SCR 17: Requesting the Local Boundary Commission to consider borough incorporation for certain areas.
00 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 17 01 Requesting the Local Boundary Commission to consider borough incorporation for 02 certain areas. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS the purpose of the local government article of the Constitution of the 05 State of Alaska is to provide for maximum local self-government with a minimum of local 06 government units, and to prevent duplication of tax-levying jurisdictions; and 07 WHEREAS Article X, sec. 1, Constitution of the State of Alaska, encourages 08 organization of boroughs to achieve the purpose of the local government article; and 09 WHEREAS the local option method of borough incorporation, first enacted in 1961 10 and currently codified in AS 29.05.060 - 29.05.150, has been generally ineffective in 11 promoting the fundamental constitutional objective of achieving maximum local government 12 and borough organization; and 13 WHEREAS the Local Boundary Commission has authority under art. X, sec. 12, 14 Constitution of the State of Alaska, to present borough incorporation proposals to the 15 legislature; and 16 WHEREAS the provisions of AS 44.33.812 require the Local Boundary Commission
01 to adopt regulations providing procedures for borough incorporation; and 02 WHEREAS the Local Boundary Commission has adopted procedures for 03 incorporation of boroughs under 3 AAC 110.400 - 3 AAC 110.660, including procedures in 3 04 AAC 110.610 for legislative review under art. X, sec. 12, Constitution of the State of Alaska; 05 and 06 WHEREAS the people of the communities in the areas identified for incorporation in 07 this resolution have been frustrated for a long time in their efforts to organize the areas in 08 which they are located as they want; and 09 WHEREAS the present law and model borough studies have not allowed the kind of 10 self-determination the people of these communities desire; and 11 WHEREAS the provisions of AS 44.33.812 require the Local Boundary Commission 12 to consider borough incorporation for areas requested of it by the legislature; 13 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests the Local Boundary 14 Commission to consider borough incorporation for the following areas: 15 (1) Skagway Borough - bounded on the north and east by the United States - 16 Canada border; bounded on the south and west by the Haines Borough boundary; the northern 17 point is Mount Foster at the United States - Canada border known as "Boundary Peak 123," 18 135 degrees 30 minutes West longitude; from there running southeast conterminous with the 19 United States - Canada border for approximately 31 miles to the Mount Bagot area where it 20 intersects with the Haines Borough boundary; from there running due west for approximately 21 12 miles to the middle of Taiya Inlet, at approximately 135 degrees 22 minutes, West 22 longitude, and close to the western edge of Range 60 East, Copper River Meridian, which is 23 the southernmost point; from there running approximately 29 miles in a northwesterly 24 direction to the United States - Canada border, conterminous with the Haines Borough 25 boundary and intersecting with the United States - Canada border just east of the Chilkat 26 Glacier at "Boundary Peak 124"; from there running about 9.5 miles northeast along the 27 United States - Canada border to the starting point at Mount Foster; 28 (2) Eagle River Borough - includes the areas of Elmendorf Air Force Base, 29 Fort Richardson, South Fork, Eagle River Valley, Eagle River, Birchwood, Peters Creek, 30 Eklutna, and Eklutna Lake, and the land to the Matanuska River; 31 (3) Wrangell Borough - boundaries are coterminous with the Wrangell Ranger
01 District boundaries established by the United States Forest Service, as depicted in the Tongass 02 National Forest Secondary Base Map Series on Sheet Nos. 18 (1982), 19 (1982), 21 (1980), 03 22 (1980), 23 (1983), 24 (1983), 26 (1980), and 27 (1980), except that the northern boundary 04 of the Wrangell Borough shall commence from a point beginning at the western boundary of 05 the Wrangell Ranger District at the northernmost point of Pocket Island, thence proceeding in 06 a generally northeasterly direction to the westernmost point of land in Township 59 South, 07 Range 83 East, Copper River Meridian, Section 1, thence proceeding in a generally 08 northeasterly direction along the watershed divide between LeConte Bay and the Stikine 09 River, including Wilkes Peak, to the international boundary between Canada and the United 10 States; 11 (4) Delta Borough - boundaries are coterminous with the Delta/Greely 12 regional educational attendance area; and be it 13 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests the Local 14 Boundary Commission to present a recommendation for borough incorporation under the 15 legislative review method in art. X, sec. 12, Constitution of the State of Alaska, for each 16 model borough listed in this resolution that is determined by the Local Boundary 17 Commission, with any appropriate amendments or conditions, to meet applicable borough 18 incorporation standards under the Constitution of the State of Alaska, Local Boundary 19 Commission regulations, AS 29.05.031 and 29.05.100; and be it 20 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests the Local 21 Boundary Commission to include in each legislative review recommendation for borough 22 incorporation submitted under this resolution, details concerning the class, name, boundaries, 23 assembly composition and apportionment, proposed operating budget, taxes, and other 24 areawide and nonareawide powers to be exercised, measures to ensure a smooth transition to 25 organized borough status, and other elements essential to the establishment of each particular 26 recommended borough; and be it 27 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests the Local 28 Boundary Commission to recommend to the legislature changes to statute, regulation, and 29 policy to minimize the difficulty in organizing as boroughs the areas described in this 30 resolution. 31 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Frank Murkowski, Governor
01 of Alaska; the Honorable Darroll Hargraves, Chair, Local Boundary Commission; and to the 02 Honorable Edgar Blatchford, Commissioner, Department of Community and Economic 03 Development.