The ordinance arrives as the Assembly is in the midst of implementing extraordinary steps to rein in spending oversight of Mayor Dave Bronson's administration. Two weeks ago, members approved a series of emergency measures, among them one that lowers the bar for public contracts requiring Assembly approval to $10,000, a move done in part because of allegations of mismanaged procurement policies at City Hall raised by former Municipal Manager Amy Demboski.
In both its technical scope and overarching goals, the new open checkbook ordinance is similar to the emergency contracting provision, though the two came about independently. According to Constant, he started working on the measure months ago.
"It wasn't in any way connected to the emergency ordinances or Amy's letter, it preceded all that," Constant said.
But, he added, "it was fortuitous in timing."
The proposed tool is similar to one launched by the state of Alaska last year, and another set up by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in 2020.
"We've upped the ante a little bit," said Constant, who did the fine-tuning work on the ordinance. "Ours is open checkbook and contracts, because you need both pieces of that information to get the full picture of what's happening."
Open checkbooks are seen as a user-friendly way of expanding access to public documents that are typically only accessible by submitting a records request to municipal officials, a cumbersome process often hampered by work backlogs and a drain on employees' work hours. Contracts paid with public money that ought to be readily available can take weeks or months to be turned over to requesters, and some entities like the Anchorage Police Department have started charging hefty fees from residents to pay for the staff time allocated to fulfilling records requests.
"What I want is more transparency," Constant said. "It's just good governance."
It aligns with other projects Constant has taken on since first being elected to the Assembly almost six years ago. He lobbied for a tool to query Assembly documents, the Assembly Portal for Public Records, which helps the public access everything from budget revision spreadsheets to permit approvals to important ordinances.
The open checkbook measure will be introduced at the Assembly's regular meeting on Feb. 7. If approved, it would require the tool to be set up by Jan. 1, 2024. According to the draft language, the site would be maintained by the Information and Technology Department, "in conjunction with the chief fiscal officer, finance department, purchasing department, and office of management and budget," and would be free to use for the public.
© 2023 the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
