Anchorage Mayor LaFrance says city faces challenges but bolstered by dedicated employees

Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance astatine Alaska Public Media connected Thursday, July 25 2024 (Casey Grove/Alaska Public Media)

The Municipality of Anchorage faces immoderate large challenges but besides has galore opportunities and dedicated metropolis workers.

That’s nan connection from Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, now successful her 3rd week starring Alaska’s largest city, reacting successful portion to a modulation study from nan management of her predecessor, Dave Bronson.

The study specifications staffing shortfalls crossed galore departments and nan city’s inability to salary competitory wages.

LaFrance says her squad is focused connected uncovering solutions, moreover arsenic those shortfalls person threatened halfway metropolis services that residents expect.

Listen:

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This question and reply has been lightly edited for magnitude and clarity.

Mayor Suzanne LaFrance: I deliberation a batch of group saw that firsthand pinch snowfall plowing this past winter, nan past 2 winters, and nan truth that we request much operators. And truthful that’s thing that we’re looking intimately astatine and is apical of mind. No lifeguards this summer, astatine immoderate of nan reservoir parks. (The Anchorage Police Department), erstwhile it comes to nan non-emergency response, those times are increasing, arsenic acold arsenic hold times. And past just, you know, mostly nan support services, and moreover for, like, businesses or, you know, folks done nan 49th State Angel Fund, and really immoderate of those administrative processes are tying up nan expertise to entree funding. So we’re seeing it successful a number of ways, and location are immoderate big, you know, takeaways and really we tin reside that. But it does, you know, keeps coming backmost to maine that we’re asking our municipal squad to do truthful overmuch pinch specified constricted resources.

Casey Grove: I guess, speaking of staffing, it seems for illustration a large constituent of that for individual labor would beryllium conscionable nan wages that they’re getting paid. And I deliberation we’ve heard that nan metropolis isn’t possibly offering, you know, wages that are competitory pinch nan backstage sector. And I cognize that involves a batch of different types of jobs, but is that thing that you’re going to beryllium looking astatine arsenic mayor, you know, perchance expanding wages aliases negotiating for higher wages?

SF: Yes, absolutely. We cognize that nan municipality is mostly not competitory erstwhile it comes to nan backstage sector, erstwhile it comes to different agencies, different authorities sectors arsenic well. And truthful wages and salaries, benefits, we’ll beryllium looking intimately astatine those areas. I think, though, that what draws a batch of folks to municipal work is they want meaningful activity and want to service nan community. And truthful that does springiness america — I don’t want to opportunity an separator — but thing that is unsocial from different kinds of jobs.

(You) can’t provender your family, necessarily, connected those kinds of things. So folks request surviving wages, competitory wages, and we’re looking astatine ways successful which we tin beryllium competitory if we can’t outright compete, for illustration pinch nan backstage sector, done wages alone. And you know, a batch of backstage assemblage jobs besides person bonuses, arsenic well. But we tin look astatine areas for illustration teleworking, flex time, portion time. We want to beryllium really imaginative and talk to labor arsenic good and find out, you know, what are nan ways wherever we tin make these jobs much competitory and support nan labor we have, too. I mean, retention is nan first point we request to look at.

CG: I wanted to inquire you, too, astir nan authorities of homelessness successful Anchorage, and successful particular, pinch nan abatement of camps. Did nan Supreme Court ruling, nan U.S. Supreme Court ruling, successful nan Grants Pass case, did that alteration thing for you astir really you want to attack that? Is nan metropolis clearing bum camps? And I guess, how’s that going?

SF: So nan first point connected nan tribunal case, it whitethorn beryllium that location are immoderate circumstantial instances where, you know, that will apply. But for nan astir part, it doesn’t alteration really I look astatine it. In position of, you know, first and foremost, it’s a nationalist information issue. And we want to make judge that group person a spot to spell and yet are capable to entree services, entree housing. Being a wintertime city, we request to make judge that emergency shelter that’s intended to beryllium short clip is available. And I cognize a batch of group opportunity like, “Well, you know, astir group don’t want that.” And I proceed to judge that location is simply a number of group who yet don’t want to beryllium housed.

I deliberation sometimes erstwhile we look astatine shelter, not everybody wants to beryllium successful a large congregant shelter, and really tin consciousness very unsafe and beryllium triggering for immoderate folks. And truthful recognizing that emergency shelter, arsenic it has taken different forms, needs to return different forms. But I spot nan goals arsenic nan aforesaid arsenic earlier nan tribunal lawsuit is, you know, we request to, first and foremost, make judge group person a spot to spell successful a short word business and past to proceed to activity towards enabling group to entree services and lodging and look astatine guidelines causes of homelessness.

CG: I conjecture nan 2nd portion of that, though, arsenic acold as, you know, whether nan metropolis is clearing camps, and how’s that going? You know, surely location are parts of municipality that location person been immoderate ample camps that person grown up, location are residents of Anchorage that aren’t happy astir that. I conjecture I conscionable wanted to inquire astir that again.

SF: The metropolis is continuing to abate camps. And those are handled by a squad that, you know, a cross-functional squad of representatives from different departments successful nan municipality and sometimes partners, too, and, you know, taking a look based connected nationalist information considerations based connected size, what is nan adjacent privilege for abatement?

CG: And I deliberation it’s adjacent to opportunity to that it’s not for illustration a complete overlap of nan Venn sketch of group that are bum and that are causing astatine slightest a cognition of, you know, a nationalist information issue. So I conscionable want to opportunity that. But erstwhile folks opportunity things like, you know, “Anchorage is simply a metropolis successful decline,” or, “It’s not safe to beryllium downtown aliases different parts of nan city,” what do you opportunity to group for illustration that?

SF: We person immoderate activity to do. I mean, that overmuch is clear. And I’ve heard that from people. People person told maine that, arsenic well, they don’t consciousness safe going downtown. And activating spaces of downtown is important. But besides aligning resources is critical. And I cognize that immoderate folks who are experiencing intelligence wellness issues and constituent misuse issues, arsenic well, and coming successful a authorities of crisis, sometimes correct location to downtown business owners and their employees, that a different benignant of involution is needed. And that whether it’s, you know, outreach done nan Community Action Team aliases Mobile Intervention Team, those are nan kinds of resources I judge we request to bring to areas of downtown successful a overmuch more, intentional way.

CG: And 1 point that came up pinch Bill Falsey, your main administrative officer, is really overmuch things person changed successful position of authorities backing going to nan municipality. And I wonder, I mean, do you spot that changing? Or do you spot yourself, I guess, you know, trying to find much backing from nan state? Or is that conscionable ne'er going to hap again?

SF: Unfortunately, “changing,” my first thought was like, “Oh, that would mean negative.” But I don’t spot it going up, astatine slightest successful nan short-term organization assistance. And, you know, it really, I believe, underscores nan request for america to beryllium arsenic self-sufficient arsenic we can. And, you know, ensuring that we’re figuring retired ways to enact our strategical scheme and our goals for our community. And I know, group are excited astir — a batch of people, I mean, possibly not everybody — but astir nan thought of a income tax. And I deliberation that’s a really important organization speech to have, because we do request to look astatine really we’re investing successful ourselves and what we want present and what benignant of infrastructure and, you know, what’s important to america arsenic residents of nan municipality.

CG: Yeah, I’m gladsome you brought that up. I mean, beyond conscionable benignant of having that conversation, I mean, do you support nan thought of a income tax?

SF: I deliberation that it really depends connected really it’s structured, and that’s going to beryllium nan key. I mean, we’ve seen that residents person voted down galore proposals, and immoderate haven’t earned capable Assembly support to get connected nan ballot. And it really does travel down to that equilibrium of will location beryllium spot taxation relief? Will location beryllium money extracurricular of nan (tax) headdress truthful that we tin connection much competitory wages and enlistee people, you know, particularly to these cardinal positions successful nan municipality. Will location beryllium a information for superior projects?

And again, that’s a measurement of providing spot taxation relief, too, because correct now, our backing system is, you know, done bonds. And what benignant of effect will it person connected folks who person fixed incomes and constricted means? I mean, we cognize it’s costly to unrecorded here, and nan past point we want to do is create hardships connected group who are trying to break into nan lodging market, are struggling to make ends meet pinch nutrient and childcare. And truthful being very thoughtful astir those impacts will, I believe, beryllium key.

CG: I wanted to conscionable inquire you astir nan spot taxation cap, too. Maybe this is simply a simplistic measurement of asking this, but do you consciousness constrained by that successful position of, you know, trying to to salary group more, to pull workers to nan city? And do you spot that changing ever? I mean, do you spot that headdress being lifted?

SF: I mean, it is constraining, successful nan consciousness it hasn’t kept up pinch costs. And truthful then, you know, what we saw, like, successful anterior years is, successful bid to make judge nationalist information and attraction and operations are funded, and to nan grade they request to be, different departments get cut. And those cuts person impacts, arsenic we know. And truthful that’s thing that it limits nan possibilities there. But I deliberation that will be, we’re going to beryllium looking astatine imaginative ways. And we’re going to beryllium getting nan books successful style and looking astatine what kinds of options are disposable and, hopefully, being capable to turn nan pie, truthful to speak. I mean, location are a number of assistance opportunities we’re not taking advantage of, and sometimes those grants tin supply operational relief, too.

CG: I consciousness for illustration I person to ask, because you’ve mentioned this a mates of times, that you’re getting nan books successful order. What is nan authorities of nan books astatine this time?

SF: What is nan authorities of nan books? Well, getting nan ACFR done, nan Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, is simply a immense measurement guardant and, you know, represents a batch of activity by a batch of people. And truthful that’s a immense relief, because nan municipality was facing risks, and still is, connected a number of fronts, arsenic acold arsenic conscionable moreover pinch our SEMT (Supplemental Emergency Medical Transport Program) grants, for example, which is nan reimbursements for ambulances. And, you know, that was a immense effect that relied upon having nan finances successful nan reporting done. And money equilibrium arsenic well, knowing really overmuch money is disposable from past twelvemonth aliases not available. It’s difficult to spell into fund season, and it’s fund season, aliases it’s astir to beryllium that starting up, without a clear thought of really nan municipality ended nan year.

CG: Have you decided who you’re gonna ballot for for president?

SF: I have.

CG: Are you consenting to show maine who that is?

SF: You know, I’m not, because I’m very committed to, arsenic I’m successful this domiciled of mayor, being focused connected our community. And I consciousness for illustration if I, you know, were to say, that mightiness beryllium a distraction aliases interfere pinch our attraction connected section issues and municipal operations.