Handeland proposes letting in-person testifiers speak before phone callers

People who show up to testify before the Anchorage Assembly would get to speak before those calling in by phone, under an ordinance proposed by Assembly Member Donald Handeland.

Callers would be heard only after everyone wanting to testify in person had a chance. The rule would cover public hearings, appearance requests and audience participation. The ordinance is up for introduction Wednesday, Nov. 4, with a public hearing Nov. 17.

Handeland, who represents Chugiak, Eagle River and JBER, wrote in a memo to the Assembly that people who come in person travel to the meeting and often wait there until their item comes up. Agendas can shift, earlier items can run long and bad weather can affect travel. If a hearing is continued to another day, they may have to come back.

Callers can often wait at home and attend to other responsibilities until they're called, the ordinance says.

Handeland wrote that the change isn't proposed "because in-person testimony is viewed as somehow of greater value," and called it "a common-sense adjustment."

The ordinance says both kinds of testimony are valuable ways to take part. It also says testimony may begin later than anticipated when Assembly members, including the sponsor, take longer to discuss an item.

To testify by phone at a public hearing, a person submits a written request to the municipal clerk the day before.