The Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday approved legislation that permanently curbs the ability of the mayor and his administration to rubber-stamp city contracts by lowering the monetary threshold that triggers a requirement for Assembly approval.
The ordinance, approved on a 9-1 vote, is meant to to ensure that more contracts get Assembly review “rather than being granted in trust, because the trust has really been challenged between the administration and the Assembly,” Assembly Vice Chair Chris Constant said. He sponsored the legislation alongside Chair Suzanne LaFrance and member Meg Zaletel.three emergency measures
Bronson opposed the changes, saying the emergency ordinance has burdened the Purchasing Department and increased workload of city staff, and called it “microscopic management of the purchasing process by the Assembly.” During a sometimes heated debate between the mayor and some Assembly members about Tuesday’s legislation, Constant referred to one major contracting issue that occurred last fall.
“We are careening now toward a real crisis in our charter, because of the desire of the administration to fund, without Assembly approval, contracts for their priorities -- and then when they’re caught, to pay off the people that they made those deals with,” Constant said. “So this is an important part in the effort to bring compliance by this administration by shortening the leash in which they’re allowed to act freely.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Anchorage Assembly members want commission appointee to resign for raising stereotypes about homelessnessMembers of the Anchorage Assembly are calling for the vice chair of a municipal advisory commission to resign after he brought up stereotypes about who experiences homelessness.
Read more »
Alaska's Willow Oil Drilling Project Unites Politicians, Worries EnvironmentalistsA proposed oil drilling project in Alaska has united politicians while isolating environmentalists. See the potential biases and similarities in coverage from cnn, foxbusiness and adndotcom:
Read more »
Report finds that Dunleavy administration quietly removed policy protecting LGBTQ Alaskans from discriminationThe Anchorage Daily News says state officials planned to protect LGBTQ residents against discrimination — until things changed. 'The attorney general himself weighs in and says, 'No, that's not how we're going to do things,'' said the ADN's Kyle Hopkins.
Read more »
Anchorage officials expand warning to remove snow for commercial building ownersOfficials are concerned with commercial buildings built in the mid-1970s to mid-1980s with wooden trusses of any kind.
Read more »
Activity trackers and lunch leftovers: Researchers are visiting Anchorage schools to study student wellnessA federal grant is helping researchers study how much Anchorage students eat during lunch, and how much they move throughout the day.
Read more »
No injuries in 2 Anchorage building collapses over the weekendThe fire department said the incidents should remind building owners to evaluate the amount of snow and ice on roofs.
Read more »