The Assembly Committee of the Whole voted Aug. 7 to forward a draft resolution listing the Fairbanks North Star Borough's 2026 legislative priorities to the full assembly for public hearing and adoption. The committee's action, final vote 7-1, came after members added three notable amendments: support for the Alaska Long Trail, a request that the state permanently create the Roads and Highways Advisory Board in statute, and language urging changes to the state school funding formula and a permanent increase to the base student allocation.

Assemblymember Guttenberg moved an amendment to add support for the Alaska Long Trail, which the committee adopted 6-2. "The Alaska Long Trail has been in in development for about 4 or 5 years now," Guttenberg said, describing the trail as a multiuse recreational corridor that could bring economic benefits similar to long-distance trails elsewhere.

Guttenberg later moved, and the committee approved 7-1, an amendment urging the governor and the legislature to reestablish the Roads and Highways Advisory Board in statute after the board's administrative authorization lapsed June 30, 2025. The amendment said the board provided "valuable local input to the State Department of Transportation and public facilities" and recommended the assembly ask the interior delegation to urge the governor to reinstate the board, allowing virtual attendance if necessary. "The board is a vital source of public input back in matters related to surface transportation," Guttenberg said during debate, noting letters of support from FAST Planning, the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, and local contractors.

A separate amendment would alter state school funding language; it urges the state to change the funding formula that determines required local contributions and to permanently increase the base student allocation consistent with the Alaska Association of School Boards' recommendations. Committee members described past budget cycles in which borough funding from the state declined as assessed value grew, creating what assembly members called a disincentive to local economic growth. An amendment sponsor said the state's actions had reduced the borough's funding by about $1.25 million in a prior cycle, an outcome the amendment aims to prevent.

Assembly debate included questions about outreach to stakeholders. Assemblymember Wilson asked whether groups such as the Trappers Association had been engaged on the Alaska Long Trail; Guttenberg said he had not spoken with trappers and that some private-property and access issues remain under discussion. The committee also discussed how the Roads and Highways Advisory Board interfaces with FAST Planning and the State Department of Transportation; staff said the board provides statewide recommendations to the governor and DOT, rather than directly to FAST Planning.

After debate and a series of roll-call votes on amendments, Assemblymember O'Neil moved to forward the draft resolution as amended to the full assembly; the motion, seconded by Assemblymember Roterman, carried 7-1. The full assembly will consider the resolution at its regular meeting Aug. 28 for public hearing and possible adoption.

Actions recorded during the committee meeting include the individual amendment motions, their proposers and seconders, and roll-call tallies. Committee members provided supporting materials during debate, including a one-page project summary for the Alaska Long Trail and letters from FAST Planning and the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce urging reinstatement of the roads advisory board.

The committee also received a legislative update from the assembly legislative liaison's office, which reported that a recent special session in Juneau overturned an education veto that restores a $700 increase to the base student allocation and that a legislative education task force created by House Bill 57 is scheduled to begin meetings later in August. The liaison said he will monitor the special session and advise the borough on legislative steps related to local contribution discussions.