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OANC seeks funds for websites, QFR portal and training to ease ANC workload
Summary
OANC Director Kent Bass told the Committee on Housing that the office has expanded staff and is rolling out ANC websites, a rebuilt QFR portal, an Absorb training platform and a hybrid meeting kit loan program, but that timely release of non-lapsing funds and statutory limits constrain options.
Kent Bass, Director of the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, told the Committee on Housing that OANC has increased staffing and launched multiple modernization projects intended to reduce administrative burdens on ANCs while preserving their independence.
Bass described three major technology projects: individual ANC websites being built with Okto that will combine a locked global menu (for open-government content) and a customizable ANC menu; a rebuilt QFR (quarterly financial report) portal intended to address long-running usability problems; and deployment of Absorb, a learning-management system for commissioner training. "These websites will contain both global content that the OANC will manage for all sites, as well as areas that will be completely controlled by each ANC," Bass said, describing a centralized-but-customizable approach. He also said OANC launched a hybrid-kit loan program and will purchase additional kits so meetings are not turned away for lack of equipment.
Bass told the committee he is working with the Office of Inspector General on internal-control reviews of the QFR process and highlighted past problems with the release of non-lapsing funds (which delayed projects). The director said he successfully engaged the Mayor’s Office to release funds in May 2025 and again earlier in FY26; he warned that some statutory changes the committee recently adopted (for office-space rental support) are subject to appropriations and so require additional budget action by DGS.
On compliance, Bass said OANC reviews QFRs and makes recommendations to OFRM about withholding funds when documentation is missing; he described recent improvement in release-memo timeliness (from 17.9% on-time to 81% on-time under his schedule). Bass emphasized limits to OANC authority—"We are not a regulatory agency"—and urged the committee to decide how much independence ANCs should retain as it considers centralization options. Chairperson White pressed for shared-service solutions to ease treasurer burdens; Bass suggested a centrally negotiated master contract for outside accounting services could be explored as a compromise that preserves autonomy while reducing treasurer workload.
Bass asked for continued committee support to ensure the QFR portal, websites and training are fully funded and deployed, saying these investments will reduce repeated compliance problems and help commissioners focus on neighborhood priorities.
