Assembly Report for July 17, 2007

HIS LAST COFFEY BREAK IN A CITY PARK? A canine competitor in the 2004 Skyhoundz Canine Frisbee Championship on Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage.

Assembly member Dan Coffey wants to crack down on pet owners who don’t clean up after their dogs and to ban all dogs, even if leashed, from municipal ballfields and playing fields. Coffey introduced AO 2007-100 on Tuesday night which would tighten the city’s "leash law" by eliminating an existing exemption for dogs under their owners’ "voice command" while on public property not set aside as official "dog parks". Coffey’ould also ban dogs, even if leashed and muzzled, from all "municipal ballfields, playing fields, and outdoor courts enclosed or otherwise designated for sports, whether or not a sporting event is taking place". For owners who do not clean up after their dogs or for owners who bring their pet into a city ballfield or playing area, a new fine schedule is proposed, with increasing fines for repeat violations.

Coffey's original ordinance is already highly controversial, dividing angry local dog owners who enjoy public parks and always pick up after their dogs, against other Alaskans, (including Coffey) who are simply sick and tired of dog poop left on trails or, worse still, in Little League fields. As of late Tuesday night, hundreds of people posted comments on the Daily News political blog , pillorying elected officials and impuming their motives. As prime sponsor of last year's crackdown on smoking in public, Coiffey is again accused by some of furthering the collectivist goals of a "Nanny State" watching over people's private lives.

The issue became more complex on Tuesday when Coffey hastilly introduced another ordinance, AO 2007-106, also dealing with dogs and enclosed baseball fields. This ordinance would ban dogs from all enclosed baseball fields and would imposes fines of $75 for the first violation, $100 for the second violation, and $150 for the third violation of existing "leash laws". This ordinance would not repeal or modify existing law which allows dogs to run off leash under voice control. Under AO 2007-106,, dogs are banned from enclosed baseball fields regardless if a baseball game is actually in progress. Coffey provided no explanation as to why the second ordinance addresses only baseball and omits other softball, football, and soccer fields where presumably dogs may still roam, if under voice control.

Joined by Eagle River’s Bill Starr and East Anchorage’s Lydia Selkregg, Coffey asked that AO 2007-106 be referred to the city’s Animal Control Advisory Board and Parks and Recreation Commission. A hearing before the Assembly on the ordinances is scheduled for September 25, 2007.

COFFEY SEEKS A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO UPGRADE ASSEMBLY CHAMBERS: A report distributed by Assembly Chair Dan Coffey on Tuesday night details an ambitious plan to upgrade assembly chambers with new computer hardware, software, and sound equipment. Taxpayers will pay $450,000 for the upgrades of which only $225,000 has been identified in the approved municipal budget.

The first phase (costing $200,000) implements a "total meeting management" solution for the Assembly Chambers, including automated agenda management, minutes creation and management, the recording of votes, web accessible auto/video streaming, indexing and archiving. Upgrades will provide an integrated, digitally searchable record of Assembly action – from introduction of items, through the agenda, minutes, and streaming video.. An improved voting system is included although some of the hardware (including voting buttons) could be funded through the second phase of the project. Costing $250,000, the second phase would replace the Assembly Chambers lighting and sound system and include an acoustic analysis, replacement of speakers, microphones, and amphlier, lighting upgrades, and a new control panel. According to Coffey’s memo, only $25,000 of the cost of this second phase is currently funded.

ART IN VERY PUBLIC PLACES? Even if Al Choy is ultimately allowed by the city to serve drinks in his Old Seward Highway railroad car, he may still have problems with the cute "hood ornament" perched on the nose of the car. See, Tesche Report for July 3, 2007. The ornament may violate a municipal setback requirement. Ever handy with a legislative fix for a former client, however, Assembly member Dan Coffey on Tuesday introduced AO 2007-101 which would exempt "incidental architectural features, public art" from municipal setback requirements in the zoning code. Coffey referred the proposed ordinance to his Title 21 Committee for a recommendation to the Assembly.