[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-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",[32,75,87,98],{"_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",6196105,"mediaKeyId","3858143-970fab7ffa3b7ed61a94987af25c575a","parentId",3858143,"title","Ombudsman says APD contractor stopped charging $150 access fee after review of municipal code and outreach to law department","audioSeconds",304,"startMs",532000,"endMs",836000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3858143-970fab7ffa3b7ed61a94987af25c575a&start=532&end=836","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3858143-970fab7ffa3b7ed61a94987af25c575a/thumbnail_532000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6196105/Anchorage-Municipality/Alaska/Ombudsman-says-APD-contractor-stopped-charging-150-access-fee-after-review-of-municipal-code-and-outreach-to-law-department","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6196105-fb55671b3559a9a2d9557fc14cad59cd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771000404&Signature=dgSNQMkxeXPosY9Mrez9mW39t4FqSL~XNBDTo2pvAHW0-w2U8axjmHiNIY0YU2SwC7LWng7RU8FBNHGyd1ZBo0-bKneYcJO0GPjWxYWKICxl0ND09ytlVJerXznoCZw-KCAVgkoeOQ1o~K6SOjMtigL27PMdiLbKUKSNj9RDhhqmT9rM5o0ZWx7IUQddG-oW9ou27A~5edQ-gME2MkztDh9oU68rN6CcSLsMYjBXU4ZRhpgZTnx4a-3PenA7PHgatWvDuhJXQ6VdCOyJyHxjByannhKBTbCypLJ0BZzs1xQoL0CtY8vxI3v2Ei3aE5B-r1KPGfMScwovnksOv4oNZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Anchorage, AK","date","2025-06-13T11:07:15Z","article","The Anchorage ombudsman's office reported to the Assembly Rules Committee on June 12 that an APD contractor had been charging a $150 \"access fee\" to let owners retrieve personal property from vehicles impounded by the municipality, and the fee has been stopped after legal review and contract management outreach.

\"It just seemed like an effort to squeeze money out of poor people,\" the ombudsman said when describing the widely reported consequences of vehicle-impound practices in earlier years. The ombudsman reminded the committee that, after a prior assembly code rewrite, the municipality intended to guarantee vehicle owners a one-time free access to retrieve personal property from impounded vehicles, whether impounded by municipal action or private-party tow.

The ombudsman's office said it had referred a constituent to code enforcement who was told they were not eligible for one-time free access; subsequent consultation with the Department of Law found that the code language as then written was interpreted as not applying to vehicles impounded under AMC 9.28 for major traffic offenses. The ombudsman's office followed with an investigative report and supported an ordinance — AO2024-77, introduced by Assembly Member Rivera in August 2024 — that clarified the code so the one-time free access applied to vehicles towed under AMC 9.28. The assembly passed the ordinance as amended on Sept. 10, 2024, the ombudsman said.

Earlier this year, the office learned an APD contractor had been charging an upfront $150 fee for owners to access their impounded vehicle and retrieve personal belongings. The ombudsman said it met with the Department of Law and APD's contract administrator to resolve the discrepancy. After those discussions, the contract administrator confirmed the contractor would stop charging the $150 fee for first-time access.

\"So we work with the Department of Law and APD's contract administrator, and that contractor is no longer charging, that fee for the first time access,\" the ombudsman told the committee, adding the episode illustrated the need for follow-up after code changes are adopted to ensure implementation matches legislative intent.

The ombudsman also gave the committee an update on contacts: the office has recorded 375 constituent contacts so far this year and has about 12 open cases. The ombudsman urged follow-up when the assembly changes code to ensure intended protections reach residents.

No formal action was taken by the committee in response to the ombudsman's presentation; the report was delivered as an informational update.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Rules Committee Meeting - Jun 13, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Anchorage ombudsman's office told the Assembly Rules Committee on June 12 that an APD contractor had been charging a $150 upfront access fee to let owners retrieve personal belongings from municipally impounded vehicles but has stopped doing so after consultations with the Department of Law and APD contract administration.","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},6196096,"Assembly Rules Committee clarifies how to request work sessions and begins updating the assembly work plan",1149,5048000,3899000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3858143-970fab7ffa3b7ed61a94987af25c575a&start=5048&end=3899","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3858143-970fab7ffa3b7ed61a94987af25c575a/thumbnail_5048000.jpg","/articles/6196096/Anchorage-Municipality/Alaska/Assembly-Rules-Committee-clarifies-how-to-request-work-sessions-and-begins-updating-the-assembly-work-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6196096-9826ad90af8c225ed7d95799c14bd0a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771000404&Signature=ELvhMdv8z2o8wXSjeuAMyQoNFpo1qa-1grI1vXsPte1lsGKtYqxFb8PYyXkr3YZrDXxzon2dtaXvtlKEeoIWgtp5WGiFUOIW~zQDh0jB6F7im2RZPmdV6jwooR58Vy0~smzY~BLO974SDplbvKR9vu1H3kDNbo03floHyzPhfLI3PeKzySwFQdcB1JyYnEQjVZRRje8kpT-RJEXsjiUeTHvEF2OQ0gurJC6QHmb2hUC4FZTS2FZ0JE~hoJR7tbQ673WtyYALVUcZhwfiKYPMNzZhm6EeXZ-N70mCEwog4yFUUh2qulBsFbGmOtxsqGHkxhtmcsmIWRgVqMDx7Q4WlA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Anchorage Assembly Rules Committee on June 12 debated how to make member-requested work sessions reliable and useful, and then moved into a broad, member-by-member review of the Assembly's multi-topic work plan.

Committee members described recurring problems: work sessions were sometimes scheduled without a clear presenter or sponsor and have occasionally proceeded with no prepared material. The chair and clerk proposed a two-step scheduling approach: a tentative scheduling based on calendar availability followed by a confirmation checklist to the requester that specifies who will deliver content, what questions should be answered and whether the sponsor or department will present.

\"One of the elements that we've discussed adding to the process is a tentative scheduling with a follow-up checklist of some kind to the requester of the work session,\" the chair said, outlining the proposal. Committee members and staff agreed that the Municipal Clerk's Office should be the central point of contact for scheduling. The clerk confirmed requests should go to the clerk and that the clerk would coordinate with the committee chair and the calendar.

Legal counsel and members raised Open Meetings Act concerns about members discussing issues in small groups. Legislative counsel Matthew Hirt advised that: as long as questions and answers are brokered through the clerk and posted publicly so all members have access, the clerk can reduce serial-meeting risk. He also noted that when fewer than three members are involved individually, direct contact is permissible but warned sponsors and staff to avoid informal serial contacts.

Committee members explored several operational clarifications: work sessions generally are for information gathering (no formal public testimony at the end), confirmation hearings are required by code to be work sessions, committees allow more formal deliberation and public comment, and there are both formal and informal referrals to committees. The committee discussed specific examples, including an item on the criminalization of camping and how it could be scheduled with the Housing and Homelessness Committee.

After the scheduling conversation, legislative services led a line-by-line review of the Assembly's work plan. Because four new assembly members were not previously listed on the plan, members were invited to add or remove themselves from project lines. The review covered housing-related items (reuse of buildings, mobile/manufactured dwelling-unit code changes), public-safety projects, civic engagement, economic-development items such as bed-tax reimagining and a proposed short-term rental tax to fund municipal housing, and infrastructure items (stormwater utility, Terminal 1 construction monitoring). Members added themselves to many lines and noted administration contacts for coordination.

No formal procedural rule changes were adopted at the meeting; the committee agreed to implement the tentative scheduling/checklist pilot administratively, route work-session requests through the clerk, and continue the work-plan review in future meetings to complete item updates.

Committee members repeatedly emphasized that sponsors should be identified and prepared to present or else the assembly risks convening unproductive sessions. The clerk will be the scheduling point of contact and will confirm sponsors and presenters before a work session is finalized.","The Anchorage Assembly Rules Committee on June 12 debated a tentative two-step process for scheduling work sessions — routing requests through the clerk, tentatively placing items on the calendar, and using a confirmation checklist to identify presenters — and then conducted a line-by-line review of the assembly work plan with members signing onto project lines.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6196100,"Assembly Rules Committee debates trimming and reworking recognition resolutions to save meeting time and boost community outreach",0,6334000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3858143-970fab7ffa3b7ed61a94987af25c575a&start=6334&end=6334","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3858143-970fab7ffa3b7ed61a94987af25c575a/thumbnail_6334000.jpg","/articles/6196100/Anchorage-Municipality/Alaska/Assembly-Rules-Committee-debates-trimming-and-reworking-recognition-resolutions-to-save-meeting-time-and-boost-community-outreach","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6196100-b3b1e2807d828998b7a9b8428bb030dc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771000404&Signature=Bn9re1VurgDJnIJJ0RSiJwnbJhC8jNYmSmZrsiYt2kJMW-GjW51zkyKY4IbQ3fOX5Nrj4NlW85~seAwAhdD71TURgYr-Tgn0VzB7b5pMpTQsxJ6ayg1eU86H7zXDapnGhAhgZZu~XvxwwfEqWHFpQtoZTitdgPLi6SccxdNindhRJG0gMv7HBJk8jT~3PvZmpdWxY4mJhXif-vstZLXfxLBm4l-RYaGI3tfvKEeX7mMBJDxd1Iz38UKlYgwrM0HpMbebcvlGrEfdcRgd~JZlN51MEaGsPPNyOtnOjLCxqSykjKwZnMdk9woRsRlJlSYtuEltfjB-5K47Ld2nKdvG~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Anchorage Assembly Rules Committee discussed approaches on June 12 to reduce meeting time spent on ceremonial recognition resolutions while preserving their community value, including requiring a primary sponsor, offering shorter on-floor summaries, and presenting some recognitions at community events.

\"It wasn't the intent to remove recognition resolutions. That was never what we were going for,\" a committee staff member said, opening the discussion. The staff member explained goals: reduce the number of full readings on crowded agendas, review the list of recurring resolutions so members can opt out before meeting nights, and explore alternative presentation opportunities.

Several members suggested practical changes. Assembly Member Cameron (last name not specified) proposed requiring a short, 3-to-4-sentence summary for each recognition resolution that could be read in place of the full \"whereas\" language. \"If we just had... 3 or 4 sentences saying, here's what this is. Here's why it's important,\" Cameron said, arguing a short summary would speed meetings and make presentations more equitable.

Assembly Member Anna Bridal suggested taking some recognitions to other events to increase their visibility and to reduce meeting congestion. \"Sometimes it's a lot to ask people to come to the meeting,\" Bridal said, adding that presenting resolutions at community events such as the Alaska Municipal League conference or Pacific Flag Day could be more meaningful for recipients.

Other members proposed administrative fixes: requiring a primary sponsor willing to read or prepare short remarks; using a clerk-provided form already circulated to indicate sponsor interest; and producing a one-sheet for invitees that explains how the meeting presentation works and when to arrive. Assembly Member Aaron Baldwin Day urged that the primary sponsor prepare brief comments in advance rather than reading every line of a long resolution.

Committee members discussed fairness concerns if some items received full readings and others did not. The clerk's office staff noted the code requires reading an item's title into the record but does not mandate reading the full text of a recognition resolution. The committee agreed to continue refining a process that would preserve formal recognition for significant or one-off events while moving routine informational proclamations into other communications channels.

No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; members tasked staff with follow-up measures such as encouraging members to complete the clerk's sponsor-preference form and exploring options for off-site presentations and shorter in-meeting summaries.

The discussion concluded with an agreement to examine work-session time and sponsorship mechanics as part of a broader effort to streamline assembly meeting agendas.","Members of the Assembly Rules Committee on June 12 discussed proposals to reduce time spent reading long recognition resolutions at meetings, to require a primary sponsor for each, and to route some presentations to community events or alternate venues.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6196110,"Clerk's office reports May workload, initiative-petition reviews and licensing totals to Assembly Rules Committee",223,225000,448000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3858143-970fab7ffa3b7ed61a94987af25c575a&start=225&end=448","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3858143-970fab7ffa3b7ed61a94987af25c575a/thumbnail_225000.jpg","/articles/6196110/Anchorage-Municipality/Alaska/Clerks-office-reports-May-workload-initiative-petition-reviews-and-licensing-totals-to-Assembly-Rules-Committee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6196110-dac2fa3ee70465af547c40f2bdd3b7ae/orig.mp4?Expires=1771000404&Signature=XQfZRVMZymAzeCdKKLRed4BCQwiA6yPbcWJuFQnfCGI2dkY3JeZ4kwp9bp5s4f1IDq4P0m8EzWQNgNS1~3xuKQfIYS~5W9JPSAUW8BWa~r4fnUfziIpetYkTcqYozyhT2~xyIPeig1Vhk4oQ9PQ1jKouTh68cSZN-ExDC4G4XZDTHIvtNT-m6rNypmaESVmC0jxFaQxeTRwscnf8DCirfuNrQqk0RkZ4s0Wd9WqjSwx6gCGq86kKylL4pxd02xBbavhBczP8G5tLdvRGs8KBRvcgNt9E1Iyt~I4SheKczoGdvCMWNhE10nDwmfhd-iShr0b9YawDe3Ej8HVMn4LwMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Municipal Clerk's Office told the Anchorage Assembly Rules Committee on June 12 that staff handled a high volume of meetings and legislative processing in May, processed multiple initiative petitions now under review, and completed dozens of licensing actions.

\"In the month of May, our currently 12 person team managed a high volume of work across all of these core functions,\" a clerk's office staff member told the committee during the clerk's monthly report. The staff member said the office coordinated three assembly meetings, seven assembly committee meetings, nine assembly work sessions and three board and commission meetings in May, provided public notice for 24 scheduled public hearings, and processed 123 pieces of legislation, amending six.

The clerk's office also reported travel and personnel work: staff assisted four assembly members with travel logistics for nine trips and secured contracts for five new legislative aides. On audiovisual upgrades, the clerk's office said Matt Farina is leading replacement of microphones and other fixes; the final phase of replacement microphones is scheduled after the June 24 meeting during a three-week break.

On initiative-petition activity, the clerk's office reported it processed four petitions connected to two separate proposed initiatives. Three petitions were submitted for a proposed initiative described as aiming to protect Fish Creek from sewer lines; two of those were denied because of sponsor ineligibility and a third was withdrawn. A fourth version of that petition was submitted June 4 and was under review as of the committee meeting.

The clerk's office also said a petition proposing a civilian police review board and an inspector general for the Anchorage Police Department was reviewed and rejected based on advice from municipal legal counsel (described in the report as \"Unilegal\") because the submission did not identify whether it was a charter amendment, a code amendment or an advisory vote and therefore did not include the verbatim text required by code.

On licensing, the clerk's office said its licensing team processed and finalized 10 marijuana licenses, 21 liquor licenses and 30 business licenses in May; the business-license total included roving vendors and private-investigator licenses. The clerk concluded the report by noting the office’s broad election- and meeting-support responsibilities.

The report was informational; no formal action or vote by the committee was recorded on the clerk's report itself. Committee members asked clarifying questions later in the meeting about other agenda items but took no additional formal steps tied to the clerk's May report.

The clerk's update is part of the Assembly Rules Committee's regular administrative briefings and was presented in the committee's June 12 session.","The municipal clerk's office told the Assembly Rules Committee on June 12 that its 12-person team handled heavy meeting coordination, processed initiative petitions tied to Fish Creek and police-review proposals, and finalized dozens of licenses while continuing audiovisual upgrades in the chambers.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Ombudsman says APD contractor stopped charging $150 access fee after review of municipal code and outreach to law department

Assembly Rules Committee clarifies how to request work sessions and begins updating the assembly work plan

Assembly Rules Committee debates trimming and reworking recognition resolutions to save meeting time and boost community outreach

Clerk's office reports May workload, initiative-petition reviews and licensing totals to Assembly Rules Committee