PALMER — More than 100 of the state’s top politicians descended on Palmer for the summer meeting of the Alaska Municipal League concluding today at the Depot.

The AML is a non-profit group comprised of elected officials from municipalities representing 97 percent of Alaska’s population, said communications coordinator Jeremy Woodrow. Their mission is to present a unified voice to the state and federal government about the issues affecting the cities and boroughs of Alaska.

Each summer, they meet to discuss policy and draft a statement outlining their positions. This statement is amended and approved at the annual meeting later this year, then presented to legislators to illustrate what is important to Alaskan communities, Woodrow said.

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While the draft of the policy statement will not be finalized until this afternoon, AML board of directors President Denise Michels said their primary positions stay fairly consistent.

Michels, the mayor of Nome, outlined their four priorities.

First, the AML is trying to bring regularity to the revenue sharing process. The money the state hands down to the municipalities is widely variable from year to year, Michels said, making it hard for communities to plan their budget.

“This is the heart and soul for a lot of smaller communities,” she said. “They depend on this money for their services.”

Second, AML would like to see more roads and improved transportation links throughout the state, Michels said. Alaska is one of the only states without a dedicated transportation funding account, she said, and new roads are rarely built and maintenance is always a problem.

Energy is always a priority and an issue really hurting smaller municipalities, she said.

“We’re still trying to pay off fuel we had to buy last year, and there hasn’t been a big drop in diesel prices,” Michels said.

The AML is pushing for the state to pass an energy plan calling for investment into renewable and more efficient infrastructure.

Lastly, the AML would like to see more funding directed to education. There is increased enrollment in the larger cities, and the cost of heating the buildings is eating up huge amounts of the rural school budgets, Michels said.

After listening to Sen. Mark Begich and Gov. Sean Parnell give their speeches Thursday, Michels said she is encouraged by the leadership at the top of the state. Begich is following Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s lead in trying to bring Arctic issues to the forefront and expressed concern about access to health care in rural areas, and Parnell supports revenue sharing and a state energy plan, she said.

In conjunction with the AML, the Alaska Conference of Mayors held its meeting Thursday to draft a similar document.

Shirley Marquardt, the mayor of Unalaska and president of the ACoM, said they reached similar positions and work with the AML to reach their common priorities.

“We educate each other to our similarities and differences and make sure we understand each other,” Marquardt said. “This allows us to have a unified voice on the issues that affect all of us.”

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.