Assembly Report for August 14, 2007

ASSEMBLY CONSIDERS TAX RELIEF FOR FIRE, QUAKE VICTIMS: The Assembly on Tuesday considered an ordinance that would provide immediate tax relief to owners of residential property partially destroyed by natural disaster, including earthquake and fire. Under AO 2007- 109(S) the owner of residential property destroyed by fire or earthquake could apply to the city Assessor for revaluation of his residence in the same year the disaster occurred. Similar ordinances have been considered in neighboring local governments hit by recent wild fires. The ordinance was introduced by Mayor Begich and downtown Assembly member Allan Tesche.

Action on AO 2007-109(S) was postponed until August 28th, pending review of amendments proposed by the administration and assembly. Potential amendments include addition of mobile homes, deletion of earthquakes, technical changes to appeals procedures, and the question of whether residential property leased to tenants might qualify. Allan Tesche and Debbie Ossiander will meet with the administration to hammer out potential amendments.

DOWNTOWN PLAN INTRODUCED, SENT TO TITLE 21 COMMITTEE: Two years in the making, a new comprehensive plan for the downtown area (AO 2007-113) was introduced on Tuesday night and referred to the Assembly’s Title 21 committee for review. The work of many downtown residents and businesses as well as Outside consultants and the city’s planning department, the plan sets goals, strategies, and ways to develop downtown into a vibrant commercial, cultural, and residential center for Anchorage. Committee review of the downtown plan starts on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. in the City’s Permit Center and may take several weeks, before it returns to the Assembly on September 11, 2007 for a public hearing.

DOWNTOWN BUSINESS DISTRICT ON THE ROPES: A routine request to approve the annual assessment roll (AO 2007-174) for the downtown business improvement district turned into a donneybrook Tuesday night after a handful of downtown property owners complained about the district’s boundaries. Objections included the lack of snow removal and security service on the east side of the district and the Assembly’s decision fifteen years ago to exclude commercial properties on the west side, most notably the Hotel Captain Cook from the district. Although these same objections have been raised every year since the downtown improvement district was formed, comments from every assembly indicated new enthusiasm for radically redrawing district boundaries to address these objections.

The assembly deferred until August 28th action on the assessment roll for 2007, despite warnings from the administration that substantial modifications to the district boundaries would require re balloting of the entire district or disrupt services currently being provided to downtown businesses. The assembly will hold a work session on August 24 to look into possible changes to the downtown BID in response to testimony given on Tuesday.

The Downtown Business Improvement District is administered by the Anchorage Downtown Partnership (ADP) which provides snow removal, security, and event services to downtown businesses.

NO NEWS ON 4TH AVE. THEATRE: Polite but persistant questions from Assemblyman Dick Traini of the administration regarding rumors of a new deal involving the 4th Ave. Theatre turned up nothing new on Tuesday night. In the absence of Mayor Begich, municipal officials confirmed ancient reports that the Rasmusson foundation had backed away from an earlier agreement negotiated with the Anchorage Downtown Partnership (ADP) and the municipality. Economic and Community Development Director Mary Jane Micheal repeatedly told Assembly members she was aware of no new deal in the works to purchase the downtown icon. Traini covered the waterfront so well with his questions, each of which was met by an unwaivering denial by Michael, leaving the aministration with a possible credibility gap if some sort of deal actually materializes in the coming weeks. In this town, no news is still news and Mary Jane Michael's answers to Dick Traini's question last night have already reignited the controversy over the 4th Ave. Theatre in the morning paper and will doubtless provide new feedstock for talk radio this afternoon. Meanwhile, in federal court today . . .