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Record of Proceedings

Anchorage ACE Fund Board Finalizes 2027 Budget Recommendations – September 14, 2026

Assembly & Committee Meetings — Monday, September 14, 2026
BodyAnchorage, Alaska
SessionAssembly & Committee Meetings
DateMonday, September 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:36:22

Original source
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0:03

Okay, so roll call, Trevor Storrs.

0:06

Here Jessica Simonson.

0:10

Here.

0:13

Brian Wynn Collier.

0:14

Here.

0:15

Kevin Barry.

0:16

Here.

0:18

Khalil Wyvern?

0:19

Here.

0:22

With them.

0:22

With it.

0:23

I wonder that next time.

0:24

Georgina Broke?

0:25

Here.

0:26

Mildred Parker.

0:27

Here.

0:29

Jesse, that's it.

0:34

And Chuck Shaka.

0:37

Here.

0:37

And we've just reviewing the agenda.

0:44

Any additions, changes, suggestions?

0:51

All right.

0:52

As always, we always have a little flexibility.

0:54

So we will always make changes as we go.

0:59

Let's get the last minutes out of the way.

1:03

Hopefully you had a chance to review them.

1:06

And any uh I will entertain approval of the minutes.

1:14

Thank you.

1:14

Khalil, do I have a second?

1:18

Second.

1:18

Thank you, Georgina.

1:21

Open for discussion.

1:27

Hearing none.

1:28

Anyone opposed to passing them?

1:32

Or stay.

1:34

Hearing none passes unanimous.

1:37

And we will move on to uh public comment.

1:41

Is there anybody here uh that wanted to uh speak today?

1:47

Either raise your hand or go off mute.

1:54

Did Jessica put herself on hold?

1:59

Yeah, okay.

2:03

All right, seeing no public comment, we will close.

2:10

And we'll jump into uh the new business.

2:14

Uh board discussion on the 27 budget.

2:17

I guess it's new, but it doesn't feel new.

2:20

It's ongoing.

2:21

I guess it's not new new.

2:23

Uh, but our goal today, as you all know, uh just to remind everybody in the room.

2:28

Uh we need to turn in our proposed budget to the mayor September by September 2nd.

2:35

So this is our final meeting to finalize it.

2:39

Oh thank you to Christina.

2:41

She put out a survey, she will go through that.

2:44

We'll have a chance to go through just to remind folks we have a recommended budget, which is again moving uh ASD and the early literacy, big uh best beginnings, either back to the alcohol tax or to another funding source that's for the mayor to finalize.

3:02

Uh so we have the full approximately five million to work with, but we also recognize that may not and to better be prepared.

3:12

We as a group will also present the alternative budget if that is not an option or they choose uh differently, and what we then recommend on how how that funding works and is it full or not and so forth.

3:26

So we'll be going through that uh today and finalizing it.

3:30

What will then happen is Christina and I have been drafting a letter to the mayor's office that outlines the process that we did, what are the two budgets?

3:40

Uh we will also incorporate data from this and outlining uh why we made the decision and what how the feedback came back from the community to make sure they're as as informed as possible.

3:54

So hopefully they can follow our recommendations in the original budget uh and make very few changes because we didn't do it lightly uh or in a vacuum.

4:04

So what uh Christina will help remind me.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Child Care Worker Subsidy█████████████████████████████33%
Procedural████5%
Public Engagement████4%
Alcohol Tax███3%
Capital Improvement Planning██2%
Alcohol Regulation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Anchorage ACE Fund Board Finalizes 2027 Budget Recommendations – September 14, 2026

The Anchorage ACE Fund Board held a meeting on September 14, 2026, from 21:20 UTC (postponed from earlier in the day) to finalize its proposed 2027 budget recommendations for the mayor. The board reviewed public survey results, debated funding priorities, and approved both a primary recommended budget and a contingency alternative. Key decisions included shifting funds between childcare workforce subsidies and capital/pilot projects, and reaffirming support for the Anchorage School District (ASD) pre-K program at 75% funding. The board also planned to draft a letter to the mayor and request a meeting to discuss the budget.

Consent Calendar

  • Roll call – All members present: Trevor Storrs, Jessica Simonson, Brian Wynn Collier, Kevin Barry, Khalil Wyvern, Georgina Broke, Mildred Parker, Chuck Shaka.
  • Approval of minutes from the previous meeting unanimously passed with no discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public offered comment. The board closed the public comment period without input.

Discussion Items

  • Presentation on public survey results – Staff member Christina presented survey findings from a 21-day public survey (58 responses). Key results:
    • Top priority: operational assistance (ranked highest in both recommended and contingency budgets).
    • Second priority: workforce subsidy.
    • Third priority: pilot/capital projects.
    • Current participation: 165 children enrolled in the workforce subsidy program; average 5 new enrollments per month, 1–2 children leaving per month.
    • Funding percentages: Public preferred 85% tuition coverage (currently at 85%), while the board earlier leaned toward 75%. Discussion noted that 75% would allow more children to be served.
  • Debate on budget allocations – Members discussed balancing operational grants (flexible funding for programs), workforce subsidies, and capital/pilot projects. Operational grants were seen as most impactful per provider feedback, but capital projects also yielded significant benefits (e.g., creating new childcare spots).
  • Recommended budget (Plan A) – Assumes ASD and Best Beginnings will be moved back to the alcohol tax, freeing up $5.2 million. The board voted to shift $100,000 from the childcare worker subsidy (originally $1.625M) to pilot/capital, plus any rollover from the subsidy program, aiming to bring the capital/pilot total to approximately $1 million. This keeps all current subsidy participants whole and allows growth.
  • Contingency budget (Plan B) – If ASD and Best Beginnings remain under the ACE fund, the board set:
    • Childcare worker subsidy: $1.4 million (reflecting the $100k shift).
    • ASD pre-K: 75% funding (approximately $750,000 for six months).
    • Best Beginnings/early literacy: $0.
    • Operational grants: all remaining funds (estimated $1.38 million plus rollover of $200k–$400k, directed to operational grants).
    • Pilot/capital: $0 (to avoid spreading funds too thin and administrative burden).
  • Discussion on presentation strategy – The board agreed to present both budgets to the mayor with a clear recommendation for Plan A. Members also decided to request a meeting with the mayor to discuss the budget before final submission.

Key Outcomes

  • Recommended budget (Plan A) approved unanimously – Motion to move $100,000 from child care worker subsidy to pilot/capital, with all rollover funds from the subsidy program also directed to pilot/capital, aiming for a total of ~$1 million. The motion was made by Trevor Storrs, seconded by Bronwin, and passed without opposition.
  • Contingency budget (Plan B) approved unanimously – Motion to adopt the contingency budget as presented (ASD at 75%, Best Beginnings at $0, all rollover to operational grants) made by Khalil Wyvern, seconded by Jessica Simonson, and passed without opposition.
  • Letter to mayor – Three board members (Michael, Mildred Parker, and one other) volunteered to review and help draft the final budget transmittal letter.
  • Next steps – Staff will calculate exact rollover amounts, schedule a meeting with the mayor, reconvene the evaluation committee to design the next pilot/capital grant cycle, and explore a new grant management system (using Children’s Trust platform). Terms for members Khalil, Georgina, and Bronwin are ending; they may reapply by email.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, so roll call, Trevor Storrs. Here Jessica Simonson. Here. Brian Wynn Collier. Here. Kevin Barry. Here. Khalil Wyvern? Here. With them. With it. I wonder that next time. Georgina Broke? Here. Mildred Parker. Here. Jesse, that's it. And Chuck Shaka. Here. And we've just reviewing the agenda. Any additions, changes, suggestions? All right. As always, we always have a little flexibility. So we will always make changes as we go. Let's get the last minutes out of the way. Hopefully you had a chance to review them. And any uh I will entertain approval of the minutes. Thank you. Khalil, do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Georgina. Open for discussion. Hearing none. Anyone opposed to passing them? Or stay. Hearing none passes unanimous. And we will move on to uh public comment. Is there anybody here uh that wanted to uh speak today? Either raise your hand or go off mute. Did Jessica put herself on hold? Yeah, okay. All right, seeing no public comment, we will close. And we'll jump into uh the new business. Uh board discussion on the 27 budget. I guess it's new, but it doesn't feel new. It's ongoing. I guess it's not new new. Uh, but our goal today, as you all know, uh just to remind everybody in the room. Uh we need to turn in our proposed budget to the mayor September by September 2nd. So this is our final meeting to finalize it.

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