to enhancing the efficient and effective governance of Alaska’s municipalities.

This scholarship fund ensures that officials from Alaska’s most disadvantaged and underrepresented communities will be included in ongoing conversations on economic and infrastructure development in the state, and ensures that they continue to have an equal seat at the table as decisions are made towards achieving the priorities of the League’s members.