Legislature(2019 - 2020)BARNES 124
03/26/2019 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB72 | |
| Presentation(s): Division of Community and Regional Affairs Database | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 72 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
March 26, 2019
8:00 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Harriet Drummond, Co-Chair
Representative Sara Hannan, Co-Chair
Representative Matt Claman
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
Representative Steve Thompson
Representative Sharon Jackson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Josh Revak
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 72
"An Act establishing the month of February as Black History
Month."
- HEARD & HELD
PRESENTATION(S): DIVISION OF COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS
DATABASE
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 72
SHORT TITLE: BLACK HISTORY MONTH
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) STORY
02/25/19 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/25/19 (H) CRA
03/26/19 (H) CRA AT 8:00 AM BARNES 124
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE ANDI STORY
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 72.
CAITLYN ELLIS, Staff
Representative Andi Story
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered information and answered questions
during the hearing on HB 72, on behalf of Representative Story,
prime sponsor.
SALLY DONALDSON
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 72.
CELESTE HODGE GROWDEN
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 72.
SHERRY PATTERSON
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 72.
SANDRA MOLLER, Director
Division of Community & Regional Affairs (DCRA)
Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development (DCCED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a PowerPoint presentation on DCRA.
JADE BICKMORE, Program Manager
Research & Analysis
Division of Community & Regional Affairs (DCRA)
Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development (DCCED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a tutorial on using DCRA's Community
Database Online to access community information.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:00:11 AM
CO-CHAIR SARA HANNAN called the House Community and Regional
Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:00 a.m.
Representatives Claman, Kreiss-Tomkins, Thompson, Drummond, and
Hannan were present at the call to order. Representative
Jackson arrived as the meeting was in progress.
HB 72-BLACK HISTORY MONTH
8:01:17 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN announced that the first order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 72, "An Act establishing the month of February
as Black History Month."
8:01:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDI STORY, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, introduced HB 72. She paraphrased from the first three
paragraphs of the sponsor statement [included in the committee
packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
House Bill 72 establishes February as Black History
Month. It celebrates and honors the contributions
African-Americans have made to Alaska and the United
States.
In recent years, the legislature has offered many
resolutions recognizing Black History Month for each
individual year. HB 72 and its companion, SB 40, would
enshrine the recognition into statute. With passage of
HB 72, Alaska joins other states and nations that have
adopted Black History Month.
HB 72 celebrates the many accomplishments, both
recognized and forgotten, of African-Americans and
their contributions to Alaskan communities. The
recognition of Black History Month is necessary to
acknowledge and promote the continued work of African-
Americans who have contributed to Alaska's workforce,
economic development, culture, and community.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY said HB 72 would ensure that Alaskans learn
about people who have contributed to the state, including Bettye
Davis, who was the first African-American woman elected to the
Senate in 2000. Former Senator Davis also served as chair of
the state Board of Education and Early Development and in the
Alaska House of Representatives from 1991-1996. Representative
Story relayed that before former Senator Davis started a career
in government, she was a social worker, mentor, and made life
better for children across the state.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY talked about attorney and scholar, Mahala
Ashley Dickerson, who was Alaska's first African-American
attorney and, in 1983, the first African-American to be elected
president of a national association of women lawyers. In 1959
Ms. Dickerson established a law practice in Anchorage, Alaska,
and one of her most notable cases was an equal pay lawsuit filed
on behalf of a female professor at the University of Alaska.
Representative Story said, "It was one of the first cases
representing women professors at an American university whose
salaries were lower than their male counterparts." She said Ms.
Dickerson lost the case, but it was won upon appeal in 1975.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY concluded, "I believe this bill promotes
cross-cultural understanding and honors the cultural diversity
in our communities and our state." She asked committee members
to join her in support of HB 72.
8:04:15 AM
CAITLYN ELLIS, Staff, Representative Andi Story, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Story, prime sponsor of
HB 72, offered a brief history related to Black History Week.
She said it was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, in
Washington, D.C., and called "Negro History Week." Mr. Woodson
chose the second week in February to correlate this recognition
with the celebration of the births of Abraham Lincoln and
Frederick Douglas. Ms. Ellis quoted an article by Lonnie Bunch
that lists two reasons for the establishment of Negro History
Week, as follows:
One was to use history to prove to White America that
Blacks have played important roles in the creation of
America and thereby deserve to be treated equally as
citizens. In essence, Woodson, by celebrating the
heroic Black figure - be they inventors, entertainers,
soldiers - hoped to prove our worth, and by proving
our worth, he believed that equality would soon
follow. His other goal was to increase the visibility
of Black life in history at a time when few
newspapers, books, and universities took notice of the
Black community, except to dwell upon the negative.
Ultimately, Woodson believed Negro History Week, which
became Black History Month in 1976, would be a vehicle
for racial transformation forever.
... Hopefully a renewed Black History Month can focus
attention on the importance of preserving African-
American culture.
MS. ELLIS noted that in Alaska communities have their own ways
of celebrating Black History Month, including gospel choir
performances in Juneau and Fairbanks, and this year in
Anchorage, the first Bettye Davis African-American Summit was
held.
MS. ELLIS pointed out that many resolutions have been brought
forward over the years recognizing Black History Month. Each
resolution was specific to a particular year. In order to
establish Black History Month in perpetuity, it must be done
statutorily, through a bill such as HB 72.
8:07:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON said Black History Month is celebrated
nationally and in Alaska. She asked what HB 72 would offer that
does not already exist.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY clarified that by putting Black History
Month in statute, the legislature would not have to bring it up
each year as must be done with a resolution. She said this
would promote planning and cultural understanding. She said,
"Obviously it's one month that it's designated, but it's
intertwined through all the months of the year." She said there
is a zero fiscal note; the state would not put money into the
events but would "continue to rely on communities to celebrate
... as they do."
8:08:31 AM
MS. ELLIS noted that on line 5 of the proposed legislation, the
word "may" is used to indicate that the celebration of Black
History Month would not be mandated. She said whereas in the
past Black History Month was brought forward through
resolutions, perhaps every year or sporadically, under HB 72, it
would be in statute for the first time.
8:09:26 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN opened public testimony on HB 72.
8:09:42 AM
SALLY DONALDSON testified in support of HB 72. She said she
worked in the Juneau School District for 23 years, and prior to
that in North Carolina and Georgia. She said Black History
Month has been important in schools and in the community. She
opined that having Black History Month placed in statute would
be well-deserved by many African-Americans who have contributed
and continue to contribute to Alaska's history. She said she
liked what Representative Story stated about the celebration of
many accomplishments, both those recognized and those forgotten.
Ms. Donaldson indicated that putting Black History Month under
statute would emphasize its importance. She said although no
appropriation of funds would be required under HB 72, its value
would be priceless, because "Alaskans of all ages in schools and
communities will recognize the month of February as Black
History Month, as written in the statute."
8:11:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON asked whether Ms. Donaldson was saying
that currently in schools Black History Month was not being
recognized.
MS. DONALDSON answered no, but putting it in statute "would make
a statement that our state recognizes this as a month and wants
to set aside the entire month of February." She said she knows
that schools are celebrating Martin Luther King Day, as well as
Black History Month in February.
8:12:23 AM
CELESTE HODGE GROWDEN testified in support of HB 72. She said
she served as president of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for nearly a decade in the
1980s, and most recently, she has served as president of the
Silo Community Development, Inc., which she described as "a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers youth,
minorities, and the disadvantaged to improve lives." She
continued:
The organization's goal is to enhance the quality of
life of those less fortunate by providing transitional
assistance, economical and educational opportunity,
job search support, health education, prevention and
wellness programs, and youth mentorship. The major
emphasis of SCDI is to develop and promote programs
that advance minorities, youth, and the disadvantaged
in health, education, justice, and economic
development.
MS. HODGE GROWDEN said she is proud to state that SCDI organized
the first Bettye Davis African-American Summit: "Moving towards
hope together." She said the organization raised money from the
community. Further, SCDI received a grant to support its
"Justice Project," which she described as "a storytelling effort
designed to share achievements and contributions of African-
American trailblazers in Alaska through a series of vignettes."
There have been requests for the vignettes to be shown in
schools.
MS. HODGE GROWDEN admitted that Black History Month is
recognized in public schools but is limited. For example, when
she was in school, she learned about Martin Luther King and
slavery during Black History Month. This year, she said, local
trailblazers were recognized, such as Bettye Davis, Alonzo
Patterson, Blanche Louise Preston McSmith, and Mahala Ashley
Dickerson. Ms. Hodge Growden urged passage of HB 72, because
"we need it in order to not only recognize Black History Month
but to keep it alive and to know locally our trailblazers."
8:15:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON remarked that she considers herself a
trailblazer but had not received an invitation to this event.
She emphasized, "We all need to be recognized, and until the
internal division is healed, we can't expect legislation to do
that work."
MS. HODGE GROWDEN explained that the aforementioned individuals
were recognized through a process opened by SCDI wherein people
could nominate those individuals that they wanted recognized.
She expressed hope that another grant would be received from the
Alaska Community Foundation, and someone may submit
Representative Jackson's name for consideration.
8:16:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON asked Ms. Hodge Growden if she had sent
out an official invitation.
MS. HODGE GROWDEN responded that the community was invited
through a post on Facebook.
8:17:28 AM
SHERRY PATTERSON opined that it is important to "enshrine Black
History Month" in statute. She said her heart breaks each
February when "we have to strive to sponsor events here in the
capital city," though she indicated those events are "eventually
attended and supported by the community." She stated, "Unless
something happens in our hearts, it won't go too much further
than it already has." Ms. Patterson said she loves that she has
family members who are honored during Black History Month. She
stated her support and appreciation of HB 72.
8:19:02 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN recollected that the aforementioned Ms. McSmith,
in Anchorage, had been friends with Rosa Parks. She asked Ms.
Patterson if her recollection is correct.
MS. PATTERSON offered her understanding that was correct. She
said she knew Ms. McSmith and called her a force in Alaska that
should be recognized.
CO-CHAIR HANNAN indicated that the connection between Rosa Parks
and Ms. McSmith reminded her how small the world is.
8:20:10 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN closed public testimony on HB 72.
8:20:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON indicated that she had gone to an event
where Ms. Patterson sang. She exclaimed, "This lady can sing
your hearts into this statutory change." She stated that the
proposed bill is appreciated, "but truth and light need to be
shined on the whole situation, right?" Using the permanent fund
dividend (PFD) as an example, she noted that just because
something is put in statute, does not mean it cannot be taken
away. She emphasized the need "to look at the whole picture."
She concluded, "Thank you all for all of your work and for your
great intention in changing the heart of Alaska."
8:22:01 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN announced that HB 72 was held over.
8:22:34 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 8:22 a.m. to 8:28 a.m.
^PRESENTATION(S): DIVISION OF COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS
DATABASE
PRESENTATION(S): DIVISION OF COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS
DATABASE
8:28:21 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN announced that the final order of business would
be the presentation on the Division of Community and Regional
Affairs database.
8:28:48 AM
SANDRA MOLLER, Director, Division of Community & Regional
Affairs (DCRA), Department of Commerce, Community & Economic
Development (DCCED), gave a PowerPoint presentation on DCRA.
She began with slide 2, "Community and Regional Affairs," and
brought attention to the mission statement: "Helping Alaska's
communities build sustainable economies and a means of self-
governance." She mentioned Article X, Section 14 of the
Constitution of the State of Alaska, which, on slide 2, read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
An agency shall be established by law in the executive
branch of the state government to advise and assist
local governments. It shall review their activities,
collect and publish local government information, and
perform other duties prescribed by law.
MS. MOLLER explained that she had "highlighted" the phrase
"collect and publish" because that would be the focus of her
presentation. She said the division has 54 employees and
collects and produces the community database through the
division's Research and Analysis Section. As shown on slide 3,
Ms. Moller listed the other functions of the division, which
are: the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Planning
and Land Management; the Local Government Assistance Rural
Utility Business Advisor (RUBA) Program; the Office of the State
Assessor; the Local Boundary Commission; the Community Aid and
Accountability Grants; the Alaska Native Language Preservation
and Advisory Council; and Serve Alaska.
8:30:52 AM
MS. MOLLER directed attention to slide 4, titled "What is the
CDO?" [Community Database Online]. She explained that the CDO
provides useful information for those new to a community.
Previously it was a mapping program used for infrastructure; it
showed aerial mapping, utilities, types of government, and local
representatives. It evolved into online usage to put maps into
tables and provide a variety of data that can be downloaded.
She said the CDO provides community resource information and
economic indicators. A person can print reports. She said Jade
Bickmore's part of the presentation would guide the committee
members through the online data. She said it is possible to
import data into maps for geographical information.
MS. MOLLER moved on to slide 5, titled "Sample queries." She
said this gives an idea of the types of answers that can be
sourced from the database. She recollected that the division
had conducted a survey in 2017 to discern the interest of the
online resource users. The division will conduct another survey
in the future in order to stay current with what people want
from the CDO.
8:33:48 AM
MS. MOLLER directed attention to slide 6, titled "Future
applications." She said the slide shows how the division is
trying to modernize its collection by adding: economic metrics
to attract investment in the state; Alaska natural resource
data; and additional community utility infrastructure. She
emphasized the division's willingness to hear suggestions from
users.
8:34:48 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN asked who the primary users of the CDO are.
MS. MOLLER answered mostly state and regional entities looking
at how they can work with a community. She expressed hope that
the division can expand its user base. Part of the reason for
taking part in the presentation today, she said, is to get the
word out about the resource.
CO-CHAIR HANNAN asked how often the division receives queries
from private sector businesses.
8:35:52 AM
JADE BICKMORE, Program Manager, Research & Analysis, Division of
Community & Regional Affairs (DCRA), Department of Commerce,
Community & Economic Development (DCCED), answered that DCRA
gets a lot of inquiries, many from researchers. The CDO system
allows users to download the data and "look at it any way they
want." She said a lot of businesses and grantees inquire as to
areas and contacts in communities.
MS. BICKMORE began to show, live online, how anyone can access
information via the division's CDO. She started by showing the
"main page" and links to the division home page. She next
showed a metadata page, which shows the source of the data, with
direct links to agencies. Ms. Bickmore illustrated an important
tool, called "How To." She said it describes the features and
icons and how to find data. She said a user can download all
the data or filter the data to specific communities. She said
this is a totally new system. In response to a question from
Co-Chair Hannan, she relayed that the system came online
November 27, [2018]. She noted that the division is "constantly
evolving and adding new data," which is something the old system
did not allow. She explained that the old system would override
old data with new, whereas the new system allows historical
information to remain, which allows users to look at trends and
do research.
8:39:56 AM
MS. BICKMORE showed a "What's New" tab, by which a user can
access the most recently added information through links. She
recommended checking the tab on a regular basis. She
recommended using browsers Chrome or Firefox, because she said
the CDO does not work as well with Internet Explorer.
MS. BICKMORE displayed a highlighted area showing the organized
boroughs and communities throughout Alaska. A user can look at
a particular community and the information pertaining to that
community, including incorporation date, pronunciation of name,
history, geographic and climate information, and demographics.
She showed how a user can "scroll in" to look at the details.
She showed population by race, by age, by sex - all of the
information sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. She said
someone inquired as to who was responsible for plowing a certain
road, and the CDO provided that information. Ms. Bickmore
showed how to find out about schools; she mentioned that
historical data was still to come.
8:45:11 AM
MS. BICKMORE said a user can find out information on a wealth of
topics, including: representatives; alcohol restrictions;
taxes; household income; poverty; general services; healthcare
facilities; utilities; water source; affiliation with ANCSA;
community contacts; and tribal information. She said the
website shows the business licenses for those communities with
populations fewer than 2,500, and there is a "do-your-own"
search for businesses in larger communities.
8:47:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON asked if the web site lists the sources
of the taxes.
MS. BICKMORE answered yes. She mentioned "Alaska taxable 2018,"
and she said a user can search through a story map or look at
the data for a spreadsheet. She said she would demonstrate.
She pointed out that when a user clicks on a certain community
name, that community will be highlighted on a map to show its
location. Also available to view are community photos,
community plans, profile maps, and financial documents.
8:49:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON asked whether clicking a dot on a map
will bring up the information about that area.
MS. BICKMORE answered yes and offered further details about the
interactivity of the map. She then continued, showing a
navigation bar, on which is the aforementioned "What's New?" and
"Interactive Applications." Regarding the latter, she explained
that the division has designed applications ("apps") specific to
a given topic, but she emphasized this is just one way of
getting information on topics. She showed tables pulled down
and related to other agencies and said a user can download the
data. People can send a survey to DCRA requesting certain data,
and the division will respond. She said there is also a GIF
link, which is for other state agencies that have geographic
information system (GIS); this allows the division to pull that
information from those agencies into its web site.
8:52:05 AM
MS. BICKMORE next showed the community contact directory. She
mentioned the division is working on video tutorials. She
talked about the various topics that can be found in the
directory, including communities, schools, and Village Public
Safety Officers (VPSOs). She pointed to an attribute table and
reiterated that the information from the maps can be downloaded.
She said a user can filter and "add expressions" as a means of
focusing on information for a particular community, for example.
In response to a question from Co-Chair Hannan, she indicated
that "expressions" related to fields. She illustrated this by
showing various columns and demonstrating a search related to
one community. She stated, "As you move around in the map, the
map and the data below will change, depending on where you are."
Under options, a user can "export to CSB," which will export
either all the data or the data the user has filtered. She
offered further demonstration. She said labels can be made for
all the division's datasets.
8:56:47 AM
MS. BICKMORE talked about story maps, a community overview of a
story map, and information that shows whether a committee is
unincorporated. Some communities have photos, while the
division is working on getting good photos for others. The
division does not have as much data on the unincorporated
cities; therefore, there is less information on those maps. In
response to Co-Chair Hannan and Representative Thompson, Ms.
Bickmore mentioned the term "Census-designated place" (CDP), and
she said the information the division gets from unincorporated
cities, such as population, is important in terms grants related
to those communities. As more communities become incorporated,
"it is nice to have that information there," she stated.
8:59:28 AM
MS. BICKMORE stated that Alaska is different from other states,
because it does not have counties. The state has a lot of
unincorporated boroughs, she noted. She said it made sense to
have story maps that showed U.S. Census areas and boroughs and
"information that is related to that and not so much of a
community." She illustrated by showing the Fairbanks North Star
Borough. She mentioned square miles, and then she listed the
CDPs. She explained what was shown related to demographics on
the borough level rather than the city level. She showed school
information, economics, types of taxes, and poverty level. She
said some [CDPs] have more information than others do. In
response to Co-Chair Hannan and Representative Thompson, she
said sales tax information could be broken down in a variety of
ways.
9:04:25 AM
MS. BICKMORE next showed the committee the interactive maps,
which are predefined story maps and apps in which the division
has already pulled information. She said the division had just
posted the Alaska Field Price Report. She explained that the
division looks at the field prices in 100 communities annually.
She said this used to be published as "a regular report" but is
now more interactive, and people are enjoying the new format.
She illustrated how fuel gets to communities and the struggles
involved; transportation methods; and gasoline prices in the
state. She showed another map that changed color to reflect gas
prices over the years. She highlighted price comparisons to
national prices. She showed heating fuel prices. She called
Anchorage the "donut hole" on the map, as well as the North
Slope Borough, because there is no data from those places. She
explained that is because the North Slope Borough has subsidized
heating. She said any of the associated maps will take the user
via links to the sources of the information.
9:09:00 AM
MS. BICKMORE talked about a web page to find datasets for
download. She demonstrated by looking up information on
transportation in Alaska, from data to spreadsheet. She showed
how the map changes based on filters. She then showed a feature
wherein users can build their own map by deciding which
information they want. She said this feature is tied into
information from the Department of Transportation & Public
Facilities (DOT&PF). She explained that currently DCRA
downloads the information from other agencies, but once those
other agencies use the same system, then that won't be
necessary. She showed how to put population information on the
map. She indicated three dots to the right and said there is
access to an attribute table. A person can utilize this by
choosing data and then seeing it on the map. The data can also
be exported to a spreadsheet.
9:14:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON asked how much of the data is supplied
by communities and how much is put in by the division. He
inquired about the number of staff in the division that works on
this project.
MS. BICKMORE answered that she has a total of 5 people in her
group. She said they were able to do this project with little
information technology (IT) support. She said the tool has
opened the ability to look at data and compare information from
past years. She said the old system was time-consuming and
required all time spent just in updating. She imparted that
anything someone wants to research can be found, as long as the
information is public and tied to community. She offered
examples.
9:16:26 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN asked whose idea this was and how long it took
to create.
MS. BICKMORE relayed that this was not her idea but that of her
predecessor. She indicated that the division was looking to
replace a failing system and put out for bid, and the cost just
to replace the existing system would have been over half a
million dollars. The division had neither the money nor the IT
resources, so it looked for other options. The division already
had an Esri tool to create many of the maps. The division
worked with Esri. In 2017, the division created the Alaska
Taxable and the RUBA report and began looking at how it could
"display that information in this format." Once that was
successful, the division moved to "this new forum," which she
said is more of a data warehouse rather than database. She said
the division updates the data as a dataset rather than as "a
single line" for most of its data. She said this system has
made it possible to "delve into areas we've never had to
opportunity to."
MS. BICKMORE introduced her staff in the room: Emma Hatcher,
Esri Research Analyst; Kevin Prestegard, Research Analyst; Eric
Caldwell; George Plumley, GIS Analyst; and Grace Beaujean,
Research Analyst.
9:19:51 AM
MS. MOLLER interjected that this group has won awards for this
cutting-edge application.
9:20:09 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN suggested there may be a way "to patent the
intellectual property of a collective."
9:20:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS asked if contracting with Esri was
a "one-off" contract entered into by DCCED or if the division
piggy-backed on "something" already in existence within the
Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
MS. BICKMORE answered that DCCED already had a license, and the
division added to that. It has a server where it posts the
data, and then it posts that data online. She said the division
also gets credit, which it can use for additional training and
support [from] Esri. She explained that Esri helped the
division get to the next level in terms of customizations. In
response to a follow-up question, she said the most current
license was $80,000, and it gives more credit to work one-on-one
with developers. She talked about automating the process so
that multiple community story maps could be created. She
explained that all the data was on separate tables, so "it was
just a matter of matching up the different communities." She
expressed pride at her group's ability to "push the envelope" to
make a better product.
9:23:23 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND opined that the database is wonderful, with
consistent access across a variety of information. She asked if
Alaska is the only state that uses something like this.
MS. BICKMORE confirmed that Alaska is unique in having this
tool. She said the Esri software is geo-spatial software, and
she mentioned other states have more photos and information
readily available. She said the division does not have that in
Alaska, which is a huge state with a vast number of areas,
climates, and communities. She said the tool allows a user to
look at those things in ways he/she could never have done
before. She offered examples wherein information is shown
regarding communities and that may lead to solving potential
problems.
9:25:39 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN queried whether other research entities in
Alaska, such as Legislative Legal and Research Services, have
been made aware of the tool provided by DCRA.
9:26:25 AM
MS. MOLLER said this is something the division is trying to
promote, for example, through presentations like this one. The
division is looking at making the foundation strong, and then it
will add economic data, as well as other data. She said the
division has spoken with the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) about
its personal consumption expenditure (PCE) data and considering
how to incorporate it. She said AEA has a separate platform
that it uses. She indicated that the division is "on the
beginning parts of letting people know that this is up and
going." She said that is why the division welcomes feedback.
MS. BICKMORE added that the division has been working with other
agencies and asked some of them to test out the product through
presentations followed by feedback. She said the division is
doing weekly presentations and has an hour-long session to teach
people how to build their own maps. She said several agencies
and researchers have attended. She said the division would like
to extend that up into the Anchorage area.
9:28:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON asked about access to the product.
MS. BICKMORE showed the committee how to access the community
database online.
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON congratulated the team who worked on
making this data available. She said she has visited the web
page in the past and it is apparent much has been added since
then.
9:29:46 AM
MS. BICKMORE continued with demonstration of the website. She
drew attention to "Alaska Taxable 2018." She said the old
system took a long time to navigate. She said the new product
was highlighted in Esri Magazine and won an award. She scrolled
down the screen to show: taxation in Alaska; legends of unified
and non-unified communities; various classifications of
municipality; tax determination for second-class cities; which
communities have taxes, and which have not; borough tax
information; tax revenues; city revenues; and municipalities
reporting tax revenue or not.
CO-CHAIR HANNAN suggested Ms. Bickmore show the Fairbanks North
Star Borough.
MS. BICKMORE demonstrated looking at the information for the
borough and how to filter for specific information for the city.
In response to Co-Chair Hannan and Representative Thompson, she
related statistics related to bed tax, tobacco tax, and
marijuana tax.
9:37:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON thanked the department on an incredible
job being done with "a small crew."
9:38:41 AM
MS. MOLLER concluded that the department is tasked to get this
data and works hard to make it presentable and usable. She
encouraged committee members to let her know if there is missing
data they would like to see added.
9:39:16 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND expressed appreciation for the information
presented.
9:39:33 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN thanked the presenters and staff for their work
in developing the community database online and for reaching out
to the committee for the opportunity to present the information.
She stated, "I'm looking forward to learning more and helping
improve Alaska's policy by using data-informed decision-making."
9:40:25 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 9:40 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Division of Comm & Regional Affairs Presentation.pdf |
HCRA 3/26/2019 8:00:00 AM |
|
| HB0072A.PDF |
HCRA 3/26/2019 8:00:00 AM HCRA 3/28/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 72 |
| HB 072 Sponsor Statement 3.5.19.pdf |
HCRA 3/26/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 72 |
| HB 072 Fiscal Note.pdf |
HCRA 3/26/2019 8:00:00 AM HCRA 3/28/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 72 |