Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B
Frequently Asked Questions About
ANCs and
How to Do Business With
ANC 1B
What's an ANC?
An ANC is a non-partisan, neighborhood body made up of locally elected
representatives called Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners. They are a unique feature of the District's
Home Rule Charter.
What are the responsibilities of Commissioners?
The ANCs' main job is to be their
neighborhoods’ official voice in advising the District government (and Federal
agencies) on things that affect their neighborhoods. Although they are not required to follow the ANCs' advice, District agencies are required by law to give
the ANCs' recommendations "great
weight." Moreover, District law
says that agencies cannot take any action that will significantly affect a
neighborhood unless they give the affected ANCs 30
days' advance notice. This includes
zoning, streets, recreation, education, social services, sanitation, planning,
safety, budget, and health services.
The ANCs also initiate recommendations
for improving city services, conduct neighborhood improvement programs, and
monitor resident complaints. The ANCs began operating in 1976.
How many ANCs are there in the District?
There are 37 ANCs. Each ANC area is subdivided into a number of
smaller areas or districts. Since only one Commissioner is elected per
district, they are called Single Member Districts (SMDs).
(The Wards on the D. C. Council are also single member districts.) Each SMD consists of about 2,000 people.
Although the SMDs must have equal populations, ANCs may vary in size.
The biggest ANCs have 12 SMDs. The smallest has just 2. There are currently 286 SMDs
citywide. This is down from 299 SMDs during the 1990s when more people lived in the
City. The number of ANCs, their size, and
boundaries may change as a result of the 2010 Census.
When and where does ANC1B meet?
ANC1B meets the first Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM in the
second floor conference room of the
I have a concern about something in my community. Can I make a comment or a complaint to the
full Commission about it?
Yes. As provided by DC Code
Subchapter V, §1-309.11(b)(3), “Each Commission shall set aside a portion of
each public meeting to hear the views of residents within the Commission area
and other affected persons on problems or issues of concern within the
Commission area and on proposed District government actions that affect the
Commission area. Community views shall
be adequately considered in positions taken by the Commission. . .”
ANC 1B considers community input a priority and provides time at
the beginning of each public meeting for constituents and “other affected
persons” to express their views and concerns, ask questions, or make
complaints. Each person is limited to
three minutes to provide a fair opportunity for all to speak and still allow
the Commission to conduct its necessary business. We ask that each speaker provide for the public
record her/his name, address and what organization s/he is representing, if
any.
How do I bring business before ANC1B?
If you wish to make an announcement at the monthly meeting, you
are welcome to do so during the "community announcements" portion of
the meeting, which immediately precedes Community Comments and Concerns at the
beginning of the agenda. Announcements
are limited to two minutes.
If you have a business item (such as a liquor license application)
you'd like to bring before the ANC (as distinguished from a concern or
complaint), you should contact the commissioner http://www.anc1b.org/cms.html of jurisdiction to be added to the agenda and discuss the
action. Before you come to the public
meeting, you should also meet with the committee http://www.anc1b.org/committees.html of jurisdiction and be
sure to meet with the community association(s) that is (are) affected by your
action item. This means that you
should allow at least one to two months for discussion and review with the
Commissioner and Committees of jurisdiction before bringing your issue to the
full Commission. Public notice of
the agenda is given one week in advance of the monthly meeting and therefore agenda
items cannot be added less than one week before a meeting. Generally at least three to four weeks notice
is required to add items to the agenda.
If you have a business item that requires urgent attention or is
of an emergency nature, you should immediately contact the commissioner of
jurisdiction and ask her/him to work with you and the Chairperson of the
commission to schedule consideration by the appropriate committee and the full
commission.
What is the “commissioner of jurisdiction” and how do I know who
that is?
If you want the commission to consider and support your liquor
license application or application to the Zoning Commission or Board of Zoning
Adjustment, or to any other D.C. government agency, you should contact the
commissioner within whose district your business, construction project, or
other activity is located. That
commissioner is the commissioner of jurisdiction. See the answer to the next question to find
out how to identify that commissioner.
How do I determine who my commissioner is?
If you do not know what district you live in, or where your
business or project is located, please visit this site to determine your SMD: http://www.dcboee.org/voter_info/find_pollingplace/
Once you know what SMD you live in you can determine your
commissioner by viewing this contact list: http://www.anc1b.org/cms.html
What if I want to ask a question or make a comment about an issue
the Commission is considering, such as a liquor license application or a zoning
issue, and I didn’t think of it in time for the public comment period at the
beginning of the meeting?
We
welcome and encourage public comment and questions at appropriate points in the
meeting. Normally, we will ask for
public comment on issues on the Commission’s agenda before a motion to take
official action is voted on.
What about making a presentation on an event, community service or
project, or issue?
Community organizations and government agencies sometimes make
presentations to the Commission.
Presentations are limited to five minutes in length. They should be on a topic of direct impact, concern
or interest to the residents of ANC 1B.
They must be scheduled through the Chairperson of the Commission. Go to the Commissioner contact
page http://www.anc1b.org/cms.html for contact information on the current Chairperson of the
Commission.
I hear ANC 1B makes grants to community organizations. How do I apply?
ANC 1B does provide funds for community projects directly
benefiting the residents of ANC 1B and which do not duplicate services already
provided by the
Revised 1/29/2011