00                       CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 27(FIN)                                                                    
01 "An Act relating to an optional exemption from municipal property taxes on certain                                      
02 residences of law enforcement officers."                                                                                
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1.  AS 29.45.050 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                          
05            (s)  A municipality may by ordinance designate an area within its boundaries                                 
06       that is an eligible area and exempt from taxation an amount not to exceed $150,000 of                             
07       the assessed value of an entire parcel of real property within the area if the property is                        
08       primarily residential, owned, in whole or part, by a law enforcement officer, and                                 
09       occupied, in whole or part, as the primary permanent place of abode by the law                                    
10       enforcement officer.  If two or more individuals are eligible for an exemption for the                            
11       same property under this subsection, not more than two exemptions may be granted.                                 
12       A municipality that adopts an ordinance under this subsection may not request state                               
13       funds to cover any loss of revenue to the municipality caused by the ordinance.  The                              
14       ordinance must include a definition of "law enforcement officer."  The ordinance must                             

01       also define "eligible area" to mean an area                                                                       
02                 (1)  that meets the eligibility requirements under a federal program of                                 
03       special assistance for urban development, neighborhood revitalization, or law                                     
04       enforcement, without regard to whether an application for the federal assistance on                               
05       behalf of the area has been made or whether the area has actually received or is                                  
06       receiving the federal assistance;                                                                                 
07                 (2)  with a statistically higher occurrence of crime than the municipality                              
08       as a whole; or                                                                                                    
09                 (3)  that meets the requirements of (1) and (2) of this subsection.