Federation of Community Councils Invites Community to Join Better Public Meetings Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2026
Anchorage, AK – The Federation of Community Councils (FCC) is sharing the results of the Anchorage Civic Infrastructure Scan with the community. This Civic Infrastructure Scan identifies strengths and areas of improvement around how Anchorage community members engage with local government through formal and informal means.
Begun in 2025, this project is in partnership with YWCA Alaska, the National Civic League, and Perfect City. Anchorage was one of two cities nationwide selected to participate in the Democracy Innovations for Better Public Meetings project. In partnership with the National Civic League’s Center for Democracy Innovation and the arts-based initiative Perfect City, this project aims to improve how public meetings are experienced by community members, elected officials, and municipal staff. Northeast Community Council and Spenard Community Council agreed to be part of the pilot. Pamela Raygor, Chair of the Northeast Community Council, said of the project “Public engagement is primary to the Council’s mission. What better way to actively promote engagement than to participate in a Better Public Meeting pilot, an intentionally developed approach rooted on our ethos? The pilot is just the beginning of an on-going journey to encounter, examine, and exemplify possibilities.” Thanks to funding from the AAA-ICDR Foundation, this work builds on national efforts to make public meetings more civil, effective, and connected to community values.
The Civic Infrastructure Scan is qualitative research that consists of interviews with key local leaders, media and social media analysis, and review of reports, plans, and other documents related to engagement. As part of the Scan, a community survey was launched and interviews conducted. Spenard and Northeast community councils provided an ongoing source of data on resident attitudes toward meetings and the community generally.
The results of the Scan showed that Anchorage “possesses a strong civic capacity” and high civic participation. Yet there was clear challenges with included challenges with representation and limited opportunities for shared problem-solving. The report provided nine recommendations to community councils and local government on ways to build public trust by considering ways to strengthen participation, inclusion, and effectiveness.
After the data was collected, the National Civic League and Perfect City traveled to Anchorage to present on their findings and engage in a community conversation. Attendees participated in an activity with Perfect City’s Aaron Landsman that challenged people’s expectations on what it means to be a leader and elected official. Then National Civic League’s Nick Vlahos hosted small group conversations on the scan and what Better Public Meetings means to them.
Next steps for this project including a two-part implementation of recommendations from the scan. The FCC will be hosting a facilitator training open to the community, in alignment with the recommendation to “replace testimony-heavy formats with facilitated dialogue.” On Saturday, August 29th at 10:00am, the FCC invites community members to join the training online or in person.
You can read the full Civic Infrastructure Scan, learn more about the project, and sign up for the facilitator training on the FCC website: https://communitycouncils.org/better-public-meetings/
