Legislature(1997 - 1998)
03/21/1998 09:10 AM Senate FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATE BILL NO. 230
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
capital expenses of the state's integrated
comprehensive mental health program; and providing for
an effective date."
Co-Chair Sharp announced that during this meeting the
committee would move alphabetically through the departments,
hearing from each on their specific program requests
included in the State of Alaska FY99 Capital Project
Summary. The committee would adjourn when it reaches
Department of Fish and Game's presentation or at 11:00 am,
whichever comes sooner. Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities and Department of Environmental
Conservation presentations will be heard at a later meeting
when the entire committee membership is present.
He stated that the meeting was broadcasting, via
teleconference, to several locations throughout the state
but that testimony would be heard by invitation only.
He directed the committee's attention to the summary of
amendments. He said the committee did not have final
amendments yet but intended to take testimony for them at a
later meeting. He told committee members they could find
various backup materials for the bill in binders placed in
front of them.
At this point, he began hearing testimony from the
Department of Administration on their budget requests
included in the Capital FY99 Governor's bill.
SHARON BARTON, Director of the Division of Administrative
Services for the Department of Administration was invited to
the table to speak to the committee. She spoke first on the
INTEGRATED CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION SYSTEM-PUBLIC
DEFENDER request. She reminded the committee that the
legislature had directed the department to find more cost-
effective ways to operate the Public Defenders Agency. By
upgrading the computer system, they will be making progress
in achieving this goal. Ms. Barton informed the committee
that the recently completed project to upgrade the
Department of Corrections computers did not include the PDA,
so they didn't receive any funding for their needed
upgrades.
She did say that they have been making substantial efforts
to upgrade the computer hardware for each office at no cost.
They have been watching for other departments new computer
purchases and obtaining the surplus machines. While the
newer computers are not the latest in technology, they are
far superior to the ones employees had been using.
Even with these upgrades there are still limitations to the
agencies systems. Although they have been able to make
improvements by acquiring the newer hardware, there are
other specific items, such as agency-related software that
they can't get as hand me downs.
Ms. Barton emphasized the PDA is very behind in its computer
technology. She gave examples of this such as the fact that
offices are not connected by e-mail and there is no intra-
office network. She said that each time an employee
prepares a document that needs to be transmitted to another
office, the file must be saved to a disk and hand-carried to
the Secretary's computer to be uploaded and then e-mailed to
the awaiting office. The agency needs to be hooked together
on a network.
BARBARA BRINK, Director of the Public Defenders Agency, via
teleconference from Anchorage, was invited to expand on Ms.
Barton's presentation. She told committee members the basic
problem is infrastructure. The proposed upgrades would
allow the agency to become a part of the broader picture,
integrating with other agencies.
Senator Parnell had some technical questions on the matter.
GERALD BAILEY, Administrative Manager for PDA was asked to
join the committee via teleconference from Anchorage to help
answer those questions. He explained the agency's hope to
install a network system within each of the offices.
Senator Parnell asked if the employees had e-mail
capabilities. Mr. Bailey responded that each office has one
central office with the exception of the Anchorage and
Fairbanks offices. Senator Parnell wanted to know if the
department would be able to connect all offices via a
network system with the funding requested in this bill. Mr.
Bailey said this funding would cover most of the costs.
Co-Chair Sharp pointed out that the request was $110,000 for
this year but saw another request for $400,000 for the next
fiscal year. Would the department still envision a need for
that amount, he asked. Mr. Bailey said no, that the
original request for future budget years included computer
upgrades that they were able to by-pass with the acquisition
of the surplus computers.
This concluded the discussion on the system upgrades for the
Public Defender Agency.
The next item in the budget packet was the ELECTRONIC
COMMERCE AND PURCHASING SYSTEM. Ms. Barton explained how
currently each department goes out for bids themselves and
there is no central place for vendors to make inquiries.
This process is also labor intensive for the agencies and
the DOA, as paperwork needs to be processed through a
cumbersome pipeline.
The solution the department proposes is in website pasting.
According to Ms. Barton, this would make it easier for both
vendors and agency purchasers to have access to each other.
Contract awards information is already available on-line,
but this new program would be an enhancement. Ordering
would be available on-line. The statewide accounting system
would link up with the new system, allowing for better
tracking and assurance of compliance with fiscal and
purchasing policies.
DUGAN PETTY was invited to speak to the committee on this
proposal. He expanded on Ms. Barton's testimony announcing
that: "Electronic commerce is here." He told committee
members that every major company has some kind of system in
place but the State of Alaska has none. He spoke of other
states' efforts at breaking into this technological area.
Oregon is leading the way and San Diego has a state of the
art system in place. The DOA is incorporating features of
these other systems into their proposed plan. He felt that
not only would the State Of Alaska benefit, but that there
would be more bid opportunities for vendors.
Senator Parnell asked how broad the new system would be and
how many years it would take to implement. Mr. Petty
replied that this would be a pilot project for now. The
limits are wide open as far as how big the system could get.
He told the committee that the Department of Transportation
and Public Facilities already has a form of electronic
"Requests for Bids" in place. Other agencies are getting
ready to add their own versions. Mr. Petty advised that it
would be a mistake to not take a statewide approach that
would oversee the whole process.
Mr. Petty detailed some of the specifics of the project. He
said the system would work as a Web Browser. An electronic
catalog is a good basis. However, he admitted some issues
do need to be resolved regarding where the boundaries should
be drawn. Washington State is doing electronic bidding this
year and they are the first to attempt this. There are
questions on the implementation of that process, including
the validity of electronic signatures.
He summarized by saying that to whatever level the State
takes this, it is important that it gets involved.
Co-Chair Sharp pointed out that the funding for this request
would come from AIDEA funds. He noted that the legislature
has already determined that no AIDEA funds will be granted.
He said the message was sent to the Governor last year, and
he had hoped the Administration wouldn't try to use the fund
again this year. Senator Phillips, Co-Chair Sharp and Ms.
Barton had some discussion as to who assigns funding sources
to the various proposed projects. It was agreed that the
Office of Management and Budget made those determinations.
At the request of the DOA representatives, the committee
skipped ahead to LEASE DATABASE SYSTEM REPLACEMENT. Ms.
Barton spoke to this request. She noted right off that the
funding source assigned to this project was AIDEA funds.
She shared with the committee that currently the department
has an old system with which to manage all lease data. The
problem is that this system is so old, obtaining technical
support for the software is impossible. She envisioned the
new system would incorporate all the existing capacities of
the old plus integrate with the statewide accounting system.
This would eliminate duplicate paperwork required by the
different divisions.
Mr. Petty added that the current database software, titled
Knowledgeman is a 15-year old system and is no longer
serviced by the manufacturer or any other technical
provider.
There were no questions so the discussions on the lease
database system concluded.
The committee again skipped forward in the budget packet to
talk about JUNEAU SUBPORT RELOCATION PLANNING. Ms. Barton
reminded the committee this request was brought before the
committee last year and rejected. She said the issue is
even more urgent this year as the lease on the land on which
the building sits is to expire next June. She recounted how
the land was turned over to the Mental Health Land Trust and
that they are unlikely to renew the lease.
She advised the committee to avoid higher costs later by
granting funding for the planning project now. She said
funding would cover the costs of planning, site selection,
beginning design work and evaluation of operating costs for
the new facility.
Mr. Petty identified the main problem of the lease
expiration. He told the committee that not only the land
under the building, but also the parking area is on the MHLT
land. The MHLT has the option to renew the lease, but their
mandate is to get the highest return on the land. It has
been determined that other uses are apt to generate more
income for the trust and therefore, the Subport lease is
unlikely to be renewed.
Co-Chair Sharp asked if the proposed planning would include
a study to evaluate whether higher lease costs in the
current location would still be lower than relocation. Mr.
Petty said that option would be considered but warned that
because the state no longer owns the land, that would not
for long be an alternative.
Senator Phillips asked if Department of Fish and Game was
the primary user of the building. Mr. Petty told him they
have a tag laboratory and a vessel repair shop housed in the
building. Senator Phillips wanted to know if ADF&G uses
were for regional or statewide functions. Mr. Petty
explained that they were mostly statewide functions although
he speculated that the vessel repair shop probably didn't
work on boats from the interior.
At Senator Phillips request, Mr. Petty listed some of the
other agencies that occupy space in the building.
Department of Revenue, Department of Administration,
Legislative Affairs Agency and the National Guard all make
use of the subport facilities. Again Senator Phillips asked
if the activities were for regional or statewide business.
After further discussion on that matter, Senator Phillips
then asked if the building was used mostly as a warehouse
and if it was, would it be better to store items somewhere
other than Juneau. Mr. Petty stressed that it is most
efficient to store items where the department headquarters
are. These offices have staff who are available to access
the storage facilities. He said the new building doesn't
have to be in downtown Juneau, but that it is convenient for
some agencies.
Co-Chair Sharp questioned if the funding request found
elsewhere in the Governor's budget packet for the Juneau
National Guard Armory is related to this project. Mr. Petty
replied that it is related, but understanding how they are
related is tricky. He spoke of the National Guard's use of
the building.
This closed the discussion on the subport planning program.
The committee backtracked in the budget packet to items
earlier passed over. The next item they addressed was
ENTERPRISE MESSAGE BROKERING AND DATA EXCHANGE.
Ms. Barton explained how implementation of this project
would make it possible for members of the public to submit
address and/or name changes only once and have the updates
distributed to all affected offices in the State Of Alaska
with which they do business. This would eliminate the need
for them to contact each and every office. Ms. Barton said
the funding for this would cover the costs of the software
and the design and installation of the system.
KAREN MORGAN Deputy Director of the Information Technology
Group, added to the discussion on this item. She told the
committee about the difficulties the public encounters when
trying to get name and address changes updated for State Of
Alaska purposes. She said currently, people have to go to
several agencies to submit the new information. This
program would allow the public to make updates for their
driver's licenses, PFD dividends, voter registration and
other state-related services, all at once.
Senator Parnell wanted assurance that these changes would be
implemented for multiple agencies only at the request of the
citizen. He wanted to know if it would still be possible
for the state employee to make just the changes the
individual wanted. He said he had concerns about privacy.
Ms. Morgan offered that reassurance saying that any changes
would be made only at the specific request of the citizen.
She acknowledged the security issue and that it had been
considered when the project was drafted.
Co-Chair Sharp applauded the customer service efforts. He
said he wondered though, how the Division of Elections would
be able to implement the program. He noted requirements
they must follow with regard to verifying voter registration
changes.
This was the end of the discussion on the address and name
change update system.
The committee jumped ahead in the budget packet to take up
INFORMATION SERVICES FUND EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT.
Ms. Barton described the current program of setting a rate
system to calculate the depreciation of existing equipment
and use the depreciation recovery to purchase new equipment.
This would apply to the state's computing and
telecommunications infrastructure.
Ms. Morgan joined in and spoke about the fund being
established in 1992. She said the department is just now
getting to the point of recovering the full depreciation.
Senator Torgerson had questions about the balance of the
fund. Ms. Morgan informed him that the total was difficult
to quote since it incorporates both operation and the
capital funds, but she surmised it to be approximately $4
million.
Co-Chair Sharp asked if the new purchases would be for
replacement of existing equipment. Ms. Morgan replied that
yes, it would replace older, unusable or technically
obsolete equipment.
Senator Phillips asked what the state would be getting in
return for the money spent. Ms. Morgan described some of
the different services affected. Phone services,
particularly the designated "465" prefix for Juneau state
offices; paging capabilities and microwave emergency
services that run along the railroad system were some which
she recounted. She told the committee she could provide
them with a detailed list if they wished.
Referring to the railroad microwave utility lines, Senator
Phillips inquired if the railroad corporation used the
services and if so, could they be charged. Ms. Morgan told
him there is an agreement between the DOA and the AK
Railroad Corporation that allows access for the utilities by
DOA and in turn, uses of the services by the railroad.
After further discussion on the distribution of services,
the presentation on the depreciation recovery was finished.
The committee turned back to the portion of the budget
packet that addressed DMV MICROFILMING AND INDEXING.
Ms. Barton described the current system telling the
committee that the division uses Kodak microfilm equipment
to photograph all their documents. Law enforcement officials
and members of the public must then go and manually retrieve
needed information. This method is very labor intensive and
it creates a big backlog. The equipment is very old and in
need of replacement according to Ms. Barton.
The new equipment would consist of a new camera and related
bar coding machinery.
JAY DULANY, Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles was
invited to testify via teleconference from Anchorage. He
summarized what Ms. Barton presented that the equipment they
had was well past its life span. He felt the new camera and
the bar coding system would be a wise purchase.
The committee next took up the issue of DMV DIGITAL PHOTO
IDENTIFICATION PROCESS.
Ms. Barton began the discussion, again describing the
current system of using a Polaroid process. She told the
committee that Polaroid is getting out of the business and
will no longer be supporting the system after their contract
with DMV expires. She remarked that agencies across the
country are moving toward a digital system.
Money from this request would be used to purchase digital
photo license stations for the 30 DMV offices statewide.
Mr. Dulany introduced CHUCK HOSAK, Deputy Director of DMV
who was also linked to the meeting via teleconference from
Anchorage. Mr. Hosak spoke of the movement from a manual to
a computerized process. The DMV, law enforcement officials
and the public would all benefit from the new system. He
told the committee how photos and signatures could be
transmitted electronically and how this would be useful for
many reasons including preventing issuance of false ID's and
to quickly replace lost drivers licenses.
Senator Parnell asked who was the equipment manufacturer.
Mr. Hosak listed several companies and said the project
would be sent out to bid. Senator Phillips wanted to know
if the companies were all in the US and Mr. Hosak reported
that they were.
Senator Phillips inquired if the information would be stored
in a format that would be accessible by the Alaska State
Troopers when they eventually get computers installed in
patrol vehicles. Mr. Dulany replied that they have been
working with the Department of Public Safety to ensure
compatibility of information. Senator Parnell suggested
they also coordinate with the Department of Corrections.
There was further discussion on the need for the system to
be in a format compatible for all needs.
Senator Torgerson wanted to know why the division was
requesting two completely different systems one for
microfilming and another for photo ID's. Couldn't the
digital photography be used for the documents also, he
wondered? Mr. Dulany said they did consider using one system
for both functions, but found that it would not be cost
effective to use the digital photography system for storing
and retrieving the high volume of documents the division
must process. There was further clarification of this
matter by Senator Parnell, Mr. Dulany and Senator Torgerson.
Senator Parnell asked how many employees are needed to
handle the document microfilming process. Mr. Dulany told
him two full time employees are needed to do the
microfilming plus extra employee time is necessary to do the
accompanying data entry. Senator Parnell wondered if it
would be more cost effective to contract the work to an
outside company. Mr. Dulany said the division found it to
be more cost-effective to do it in-house.
Co-Chair Sharp had concerns about the possibility of digital
photographs made accessible to marketing companies. Mr.
Dulany assured him that current law prohibits the photos
from being released to anyone, other than for police
purposes, without permission from the individual.
This concluded the DMV budget requests.
The committee then took up the AKPAY TIME AND ATTENDANCE
SYSTEM. Ms. Barton expressed the need to eliminate time and
duplication efforts currently required processing state
employee time sheets. She said each agency has a different
way of collecting employees' time sheets and a lot of time
is spent inputting the various informations.
DAVID ESSAY, the Acting Director of the Division of Finance
came to the table to expand on the issue. He stressed that
while the work is vital, it is not considered "value added"
and therefore would be better done by a computer. Because
of the diversity of state jobs, the system needs to be
adaptable to many forms of work reporting. According to Mr.
Essay, this proposed system would do that.
There were no questions or further discussion on the topic
of AKPAY.
The committee moved ahead to address PIONEERS' HOMES HEALTH
AND SAFETY REPAIRS. Ms. Barton stressed that the items in
this proposal were the most urgent needs taken from a long
list of priorities. A variety of repairs are needed ranging
from wiring, to Americans With Disabilities Act compliance,
to fire safety repairs. She pointed out that the funding
source for this request would come from the Alaska Housing
Finance Corporation.
JIM KOHN, Director of the Division of Longevity Programs
came to the table to answer questions.
Senator Phillips and Co-Chair Sharp requested a breakdown of
repairs needed and their location. They asked to have the
information within the next two weeks. Mr. Kohn said he had
that data and would just need to add up the figures. He
overviewed the breakdown, telling committee members that
most of the electrical repairs are needed in the Palmer and
Fairbanks Pioneer Homes. He explained that while the Sitka
home is the oldest, many of the needed wiring upgrades there
were already completed under another project.
There was further discussion on the locations of the homes,
their ages and the needed repairs. Senator Phillips made
comments about the Juneau Pioneers Home. The presentation
on this request was completed.
The last request from the Department of Administration was
for RETIREMENT AND BENEFITS SPACE CONSOLIDATION FURNITURE.
Ms. Barton informed the committee that because of an
increase in staff, the space used by each worker needs to be
as compacted as possible. The furniture system they are
using is old and inefficient as far as space utilization is
concerned. The requested new modular furniture would allow
for better accommodations for employees. More importantly,
it would conform to ADA standards, which the current
furniture does not.
GUY BELL, director of Division of Retirement and Benefits,
was invited to testify before the committee. He talked of
the severe overcrowding in the division office. They are
unable to offer counseling and other confidential services
because of the close proximity of the workstations.
Senator Parnell asked how the division had reached the
dollar amount they were requesting. Mr. Bell responded
saying that division representatives had contacted the
Division of General Services and told them what they needed
the new furniture system to provide. DGS calculated this
figure based on information from the bidding process. Ms.
Barton added that the cost would include everything -
breakdown, rewiring, etc.
After further discussion the committee thanked the DOA staff
for their presentations and thus concluded the DOA chapter
of the budget request.
The committee heard from the Department of Commerce and
Economic Development on their two funding requests included
in the budget plan.
TOM LAWSON, Director of Administrative Services presented
the first item: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MATCHING GRANTS. He
gave a brief description of the matching grants program. He
said the program's goal is to provide a ratio of one dollar
of state money for every three dollars from other sources.
He listed some of the grants and the funds spent on various
projects. They included the Economic Development Project
Grants-$125.0; Match for Economic Development
Administrations annual planning grant-$100.0; International
Trade Show Matching Grants- $12.5; Small Business and
Economic Development Conference Grant Program-$12.5.
Mr. Lawson impressed that the division is pleased with the
current system. There were no comments or questions by
committee members.
The other request submitted by DCED was 4-DAM POOL PROJECT
REPAIRS.
KEITH LAVFER was linked to the meeting via teleconference
from Anchorage and spoke to this item. He told the
committee that AEA was making this request for repairs to
the Four Dam Pool Hydroelectric projects. The request is
based on contractual agreements to undertake the repairs.
Mr. Lavfer attempted to clear up some confusion on the
request's format. He explained that in prior years, funding
requests for this on-going project where submitted to the
Legislative Budget and Audit Committee. This was because
information on what amounts would be needed where not
available during the regular capital budget process. This
year the project is in Phase Three and the data is
available. Therefore, it is possible to bring the request
before the whole body.
Co-Chair Sharp had concerns about the annual requests. He
wanted to know if the utilities were requesting higher
funding each year to pay for projects not planned for the
current phase of the project. Mr. Lavfer reassured him that
they are working with the utilities to ensure they only take
what's needed for that year's repairs.
This concluded the presentation from DCED.
Next to be taken up were requests from the Department of
Community and Regional Affairs.
The first item in their portion of the Governor's bill was
RURAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE GRANTS. IKE WAITS, Chief of
Planning for the Division of Municipal and Regional
Assistance, was invited to testify before the committee via
teleconference from Anchorage. He outlined this on-going
grants program that provides funding for projects in
communities with populations of 900. The funds go toward
infrastructure development and capital improvements,
planning and technical assistance and economic development
activities. Communities can qualify for up to $100,000 for
these types of projects.
He told the committee that this program was not funded in
FY98, but is still considered by the division to be an on-
going project. Co-Chair Sharp asked how much the
legislature funded this program in past years. Mr. Waits
replied that he didn't have exact figures because he had
only been working in the division for the last two years.
He was able to recall that in FY97 the program was given
approximately $800,000. Before that, he believed the
funding level was higher, about $1 million, for quite some
time.
Senator Torgerson wanted to know, if in the case of
communities that were located inside of a borough, did the
division used the population count of the borough or the
actual community's population to judge if the community
qualified for this program. Mr. Wait answered that the
population of the community was used to make the
determination.
There was no further discussion on the municipal grants
program and the committee turned to the next request, BULK
FUEL SYSTEMS UPGRADES.
PERCY FRISBY, Director of the Division of Energy came to the
table to speak to this issue. He described some of the
repairs and upgrades made to bulk fuel storage in rural
Alaska under this continuing program. He detailed how the
state funding is matched with federal funds and local
contributions.
Co-Chair Sharp asked if the division knew what the federal
funding would be this year. Senator Pearce joined in with
her concerns that the federal funding has been committed for
this on-going project and that the money would always be
allocated. Mr. Frisby reassured the committee that the
federal government has guaranteed $3.5 million. He informed
them that a six-year plan had been worked out between the
division and the federal agencies to address the worst tank
farms and try to bring them up to standards.
Senator Pearce referred to a federal compliance order that
must be followed and inquired as to what they were actually
complying. Mr. Frisby said the compliance order was called
the Open Mining Act.
Mr. Frisby went on to describe other grants and
contributions that combined to make up the $4 million total
that was being spent annually on the upgrades.
Senator Pearce changed the topic to REPOSSESSED POWER
SYSTEMS and asked for a brief status report. Mr. Frisby
updated her on the process and that they were in the stage
of working with the banks to find a resolution that would
benefit all parties. Senator Pearce wanted to know how many
of the affected communities relied on these systems as their
primary source of power. Mr. Frisby gave her an answer of
five communities.
Senator Pearce referred back to the discussions with the
banks and asked if the banks were being cooperative. Mr.
Frisby said they were, but admitted they weren't very happy
about the situation.
Senator Phillips directed the conversation back to the bulk
fuel tanks. He wondered if under the aforementioned six-
year plan if all the necessary repairs would be completed,
and if not would the program conclude anyway. Mr. Frisby
informed him that the six-year plan is just the pilot of
what is anticipated to be a 10-year process. He emphasized
the division's evaluation of the program as being very
successful.
The committee moved to the next item, ELECTRICAL
EMERGENCIES. Mr. Frisby told committee members that this
request is for a reallocation of funds. He explained how
the program was created to be an on-going attempt to correct
problems in rural electric systems that are, or could
become, a threat to live, health and safety. The plan was
to award grants or contracts for needed repairs and
upgrades. He stated that in actuality the funds are being
spent for emergency response. He told them that the
division encounters about five emergencies a year and in one
situation last year, a power plant burned completely.
Co-Chair Sharp asked if the loan program was intended to be
a continual source of funding. Mr. Frisby told him that the
loan program was ceased before he started working for the
division so he didn't have knowledge of the original plan.
He said revenue the program generates is from receipts off
of existing loans and he anticipated that would continue for
the next 20 years.
Co-Chair Sharp asked what the community population
restrictions were for qualifying for the federal grant. Mr.
Frisby acknowledged that the different programs have
different size requirements. For this program, the
definition of a village is a population of 2000 or less.
This finished discussion on the electrical emergency matter.
The committee brought up the next request, COMMUNITY BLOCK
GRANTS.
Mr. Wait spoke to this item explaining how the program
matched grants and issued administrative funding for
Community Development Block Grants and Community Service
Block Grants. Grants under this program are awarded on a
competitive basis and are usually issued once a year.
Co-Chair Sharp wondered if the state's amount of the funding
has been consistent over the years. Mr. Wait replied that
the amount has gone up and down depending on the allocation
of federal funds.
There were further discussions before the committee heard
the presentations on DELTA JUNCTION ECONOMIC RECOVERY. Mr.
Wait explained this phased project of matching federal and
state/local funds for projects to help the Delta Junction
area recover from a loss of 70 percent to the local economy
due to pending Army reductions on Fort Greely.
There were no questions from committee members on the Delta
Junction funding request.
Mr. Waits began speaking to the FOREST SERVICE MINI-GRANTS.
He described this program as a partnership with the US
Forest Service with an objective to strengthen rural
communities by helping capitalize on their potential to
diversify their economies in non-forest related industries.
He told the committee the funding match is typically dollar
for dollar. The grants are targeted at new business start-
ups
Co-Chair Sharp wanted to know if this program was the same
as the Rural Development Program. Mr. Waits responded that
it was a different program and that because they were
separate, it was possible for applicants to combine the two.
This would give projects money from both grants.
This concluded discussion on the forest service grants, and
the committee moved ahead to take up the ALASKA NATIVE
HERITAGE CENTER.
TENA YOUNG, Grants Administrator in the Division of
Administration, testified on behalf of this funding request.
She reminded committee members that this project is to build
a Welcome House with exhibit and demonstration areas, a
theater, a cafe, a gift shop, a large open circular hall for
gatherings and performances, and a rural travel information
kiosk. The center would be located in Anchorage. She stated
that the request had also been made proposed last year but
had been denied. The reason the legislature gave for its
refusal was because they wanted to see leverage for all
other funds that had been raised.
Senator Phillips inquired how much money had been raised to
date. Ms. Young replied six million dollars. Senator
Phillips wanted a breakdown of the sources of the donations.
Ms. Young had a sheet showing that information and said she
would get a copy to him.
There were no further questions on the Native center.
The last item, listed as an amendment to the Governor's
Capital Budget for DCRA was addressed. This was a funding
request for the ARCTIC WINTER GAMES. Ms. Young explained
that the games were held every two years and that in the
past, the funding request was made for the year before the
games were to take place. It was then necessary to bring
the issue up again the next year and ask for a supplemental
to cover the unforeseen costs, which couldn't be documented
for the original request. These costs usually included
things such as travel and uniform expenditures. They also
included an annual dues payment, which couldn't be funded in
a fiscal year prior to the year the funds would be actually
spent.
The proposal for this year asks for the entire amount to be
granted at once. One benefit of this method is that it
allows the planners to get airline fare contracts at earlier
dates with lower prices. They are able to incur cost
savings in other purchases also.
Senator Phillips shared with the committee how after last
year's games he went to the airport in the middle of the
night to greet homecoming athletes. The late night flights
were the cheapest available. He also informed the committee
that this year participants are each paying $40 toward the
cost of their uniforms. He said he would get more
information about the breakdown of the costs incurred for
Alaskan athletes to participate in the games to share with
the committee.
This concluded the presentation for the DCRA budget items.
Co-Chair Sharp announced that the time allocated for this
meeting was up and committee members were due in other
meetings. Therefore, the committee would not be able to
hear testimony from other departments at this meeting. The
next scheduled meeting on SB 231 was scheduled for March 28
and the committee will start with the Department of
Correction's requests. He thanked the department
representatives for coming in on a Saturday to testify
before the committee.
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