Municipality of Anchorage
P.O Box 390 Girdwood, Alaska 99587 http://www.muni.org/gbos	GIRDWOOD VALLEY SERVICE AREA BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Sam Daniel & Jerry Fox, Co-Chairs Tommy O’Malley, Robert Snitzer, Eryn Boone
Ethan Berkowitz, Mayor

September 7, 2016

GBOS Special Meeting to Consider Vetting an

Alaska State Trooper Girdwood Policing Proposal

Meeting Minutes Draft

7:00 p.m. Girdwood Community Room

Call to Order 7:00 p.m. Sam Daniel, Co-Chair

GBOS Attending are: Sam Daniel, Jerry Fox, Eryn Boone

Tommy O’Malley arrived at 8:10PM

Robert Snitzer is excused

Agenda Revisions and Approval
September 7, 2016 Special Meeting Agenda Approved 3-0

Quorum confirmed with 3 members present.

Announcements:

Public is encouraged to ask questions and provide comment. Please raise your hand, and wait to be acknowledged

Please take side conversations to the Foyer

GBOS/LUC Joint Meeting is scheduled for September 19 at 6PM. Main topic on this agenda is to update Operating Principles

MOA/GBOS Quarterly Meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 24 at 4PM in the Girdwood Community Room.

2017 Girdwood Budget meeting is THU September 8 at 4PM

2017 Non-Profit Grant presentations are THU September 8 at 7PM

Old Business:

Discuss vetting a proposal for police service by the Alaska State Troopers

History and evolution of this Special Meeting by Sam Daniel:

GBOS meeting in August was chaired by Jerry Fox, Sam Daniel attended via telephone

At that meeting, Alyeska Resort presented their opinion that the GBOS should move to request a proposal from the Alaska State Troopers to provide police services. There was a lot of public comment on the topic. When a motion was called for by chair, no motion was made.

GBOS Meeting Agendas and minutes are available on line: www.muni.org/gbos

Alyeska management continued to promote the Alaska State Trooper option. In an effort to resolve the issue for the good of the community as a whole, Sam Daniel, Eryn Boone, and Kyle Kelley met with Mandy Hawes, Eric Fullerton. Randall Call and John Byrne III, Alyeska Resort’s owner attended via videoconference. The meetings was positive. The Resort management reiterated that reviewing 2 proposals is good business.

At that meeting with Alyeska Resort, Sam Daniel agreed to call this special meeting to consider vetting a written proposal from the Alaska State Troopers.

Sam Daniel told the Resort management team that he would discuss this with Whittier Police Chief Schofield, and if pursuing a written proposal from AST was going to break down negotiations with WPD, that he would not support such a motion. Chief Schofield has stated that he supports Girdwood Board of Supervisors vetting an AST proposal. Alyeska Resort will be the largest single “customer” of public safety, and it is important that this relationship is as positive as possible.

Alyeska Resort management has verbally agreed that if AST is requested to provide a written proposal and the proposal is reviewed along with the Whittier proposal, they will respect the decision that comes forward from that review.

If there is a motion from this meeting to get a proposal from the Alaska State Troopers, and the AST is able to provide a written proposal, future steps would include:

Public Safety Advisory Committee review of the proposal

PSAC create fact sheets on both proposals

Distribution of information community-wide

Town Hall Meeting to discuss as a community

Straw poll at town hall meeting to gauge the community’s opinion of the options

Colonel Cockrell of the AST has confirmed that the AST pull-out date from their Girdwood Trooper post remains 9/30/16. Troopers have been reassigned to other areas. If there is a major incident after 10/1/16, closest available AST officer will respond.

Sam reiterated that the process has been open and transparent and has included many opportunities for public opinion and discussion. There have been recent negative statements made about his honesty and integrity, and accusations of private meetings and collusion among GBOS members. These statements are untrue.

Eryn Boone:

How long will AST need to provide such a written proposal?

Sam Daniel answers that they are aware of this possibility and should be able to provide written proposal in 1-2 weeks.

Jerry Fox:

Proposal from AST will likely be pretty generic and non-specific.

AST focus is on highway enforcement, and will include response in other communities, not guaranteed for timely response in Girdwood although funded from this community.

A continued battle with Alyeska management on this issue is not in the best interest of the community.

In truth, a grant to AST would be much simpler for GBOS, requiring no management and without oversight responsibilities.

Jerry takes issue with recent accusations by Alyeska Resort management and others that GBOS has broken open meeting law, and states that an apology is in order for these untruthful statements.

Jerry Fox states that he supports motion to vet AST option; he requests that Alyeska Resort management provide written statement that they will go with the decision that is made after vetting of the two policing options.

Public discussion:

Public Safety Advisory Committee unanimously voted at their meeting on September 1 to recommend GBOS request of written proposal from Alaska State Troopers.

Current status of Whittier contract is that Whittier attorney has most recent contract with comments from PSAC. Major points of still to be worked out are lack of Whittier Contract budget and 911 PSAP concerns. PSAP is now being addressed at Anchorage Police Dept, so that item should be resolved shortly.

WPD/MOA contract negotiations should continue regardless of motion for proposal from AST. Effort to resolve outstanding items of concern should continue regardless of AST proposal.

Tommy O’Malley states that he opposes seeking written proposal from the Alaska State Troopers. Public extensive vetting of options has been completed in a transparent process. No new information has come forward, even when AST representatives were present at August GBOS meeting. No motion came from that meeting; there should be no motion at this meeting.

GBOS Motion:

Girdwood Board of Supervisors moves to request a written proposal for police services in the Girdwood Service Area by the Alaska State Troopers for a period of 3 years. Proposal is to be received by the Girdwood Board of Supervisors by 5PM on September 14, 2016. If no written proposal is received by the Alaska State Troopers by that date, Girdwood Board of Supervisors will proceed in contracting with Whittier Police Department.

Motion by Eryn Boone/2nd by Jerry Fox

Motion carries 3-1

Action Item Updates as assigned:

Sam Daniel to forward motion from GBOS to Alaska State Trooper Col Cockrell.

Request for Executive Session:

None

Other:

Adjourn 8:48PM