Village leaders consider joining, forming borough

Leaders of villages in the remote upper Koyukuk River region are exploring the possibility of joining or creating a borough before resources are developed in the area.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that former Allakaket First Chief PJ Simon says it's inevitable that copper and other resources in the northern Alaska region will be developed, so the communities want to cash in before that happens.

Simon says creating or joining a borough could lead to tax revenue to fund infrastructure projects, jobs and schools. Simon has requested annexation into the North Slope Borough for Allakaket, Alatna and a couple other villages, and he says he has also considered annexation into the Northwest Arctic Borough.

The leaders are also continuing to examine the feasibility of creating the Yukon-Koyukuk Borough.