Editor’s note: This article was jointly written by concerned Anchorage residents Kari Reese and Amanda Thompson.
On Monday, Oct. 6 at 12:30 p.m., your local Anchorage Community Council chair and/or delegate and alternate need to attend the Federation of Community Councils (FCC) bylaw change meeting (Email for the Zoom link).
The FCC is the administrative help organization for Anchorage’s statutory community councils, but the FCC bylaw committee has proposed extensive bylaw changes for its operations. If approved, these changes would poise the FCC for political action, dilute the voice of each individual community council, and may significantly impact the legislative role of community councils, as written in muni code and charter. The changes also appear to be unlawful, as they attempt to bestow powers to a small group, even though this authority is not stipulated in code.
UNLAWFUL
There is no statutory relationship between the community councils (CC) and FCC, or between the FCC and the Municipality of Anchorage. FCC has zero voting power over CCs. FCC’s only purpose is to provide administrative services to CCs. See its grant agreement with the Municipality, Appendix A (Scope of Services).
POLITICAL ACTION
Some FCC members have expressed the desire for the FCC to take political action, despite being a non-partisan organization. These statements are recorded in meeting videos and minutes. It is essential that CCs have a legislative testimony function to the Anchorage Assembly, the mayor and the administration. CCs are recognized in the Anchorage Home Rule Charter (Section 8.01) and the Assembly specifically authorizes each CC by Ordinance 2.40.
CCs are established to afford citizens an opportunity for maximum community involvement and self-determination through the local government process. The proposed bylaw changes create a structure whereby, if not blocked in court, a small number of directors (4 to 6) could authorize the chair to take political action that could potentially be against resolutions passed by individual community councils. For example, a version of this happened recently in Girdwood’s Community Council with a major land use issue (Holton Hills).
DILUTED VOICE
The FCC would leap outside its expressed purpose if it changed from a model where each community has one vote, into a membership model that creates a FCC Board of Directors (7-11 main voting members only). The Bylaw change would reduce the voting power of the 37 CC delegates, resulting in a misrepresentation of the actual collective number of CC votes. This eliminates the accurate number of statutory CC votes and citizens’ voices. Additionally, the proposed changes would make it so CCs could only vote once a year, versus the current requirement to meet at least four times each year. Click here to see the proposed changes.
FAILURE OF NOTICE
FCC failed to properly notice citizens and councils regarding the proposed bylaw change process (AS 44.62.310-.312). The FCC Bylaw Committee started meeting in early summer when most CCs take a hiatus during summer. For example, October 2 was the first time Turnagain residents were notified at their community council of the proposed overall changes and the October 3 deadline for comments.
STEPPING OUTSIDE OF DUTIES
FCC is granted money ($237K) annually by the Assembly to provide administrative, services technical support, training opportunities, and outreach initiatives to the community councils as stated in Appendix A (Scope of Services: https://communitycouncils.org/download/3-fcc-2025-grant-agreement-for-signature/) in the MOA grant agreement between FCC. Appendix G – Annual Financial Report, shows only $17K is budgeting for communication and training, FCC’s primary purpose. This is a failure of FCC to properly manage MOA grant funds for the benefit of CCs.
ADDITIONAL ACCOUNTING ALERT
There is record that the FCC director has been asking CCs to transfer their monetary funds to the FCC’s management. FCC’s improper effort attempting to maintain CC financials, and requiring CCs fund requests to be approved by FCC, removes control from the CCs’ treasurers and the vote of the citizens directive of CC funds.
TAKING ACTION
— CC members need to identify their FCC delegate and alternate delegate in each CC. Please email these names so we can update our records. Also, contact your FCC delegate/alternate and request they attend the FCC Bylaw Committee Zoom meeting on Oct. 6th at noon. Other citizens are encouraged to listen in on the link.
— FCC delegates/alternates should recommend at the meeting that the current bylaw revisions process cease and desist, based on the following grounds: 1.) It is a violation of proper notice to not provide maximum public awareness or full community participation. 2.) It is a violation of statutory requirements. FCC has no statutory relationship with MOA or CCs.
— Request that any bylaw changes which result in organization change should only be approved with the ratified 51% vote of CC delegates at a noticed meeting.
— Contact your CC secretary to inquire and request that CC funds remain in control of your CC treasurer/executive board.
— Community Council Connect – Request to be added to the WhatsApp group “Anchorage Community Council Connect” (click link) to stay informed and share information among all community councils throughout Anchorage.
To see info on the Anchorage Municipal Code and Charter, visit this link and click on the third item titled “Community Councils 101.”
— Click here to find out what council you are on, and when your community council meets.
The views expressed here are those of the authors.
4 Comments
Girdwood is a lost cause. Girdwood should’ve succeeded from Anchorage years ago. Now they’re paying the price.
Reads like a monster is about to be born with the sole purpose of dominating the communities voice. Coming out of Anchorage I’m not surprised.
The FCC is an MoA contractor which has ducked and weaved its way out of various legal issues (including refusal to make mailing lists public and misrepresenting insurance coverage for community counsels) and has thumbed its nose at many issues brought to it because of the broadly ineffectual nature of community counsels (MoA Assembly refused to even consider a watered down resolution adopted by FCC with respect to Charter compliance) and frankly the fact that the FCC has no basis on which to express itself (as opposed to the minimal authority technically granted to councils).
The danger here is in the possibility that the FCC will be attempting to drive councils; that much is a concern. But in as much as councils are regularly ignored, the best thing that couod happen is that they are done away with.
What a shame, liberal ideologues eating their own.
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An 850-word lament about the Big Bad Federation of Community Councils “plotting” to swipe somebody’s turf …and money? So the FCC broke a law, somebody called the cops but they didn’t come …welcome to our world.
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Community councils were useful way back when, now they’re justifiably perceived as self-appointed homeowners’ associations whose mission is surveilling neighbors (literally), minding neighbors’ affairs, helping take private property for their “trails”, begging their Assembly masters to fund their ever-evolving utopian vision for their little corner.
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Who needs a monthly booster dose of community-council drama when the Assembly provides the same theater weekly?
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The well-meaning commenter believing community councils, masters of delphi-meeting technique and political panhandling, are the “community’s voice”, has only to regard all the societal evils facing Anchorage to realize they’re not.
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Moral of this story is community councils undermined themselves years ago, which means the looming horror of yet another sinister plot to undermine community councils falls on rather indifferent ears.