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Commission removes proposed community needs survey after city guidance and cost concerns
Summary
Commissioners agreed to drop a proposed external needs-assessment survey from the agenda after city contacts and commissioners said such surveys are costly and time-intensive. Staff proposed using existing data pockets and recommending municipal data collection instead.
Commissioners discussed a proposal to carry out a community needs assessment led by an outside provider (Northwest Center / UAA). Bridger reported the center advised against the commission conducting such surveys, saying that community needs surveys are not recommended for the commission and citing an estimated cost of about $1,520,000 plus extensive training and multiple sessions.
“...they are a pain to do, and, they take a lot of time,” Bridger said when describing prior experience with surveys. Jennifer Bowes of the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission suggested the commission examine existing pockets of data and then recommend that a municipal office collect disability-related complaints and accommodation requests so the city can better serve residents.
After discussion, commissioners raised no objections to removing the Northwest Center / UAA survey item from the agenda and agreed to pursue alternative approaches — including inviting department guest speakers and identifying existing data sources — rather than commissioning a new, costly community survey.
The commission did not adopt any procurement or budget action related to a survey; members discussed recommendations and next steps for departmental engagement and report wording.
