Mayor Mark Jensen participated in a phone call with Gov. Mike Dunleavy's office and other mayors in Southeast Alaska on Jan. 7 where he had the opportunity to address concerns regarding the state's budget and how it will impact Petersburg, he told the Borough Assembly at their meeting on Jan. 19.

Among the challenges faced by the borough that Jensen spoke about were a 13 percent drop in the Community Assistance payment for Petersburg in the current fiscal year to $301,090; the Community Jail payments remaining the same this year, but the $173,626 only covers 39 percent of the total cost to...