[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6244626,"mediaKeyId","3229226-b6d8e9c19c55e504bdf53b6b1602d3df","parentId",3229226,"title","Assembly reviews alcohol-tax guidance, highlights transparency steps and strategic plan","audioSeconds",345,"startMs",2509000,"endMs",2854000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3229226-b6d8e9c19c55e504bdf53b6b1602d3df&start=2509&end=2854","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3229226-b6d8e9c19c55e504bdf53b6b1602d3df/thumbnail_2509000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6244626/Anchorage-Municipality/Alaska/Assembly-reviews-alcohol-tax-guidance-highlights-transparency-steps-and-strategic-plan","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6244626-3315bda33b7af8b4a79cd8fffbf8ff8a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137194&Signature=fu4d2Ka5vBGYXskY2pqlzVG7OqLoRkMiYOAkdKmlcRUgIk45o~omk4e11TocMLW0k6YFxA6dEUeDFVNE8I2HOmYg72xhYQQSIw50wrbJ0sm5gsEoYvCw890nwNl3evDsPGUXWFoC6GEvQl0LMsMYl3VFM-l-9GjE261y0SmULEuFAEw0WJBkR8fqowrw2LhVZOYH9KNwwT9FzrjHFI5sR5JKoQXj9edErZePH6aTiKPj--g4d4oxD9mcTThaoNA5JqdpKVlkOa0IiYiKGkzPVQ5-0J55u0ZWN55Nr9ZRSF0~XSdO3x6Tz-QrL1g6scBtTo6USBSstc~2Pd~nDhjbPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Anchorage Municipality","date","2025-05-03T11:05:54Z","article","The Anchorage Assembly reviewed its adopted guidance and an executive summary of a community strategic plan for the municipality’s alcohol-sales tax during a May 2 work session.

Chair Christopher Constant described the guidance as an Assembly expression of priorities for how alcohol-tax revenue should be used and noted the tax funds services required by the municipal charter. “This guidance here on the alcohol tax was collectively developed between the administration and the assembly,” the chair said, explaining the document’s purpose as a policy guide rather than a direct spending law.

Speakers said the strategic plan behind the guidance was produced after a community process led by consultant Agnew Beck. Claire (Legislative Services) said the Assembly funded the strategic plan, that Agnew Beck led a community task force over roughly a year, and that she condensed the longer document into a four-page executive summary for Assembly use. “We put it out to bid. Agnew Beck was the bidder, and then they led a community task force and led a group for about a year,” Claire said.

Assembly members called out two items already implemented from the strategic planning process: a public communications program to explain where alcohol-tax dollars are spent (including the Cheers Anchorage materials) and the development of a required annual reporting process that translates budget documents into a clearer public summary. Chair Constant said the municipality receives roughly “about $15,000,000 annually” in alcohol-tax revenue and noted most of those funds are already programmed but that priorities could be shifted by the Assembly through budget or ordinance action.

Speakers urged members to review the longer strategic plan for more specific implementation ideas and bucketed programming examples; the longer plan was presented to committees and brought through rule and work-session discussions during its development. Daniel (staff) and Anna (Assembly member) recommended the longer document to members preparing budget amendments because it contains specific goals and implementation examples that can inform amendments.

A working process was described: the community strategic plan was drafted through a public task force, then condensed into the Assembly executive summary to make it easier for members to use in budget and policy discussions. The Assembly has also sought to transfer some ongoing communications tasks to the administration so that reporting and outreach are sustainable rather than permanently run by Assembly staff.

No budgetary ordinances or binding appropriations were adopted at the May 2 work session. The session’s immediate takeaways were: members should read the full strategic plan if they plan to propose alcohol-tax-related budget amendments, Legislative Services can help members identify specific elements from the plan to convert into motions or budget language, and some transparency measures (annual communications and reporting) are already in place.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Worksession re Housing Action Plan and Assembly Work Plan - May 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the May 2 work session the Anchorage Assembly received a briefing on its adopted guidance for alcohol-tax spending, reviewed a shorter executive summary of a community strategic plan by Agnew Beck, and noted two implemented transparency items: an annual communications plan and required annual reporting on alcohol-tax expenditures.","taxTitle","Anchorage Municipality, Alaska","taxId",2653,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6244631,"Anchorage Assembly considers updating Housing Action Plan and coordinating with mayor’s 10,000 Homes strategy",1902,43000,1945000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3229226-b6d8e9c19c55e504bdf53b6b1602d3df&start=43&end=1945","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3229226-b6d8e9c19c55e504bdf53b6b1602d3df/thumbnail_43000.jpg","/articles/6244631/Anchorage-Municipality/Alaska/Anchorage-Assembly-considers-updating-Housing-Action-Plan-and-coordinating-with-mayors-10000-Homes-strategy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6244631-534a9a07b0a991ffd870b63b7675c59e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137194&Signature=o3Oyo1MonCN-sOADQCfvBVnjrgeyr5D5U1mQN4eeNDyv00uf0yuENBbjuKhU7GkiWmvfPGlQYltgevUXwVf4QPqXWjctVqFEQMeaXfFRYkDDMUHYgkw5snSitXD4T7NNNj7r7GKKLBEs5SQTtV64Y4t0c1RXOJWv4NFD4rQzRh24egLWwP7IvJEMbFkhhFGrVsuzEmJMTLB4~R587aNc9GtjqlgVRH2AL1NiLKYX-ya2A1jF55dWtdcJakkgCyJZZqMrpcKvV2cD8NggQXVk2V-wJ1BlZFc4S22wKjXlISvqGZz3Dnku0sSxN5qvZTjlfK4x13pt0ZeFPF1C3QAq6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Anchorage Assembly met in a May 2 work session to review its Assembly Housing Action Plan and consider how that plan should align with the mayor’s 10,000 Homes strategy as both efforts move into implementation.

The housing plan, adopted by the Assembly in December 2023, is a concise document of the Assembly’s vision, goals, guiding principles and a menu of strategies for increasing and preserving housing in the municipality. “This plan was created in an environment where there was less collaboration,” Assembly member Anna Ballen said, describing why the Assembly produced the plan and why an update may be timely.

Assembly members said the plan is a reachable roadmap for prioritizing work, measuring progress and directing staff resources. The document runs about six pages and includes a measures-for-success section; a more public-facing 2024 progress report was circulated to show ordinances, code changes and other actions tied to the plan. Chair Christopher Constant opened the work session by saying, “we're here to have a discussion about our assembly housing action plan as well as our assembly work plan.”

Much of the session focused on whether and how to align the Assembly’s document with the mayor’s 10,000 Homes strategy. Suggestions included formally making parts of the Assembly plan an adopted element of the municipality’s 2040 land use plan, or cross-referencing the two so they do not duplicate effort. Assembly member Walt suggested an amendment to the 2040 plan could embed the Assembly’s long-term goals: “I feel like that could all be an adopted element,” he said.

Members discussed a practical next step: forming a small working group or convening ad hoc meetings with administration staff to sequence and assign ownership to actions in the Assembly plan that do not yet have an owner. Assembly member Aaron Baldwin Day proposed partnering with administration staff, saying he was “interested in … prioritizing or sequencing, some of these actions.” Nolan Clowda, of the mayor’s office, responded that the administration would be receptive: “that’s absolutely something we would we would like to see,” he said, and offered collaboration to align strategies.

Assembly members and staff emphasized limits set by open meetings rules (the Alaska Open Meetings Act and municipal rules on meeting notice and quorum). Several speakers urged caution about forming a small, unpublicized subgroup that could give the appearance of speaking for the whole Assembly. Chair Constant reminded members that small groups can be useful convener tools but must “bring everyone along at regular intervals” and avoid creating a subcommittee that would be subject to open-meetings requirements unless publicly noticed.

Members discussed implementation-oriented items that surfaced from the plan, including preapproved ADU (accessory dwelling unit) plan sets and a web page to help builders and homeowners navigate permitting. Claire (Legislative Services) and others described the ADU preapproved-plans work as “an orphan” project that lost its original sponsors; one member said she had continued as a consultant to bridge departments and keep the project moving. Assembly members clarified that implementation of web pages and permit workflows is an executive-branch responsibility and that the Assembly’s role is to provide policy guidance, funding where needed, or code changes to enable those tools.

The Assembly directed several follow-up steps rather than adopting new legislation at the session: 1) members should review the plan and the 2024 progress report, 2) legislative services should collect member interest and broker assignments to avoid OMA concerns, and 3) a small, informal working group should be explored with input from the mayor’s office and planning and building departments. The chair recommended members contact Nolan Clowda and Graham Downey in the administration and to coordinate with planning and building departments on items that will require executive implementation.

Background and context: the Assembly’s housing plan grew from retreat work in 2023 and subsequent public convenings and “housing action week.” The Assembly documented metrics it wants to track (types of new housing, renovated units, vacancy rates and other market indicators) and has been working with staff to establish baselines. Members noted the municipality has also invested COVID-relief and other public funds in housing programs in recent years, and that the Assembly’s plan intentionally focuses on local policy levers such as code changes, incentives and targeted investments rather than state or federal levers.

Next steps listed during the session include cross-referencing the Assembly plan with the mayor’s 10,000 Homes strategy, asking legislative services to compile members’ project interests so owners can be assigned, and convening administration counterparts to create a shared roadmap for actions that lack an owner. No ordinances or formal votes were taken at the May 2 work session.","At a May 2 work session the Anchorage Assembly reviewed its housing action plan (adopted Dec. 2023), discussed aligning it with the mayor’s 10,000 Homes strategy, and explored forming a small assembly–administration working group to coordinate priorities, metrics and next steps.","actionData","errors"]

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Assembly reviews alcohol-tax guidance, highlights transparency steps and strategic plan

Anchorage Assembly considers updating Housing Action Plan and coordinating with mayor’s 10,000 Homes strategy