Legislature(1999 - 2000)
03/23/2000 08:15 AM House CRA
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS
STANDING COMMITTEE
March 23, 2000
8:15 a.m.
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Impacts of proposed 10-mil tax cap initiative
TAPES
00-20, SIDES A & B
00-21, SIDE A
CALL TO ORDER{TC "CALL TO ORDER"}
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN HARRIS, Co-Chair, convened the House
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee meetings
at 8:15 a.m.
PRESENT
Committee members present were Representatives Harris,
Halcro, Kookesh, Joule, Murkowski and Morgan.
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION
STEVE VAN SANT, State Assessor, Municipal & Regional
Assistance Division, Department of Community & Economic
Development, discussed the potential impacts of the
initiative on the state assessors office and on efforts to
consolidate city and borough governments.
JIM BALDWIN, Assistant Attorney General, Governmental
Affairs Section, Civil Division (Juneau), Department of Law,
answered the committee members' questions regarding the
approval and challenge process the initiative underwent,
emphasizing that the Attorney General would be reluctant to
issue an opinion of the legality of various aspects of the
initiative prior to its passage. He noted that the
legislature has the power to amend the initiative if it
passes, but could not repeal it.
BOB CHRYSTAL, Anchorage Superintendent of Schools, testified
that his schools would lose a quarter of their budget, which
would impact school bonds, class sizes and access to
technology. It also would result in massive layoffs.
ALAN TESCHE, Anchorage Assemblyman, discussed impacts on
Anchorage city and school district budgets.
LENNY REAGIN, Fairbanks North Star Borough Assessor,
discussed the increasing workload on assessors and how it
will increase more if the tax cap passes.
HARRIET DRUMMOND, Anchorage School Board member, testified
as to the impacts on the Anchorage School District budget if
the tax cap passes.
MARY HUGHES, Attorney for the Municipality of Anchorage,
discussed the impacts on Anchorage if the tax cap passes.
She encouraged the committee to obtain a legal opinion from
a former attorney general if the current attorney general
will not write one.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Representative Murkowski moved that the committee send a
formal request to the Attorney General requesting a legal
opinion on the constitutionality of the initiative and to
clarify what would be its effective date. The motion
carried without objection.
ADJOURNMENT
CO-CHAIR HARRIS adjourned the meeting at 10:00 a.m.
NOTE:
The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were
taken. A copy of the tape(s) and log notes may be obtained
by contacting the House Records Office at 129 6th Street,
Suite 229, Juneau, Alaska 99801-2197, (907) 465-2214, and
after adjournment of the second session of the Twenty-first
Alaska State Legislature this information may be obtained by
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at 129 6th
Street, Suite 102, Juneau, Alaska 99801, (907) 465-3808.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|