As a result of the City and Borough of Wrangell hosting two days of classes last month on the Alaska Open Meetings Act, some local boards have proposed revisions to charters and operations.
Borough Clerk Christie Jamieson said the city’s municipal code needs to be revised and updated. State laws change year to year, and Wrangell’s charter and 20 titles of the municipal code should be in sync with those laws, Jamieson said.
“I think it’s definitely needed, some things just need to be cleaned up,” she said.
Ideally, the municipal code would be updated every year, Jamieson said. However, it is a lengthy and expensive process, as an attorney is needed to review all changes made to city ordinances.
Jamieson told the Borough Assembly at its March 27 meeting some revisions to the code were necessary, but she isn’t sure how to conduct the review.
A few years ago, Jamieson said a review committee made up of her and community members were charged with updating the municipal codebook. The committee later dissolved, but Jamieson said gathering another group of people to begin this year’s review is one possibility.
Another option, Jamieson said, is if she goes through the codebook on her own and then reviews any revisions with the city manager. Jamieson said she will decide what review process is best and ask for the Assembly’s approval at one of its meetings this month.
The Open Meetings Act classes were held in Wrangell March 9 and 10. Michael Gatti, an attorney from a private firm in Anchorage, and Krista S. Stearns, the city attorney for Kenai, led the classes.
Last week, the Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) Board of Directors was also presented with a list of necessary revisions based on the Open Meetings Act training.
Recording Secretary for the WMC Board Cathy Gross and Director of Nursing Sue Nelson prepared a report for WMC board members that list necessary revisions.
Changes include how the WMC board manages members of the public who speak at the meeting as well as how the board conducts itself during a meeting and at other public functions.
Gross and Nelson suggested the WMC Board hold a workshop to discuss any necessary changes based on what was learned at the Open Meetings Act classes.
For the most part, the WMC Board operates according to the state law, Nelson said, but some things need to be “tweaked.”
“In my mind, I think our board performs at 90 to 95 percent and those ‘tweakings’ would bring them up,” she said.
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