Assembly Report for April 10, 2007

ASSEMBLY TO ACVB: WHAT’S IN YOUR WALLET? Passing AR 2006-290, the Assembly told the Anchorage Convention and Visitors’ Bureau to share a small amount of the Bureau’s portion of city bed tax revenues to support the annual Fur Rendezvous festival. The resolution states an annual contribution of $85,000 to the festival is "deemed appropriate" - a statement of the Assembly’s intent that ACVB support the festival financially, as part of its mission to promote tourism in Anchorage. The resolution also encourages Fur Rondy to review and update an annual operations and marketing plan with AWCB before receiving AWCB bed tax funds.

ELECTION PRODUCES NEW FACES ON THE ASSEMBLY: Following the April 3, 2007 municipal election, as four new faces will be seen at assembly meetings and two incumbents return for second terms. Elected to three year terms was Jennifer Johnston from South Anchorage, Matt Claman who will represent West Anchorage, and Sheila Sellktregg, representing East Anchorage. Midtown incumbent Dan Coffey and Eagle River-Chugiak’s Debbie Ossiander were each re elected to their second terms. Bill Starr, who had been appointed to fill the second Eagle River seat in February, was elected to serve for one year.

New members will be sworn in on April 17th during the dinner break in the meeting and will sit during the public hearings portion of the Agenda. The Assembly is expected to elect a new chair and vice-chair shortly after new members are seated. Dan Coffey has already announced he has six or seven votes in hand to replace Dan Sullivan as chair; neither Coffey nor his supporters will say who they will elect as vice-chair next week.

LABOR DEBATE DELAYS ACTION ON NEW HEADQUARTERS FOR ML& P: An Ossiander of questions about union jurisdiction on construction projects delayed action on a proposed new headquarters building for Municipal Light and Power (ML&P) Tuesday night. Before the Assembly was AO 2007-58 which would authorize Municipal Light and Power to proceed with a "design-build" contract for construction of a new ML&P headquarters building in the new Glenn Square development in Mountain View. A headquarters building for the city’s electric utility would be built by contractors retained by developers of the new Glenn Square Mall, POB-Montgomery. The project will cost ML&P ratepayers $24M paid through a rate increase ML&P intends to seek from the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.

Two local mechanical companies objected to the project, arguing it should have been formally bid and that provisions of the proposed contract governing use of union labor for certain crafts precluded competition from non union contractors. ML&P and Mayor Begich responded by detailing a comparative site analysis before selecting the Glenn Square location, and existing labor agreements binding on the municipality which must be followed in the project. Although the city’s agreement with IBEW gives the union full jurisdiction on property and buildings owned by the utility, the union claimed only electrical and mechanical work under the "design build" contract for the Glenn Square property Nevertheless, Assembly conservatives led by Debbie Ossiander and Bill Starr voiced opposition to the project and contact provisions protecting IBEW’s jurisdiction. The project and the debate will return to the Assembly on April 17th.

FIRST TITLE 21 CHAPTERS ENACTED BY THE ASSEMBLY: With minor amendments, the assembly unanimously enacted the first four chapters of the new Title 21 (chapters 21.01, 21.02, 21.08, and 21.13) Tuesday evening. The chapters deal with subdivision standards, general provisions, land use boards and commissions, enforcement. Almost without hesitation, Assembly members also passed an unusual resolution written by Dan Coffey and Debbie Ossiander which labeled all work done by the assembly on Title 21 to date as only "provisional" and not legally binding until the pair rewrites the remaining portions of the title. The effect of the resolution, passed minutes after the assembly first enacted the new chapters of 21, is unclear as resolutions are generally considered insufficient to change ordinances already enacted into law by the Assembly.

ANCHORAGE HOSPITALS FACE CHRONIC OVERCROWDING: Extolling the success of the annual Mayor’s Run to tourism in Anchorage, Pamela Jennings argued on Tuesday night that the popular event "fills hospital beds throughout Anchorage".

SOCFFLAW ORDINDNACE PASSED: The Assembly on Tuesday passed unanimously Janice Shamberg’s ordinance prohibiting an individual from driving any car on the public streets in Anchorage if he or she has accumulated $1,000 or more in delinquent traffic citations for moving violations. According to Shamberg, enforcement of the new law would begin only if the state legislature authorizes local enactment and it would be enforced by vehicle impoundment and possible forfeiture. APD is said to favor the new law as an additional means to separate gang members from their rides. The new law takes effect on November 1, 2007 and requires prior enactment of a state statute authorizing local enactments.