Tougher penalties for the drug Spice, bigger speeding tickets and a new fine for texting while driving are all proposals coming up before the Anchorage Assembly in a packed agenda Tuesday night.
"Bring your jammies and your popcorn," Assembly chair Dick Traini said Monday. "We're going to be there awhile."
Traini said the Assembly is expected to pass a proposal from Mayor Ethan Berkowitz that would make the possession and sale of certain synthetic drugs, like Spice and bath salts, a crime. The proposal is linked to an ongoing public health crisis in Anchorage: In October, one-fifth of all emergency transports in the city were suspected to be Spice-related.
The proposal would stiffen penalties for selling or possessing "synthetic cannabinoids" and "synthetic cathinones." Law enforcement officials have said the criminal penalties could aid in investigations to stem the flow of the drugs.
Assembly members in both the conservative and liberal voting blocs have also voiced support for a proposal to turn texting or operating a screen device while driving from a misdemeanor crime into a $500 traffic ticket. The city prosecutor, Seneca Theno, has said that while a ticket carries a lesser penalty than what's currently in place in state law, it would be easier to prosecute violators and serve as a stronger deterrent.
The law is not an outright cellphone ban while driving: It is designed to prevent drivers from using texting or apps on smartphones while behind the wheel.
Debate appears to be more certain on a Berkowitz administration proposal to revise fee schedules and apply inflation-based increases to several hundred city fines and fees, including traffic tickets, cemetery plots, child care licenses and animal shelter services.
More conservative members of the Assembly have questioned the timing of the proposal. Two weeks ago, Assembly member Bill Evans introduced a substitute version that would keep the police fine and fee schedule unchanged. Evans said he was concerned about the appearance of using law enforcement as a revenue source, though administration officials have said the timing was unintentional.
The Assembly will be holding its second hearing on the Berkowitz administration's proposed budget. The $482 million budget includes added funding for police officers and firefighters, but also calls for increased property taxes.
Assembly members will begin introducing budget amendments after Tuesday's meeting. The body is slated to vote on the budget Nov. 24, Traini said.
Note: This article has been edited to reflect that the proposed criminal penalty for possession and selling of "synthetic cannabinoids" and "synthetic cathinones" is stiffer than the current $500 civil penalty.