Council uses "homegrown" approach to stimulate economy

Petersburg Economic Development Director Liz Cabrera presented a brief overview of the Petersburg economy to the borough assembly.

Cabrera used data from a bi-annual economic trench report to provide statistics on economic indicators such as median wages, jobs, food costs and sales trends.

According to December 2012 data, Petersburg’s food costs are 20-30 percent above Anchorage. The data comes from a one-time snap shot of prices for one weeks worth of food for a family of four.

There are 948 private sector jobs, a 2.4 percent increase over the previous year. That percentage is more stable whe...