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Record of Proceedings

Anchorage Assembly Rules Committee Meeting - August 14, 2025

Assembly & Committee Meetings — Thursday, August 14, 2025
BodyAnchorage, Alaska
SessionAssembly & Committee Meetings
DateThursday, August 14, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
1:09

Good afternoon, everybody.

1:11

Welcome to the August 14th, 2025 Assembly Rules Committee meeting.

1:17

We're on the calendar from one to three p.m.

1:19

It's now 104 p.m.

1:21

We'll start with introductions.

1:23

Ms.

1:23

Baldwin Day.

1:24

Aaron Baldwin Day.

1:26

Jared Kirker.

1:28

Daniel Boland.

1:29

Anna Brawley.

1:30

Christopher Constant.

1:32

Yarrow Silvers on the phone, Mr.

1:34

Martinez.

1:37

Thank you, Mr.

1:38

Myers.

1:40

Yes, thanks, Chair.

1:42

We're also joined by the mayor, legislative services team, the boatsman is at the back.

1:45

We have municipal assembly.

1:47

We have assembly council.

1:50

And so we don't have a packed agenda today.

1:54

I'm sure we'll figure out a way to use the time.

2:08

And the tempo of our meetings will start to ramp up toward the end of the year.

2:12

And so that's really just enjoy the kind of bandwidth that you have right now.

2:19

Uh as we are warning you that your bandwidth is about to be consumed.

2:23

So for the new members.

2:25

Now is the interlude before the big symphony begins.

2:29

So that's really my report.

2:35

Thank you, Mr.

2:36

Chair.

2:37

Thank you, Chris.

2:39

Hello, everybody.

2:40

I wanted to start by thanking you all for your unanimous approval of the ordinance for rehabilitation for housing, that tax incentive.

3:00

Really feels good to have that in place.

3:41

You were there for that meeting and tour at the port.

3:45

And um Chrissy mentioned Tuesday that the beluga's were out.

3:50

Yeah, that was pretty awesome.

3:53

Very cool.

3:54

Wanted to also mention that in anticipation of the meeting between the president and the Russian president on Friday, we are ready.

4:50

Going back a number of years to have an employee engagement survey and exit interviews, and so exit interviews are in place as well, too.

5:00

And then finally, it was really great to be at the first university luncheon learn yesterday, thanks to all who have been working together to get those events in place.

5:14

And I know Aaron and Daniel were there as well.

5:18

And thank you, Claire and Allie and Jennifer for all your work coordinating.

5:23

That's about it for me right now.

5:27

If there are any questions or anything, but thanks, Chris.

5:30

Appreciate the opportunity to give a report.

5:35

I will underscore there weren't just Belugas.

5:39

It was like beluga's you have not seen in numbers before.

5:42

They were just popping up, I think by the hundred out there.

5:44

It was an extraordinary thing to see.

5:46

Some really close, some far out.

5:48

I would add one last thing.

5:50

We are on a countdown toward the 20th of having delivery of the 2023 AC for the consolidated financial report for the municipality.

5:59

And everybody's got their fingers crossed and working diligently to get that document across the line in the time that we need it to be across the line.

6:07

And then we'll immediately pivot into the 2024 audit.

6:10

And it's kind of that's kind of underway already in some ways.

6:13

But that's I think a pretty important piece of information for this group to hear.

6:19

So okay, then next we'll have reports from the clerk.

6:24

Thank you, Chair.

6:24

Nothing from us.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement████████████████████████24%
Alcohol Regulation███████████████████19%
Alcohol Tax███████7%
Municipal Seal███████7%
Procedural██████6%
Child Care Worker Subsidy█████5%
Economic Development████4%
Ombudsman Services████4%
Short Term Rentals████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Anchorage Assembly Rules Committee Meeting - August 14, 2025

The Anchorage Assembly Rules Committee met on August 14, 2025, from 1:04 p.m. to approximately 2:30 p.m. The agenda included reports from the chair, mayor, clerk, ombudsman, legislative services, and assembly council; an overview of the alcohol tax spending and strategic plan; a briefing on the municipality's 50th anniversary celebration; and updates on pending ordinances and initiatives.

Reports

  • Chair Chris Constant thanked members for unanimous approval of the housing rehabilitation tax incentive, noted a beluga sighting at the port, and reported on employee engagement surveys and exit interviews. He highlighted the upcoming countdown to deliver the 2023 ACFR for the municipality.
  • Mayor's Report (delivered by the mayor's representative) noted preparation for a meeting between the U.S. president and Russian president, and the first university luncheon event.
  • Clerk's Report: No updates.
  • Ombudsman's Report: Deputy ombudsman May Ramir Zhang accepted a state risk manager position; Heather McAlpine became deputy ombudsman. The office has 8 open cases and is nearing 900 contacts for the year, on pace for 1,400–1,500 total.
  • Assembly Council: The legal intern finishes tomorrow; productivity report was mentioned.
  • Legislative Services: Focus on the 50th anniversary celebration, email newsletter experiments, room refresh planned for fall (paint, new furniture, carpet cleaning), and a Muni 101 training for legislative aids.

Discussion Items

  • Alcohol Tax Overview (Claire) : Claire presented the CheersAnchorage.org website, the strategic plan (four-pager), the annual evaluation discussion guide, and funding history. Key points:
    • Alcohol tax revenue is about $14–15 million annually; the fund balance is now depleted.
    • Spending by category (2025 budget): homelessness (largest), public safety, child abuse/sexual assault prevention, mental health/substance misuse (tiny slice).
    • Programs must be new or above 2020 service levels (non-duplicative of general government).
    • A 2023 survey showed strong public support for the tax.
    • Members discussed the need for clearer communication about the tax's purpose (not just homelessness) and the importance of strategic allocation. Anna Brawley noted the priorities resolution for the 2026 budget will be discussed at the August 21 Budget & Finance Committee.
  • 50th Anniversary Celebration (Allie Hartman) : The municipality was founded in 1975. Celebrations include a website (muni.org/50), history essays, department histories, community events (muniversity series), a Neighborhood Time Machine project, and a Hidden Gems scavenger hunt. A recognition resolution will be taken up at the August 26 assembly meeting; members brainstormed retro themes (costumes, old-timey fonts).

Key Outcomes

  • The committee supported scheduling a dedicated alcohol tax discussion session with the administration, to be coordinated with budget and finance chairs.
  • The 50th anniversary resolution will be on the August 26 assembly agenda; members were asked to volunteer for an ad hoc planning committee for that evening.
  • Updates on pending items:
    • AO 83 (cab fees) : Postponed to September 9; disagreements on convenience fee increase.
    • AO 85 (bar safety) : S version in progress to remove registration requirement; expected back August 26.
    • Cottage food ordinance: Working with mayor's office and health department; introduction soon.
    • Short-term rental tax: Drafting a 5% tax with revenues for the municipal housing fund (sponsors: Constant, Johnson, Brawley).
    • Public records ordinance: Ongoing line-by-line review with administration; aims to make records more accessible.
    • Invasive species code update: In draft; may add species and clarify enforcement.
    • Track J park boundary adjustment: Coming soon.
    • Solid waste surcharge: Proposal to fund a "healthy spaces team" via a tipping fee surcharge.
  • Liaison appointments for various boards were read (e.g., ACDA, Alaska Municipal League, Anchorage Chamber, etc.), with some seats still open.
  • The better public meetings resolution will be on the addendum for the upcoming meeting.

Adjournment

The meeting concluded with reminders of the upcoming fair and a no-meeting Friday (August 15) due to potential mayhem; staff were offered the option to work from home.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the August 14th, 2025 Assembly Rules Committee meeting. We're on the calendar from one to three p.m. It's now 104 p.m. We'll start with introductions. Ms. Baldwin Day. Aaron Baldwin Day. Jared Kirker. Daniel Boland. Anna Brawley. Christopher Constant. Yarrow Silvers on the phone, Mr. Martinez. Thank you, Mr. Myers. Yes, thanks, Chair. We're also joined by the mayor, legislative services team, the boatsman is at the back. We have municipal assembly. We have assembly council. And so we don't have a packed agenda today. I'm sure we'll figure out a way to use the time. And the tempo of our meetings will start to ramp up toward the end of the year. And so that's really just enjoy the kind of bandwidth that you have right now. Uh as we are warning you that your bandwidth is about to be consumed. So for the new members. Now is the interlude before the big symphony begins. So that's really my report. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Chris. Hello, everybody. I wanted to start by thanking you all for your unanimous approval of the ordinance for rehabilitation for housing, that tax incentive. Really feels good to have that in place. You were there for that meeting and tour at the port. And um Chrissy mentioned Tuesday that the beluga's were out. Yeah, that was pretty awesome. Very cool. Wanted to also mention that in anticipation of the meeting between the president and the Russian president on Friday, we are ready. Going back a number of years to have an employee engagement survey and exit interviews, and so exit interviews are in place as well, too. And then finally, it was really great to be at the first university luncheon learn yesterday, thanks to all who have been working together to get those events in place. And I know Aaron and Daniel were there as well. And thank you, Claire and Allie and Jennifer for all your work coordinating. That's about it for me right now. If there are any questions or anything, but thanks, Chris. Appreciate the opportunity to give a report. I will underscore there weren't just Belugas. It was like beluga's you have not seen in numbers before. They were just popping up, I think by the hundred out there. It was an extraordinary thing to see.

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