At tonight’s special Anchorage Assembly meeting, Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson will ask the Assembly to approve the allocations for the $51.1 million in American Recovery Plan funds. The unelected mayor appears to be wanting to cut Mayor-elect Dave Bronson out of the process. Bronson, who appears to have won the 2021 mayoral election, won’t be sworn in until July 1.
The meeting starts at 6 pm. Public comment are at the beginning of the meeting, but will be limited because it is a special Assembly meeting, which is scheduled for just three hours. The public has not been made aware of the spreadsheet of expenditures, which are located here in the meeting packet.
Some of the planned expenditures include:
- $500,000 for a multi-family unit for permanent transition for youth, for ages 18-24; it would house about 10 youth per year. The purchase of the building would mean operating funds would have to be found later to continue the program.
- $3.75 million for housing and homeless support.
- $1.6 million for House of Transformations support – vocational and apprenticeships.
- $260,000 for the library (already has funds from bonds, operating budget, and CARES Act funds).
- $300,000 for Shiloh Community Housing to help the homeless between 16-24.
- $5 million for fast-track career certificates for University of Alaska Anchorage, to help people get skilled up for better jobs.
- $56,000 for Northern Cultural Exchange, for an ad campaign for an “ecosystem assessment” for a creative economy and ancillary businesses.
- $200,000 for Alaska Works Partnership (a union program) to fund two people to recruit high school students to trade schools.
- $150,000 for Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership to jumpstart manufacturing businesses through virtual assistance. It’s an e-commerce webinar program.
- $100,000 to Jasmin Smith, Business Boutique, to train people of color to communicate all funding opportunities.
- $150,000 for economic stimulus for road map for vital and safe Anchorage services, through consultants SALT and Northern Compass Group – former Mayor Mark Begich.
- $300,000 to Downtown Partnership for “way-finding with indigenous names.”
When Bronson is sworn in, Quinn-Davidson will return to her seat on the Assembly, which was saved for her by her seven liberal allies.
