Office of the City Clerk 491 E. Pioneer Avenue

Homer, Alaska 99603

(907) 235-3130

Jo Johnson, CMC, City Clerk (907) 235-8121

Melissa Jacobsen, CMC, Deputy City Clerk II ext: 2224, 2226, or 2227

Renee Krause, Deputy City Clerk I Fax: (907) 235-3143

Email: clerk@ci.homer.ak.us

MEMORANDUM 09-156

TO: MAYOR HORNADAY AND HOMER CITY COUNCIL

FROM: JO JOHNSON, CMC, CITY CLERK

DATE: DECEMBER 4, 2009

SUBJECT: ALASKA’S OMBUDSMAN

In an effort to gain some information for Council of municipalities participating in the Ombudsman program, I spoke with Linda Lord-Jenkins, the State Ombudsman.

In years past the municipalities of Wrangell, Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Palmer participated in the State Ombudsman. Over the years with budget ups and downs all the cities decided they could not afford it. Currently there are no municipalities in the State Ombudsman.

If the City should decide to participate, a cost signed contract is required. The current cost is $30,000 per year and is not variable. In the event five other cities joined the Ombudsman, the cost would remain the same. It is computed on the agency’s half time employee’s wage that would handle all complaints.

The Ombudsman investigates citizen complaints against State government agencies and employees. The Office of the Ombudsman is a non-partisan, neutral, fact-finding agency and takes no sides in a dispute. Their job is to determine whether state government actions are fair and reasonable.

There are several different levels of action that would determine the length of time for a decision. First an investigator will review the complaint and determine how to proceed. After reviewing your case, discussing it with state officials and witnesses when necessary, and researching state laws and regulations, an investigator will report back to you. This may occur informally or within a formal process that leads to an investigative report. Because the Office of the Ombudsman has limited resources, it does not investigate every complaint brought to it. If an Ombudsman investigation finds that an agency has made a mistake or could be doing a better job, the Ombudsman may recommend corrective action. Agencies usually follow Ombudsman recommendations, but the law does not require them to do so. By law, the Ombudsman makes regular reports to the Alaska Legislature.

The Ombudsman has no jurisdiction over actions of elected officials. They do, however, have jurisdiction over appointed commissions and boards. The Ombudsman’s role is to investigate complaints; they do not act as a mediator.

RECOMMENDATION:

For informational purposes only.

Fiscal Note: N/A