Our vision is an Alaska that continuously grows prosperity by maximizing individual opportunities and freedom.
True to one of our guiding principles that government should be limited and as transparent as possible, we are providing the most recent annual payroll for the Municipality of Anchorage. We believe it […]
The Anchorage teachers union wants a 3% pay raise for its members. Fact: the median salary and benefits for a full time ASD employee is $ 90,506. Benefits account for 32% of this total.
The Alaska Policy Forum has released online maps visually depicting school test results from the recently released Performance Evaluation for Alaska’s Schools, or PEAKS. The PEAKS assessment is a general overview of public […]
An analysis of the Anchorage School District contracts finds cost estimates significantly higher than the estimates provided by the ASD to the school board.
The transparency group Sunlight Foundation has followed up on its 2007 list of “8 Principles of Open Government,” extending the list to ten must-do’s for proper public access to information.
An often overlooked provision in Alaska statute allows cities to exempt themselves from campaign financial disclosure requirements, and several Alaskan boroughs have made the move to include the exemptions on the upcoming October ballots.
(Kansas Policy Institute) As revenues decline, local government is faced with the decision to raise taxes, which could risk citizens leaving for better tax structure, or trim and cut government growth. Better budget information could make the decision easier.
(Fox Business) Under a little-noticed provision of the recently passed financial-reform legislation, the Securities and Exchange Commission no longer has to comply with virtually all requests for information releases from the public, including those filed under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Mercatus Center at George Mason University takes a serious look at state budgets and the inflation of them caused by gimmickry, fiscal evasion, and fiscal illusion; all common practices which pass extra costs off to taxpayers.
(AlaskaWatchdog.org) After several years of internal discussion and organization, the Legislative Finance Division has completed a project that adds more than $750 million into the General Fund in an effort to simplify State finances.
A state education association has asked a federal court to decide whether South Carolina freedom of information laws violate the group’s First Amendment rights.
Earlier this year, the Alaska Policy Forum submitted public records requests to local governments and school districts looking for any sole-source contracts. While some responses were good, others were not.
GOP legislators voice favoritism for a state transparency website being constructed without legislative approval, citing benefits it would bring such as cost savings.
Supreme Court rules that petition signatures are a matter of public record and should be made available as such.
Battle lines are being drawn in San Diego over a possible November ballot measure that supporters say would ensure competitive bidding for municipal contracts, but which opponents argue is deceptive and has hidden consequences. Councilman Carl DeMaio plans to submit more than 138,000 signatures to the San Diego City Clerk’s Office on Monday to qualify his so-called “Competition and Transparency in City Contracting” measure for the November ballot.
(Fairbanks Daily News-miner) The state suspended, for one year ending in mid-2009, a school-focused Medicaid reimbursement program after muddy financial reporting raised red flags with federal agencies. The Department of Health and Social Services has asked for a legislative OK to balance its books by $7 million to try to resolve past budgeting issues within the program.