Legislature(2021 - 2022)ADAMS 519

03/24/2021 01:30 PM House FINANCE

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01:33:25 PM Start
01:34:01 PM Presentation: Municipal Impacts from State Budget Actions by Alaska Municipal League
03:32:50 PM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ Alaska Municipal League - Municipal Impacts from TELECONFERENCED
State Budget Actions by Nils Andreassen
-- Testimony <Invitation Only> --
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
                  HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE                                                                                       
                      March 24, 2021                                                                                            
                         1:33 p.m.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:33:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster called the House Finance Committee meeting                                                                      
to order at 1:33 p.m.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Neal Foster, Co-Chair                                                                                            
Representative Kelly Merrick, Co-Chair                                                                                          
Representative Dan Ortiz, Vice-Chair                                                                                            
Representative Ben Carpenter                                                                                                    
Representative Bryce Edgmon                                                                                                     
Representative DeLena Johnson                                                                                                   
Representative Andy Josephson                                                                                                   
Representative Bart LeBon                                                                                                       
Representative Sara Rasmussen                                                                                                   
Representative Steve Thompson                                                                                                   
Representative Adam Wool                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
None                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Nils Andreassen, Executive Director, Alaska Municipal                                                                           
League.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
PRESENTATION: MUNICIPAL IMPACTS FROM STATE BUDGET ACTIONS                                                                       
BY ALASKA MUNICIPAL LEAGUE                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster reviewed the agenda for the meeting.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
^PRESENTATION: MUNICIPAL IMPACTS FROM STATE BUDGET ACTIONS                                                                    
BY ALASKA MUNICIPAL LEAGUE                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:34:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
NILS  ANDREASSEN,   EXECUTIVE  DIRECTOR,   ALASKA  MUNICIPAL                                                                    
LEAGUE   (AML)   (via    teleconference),   introduced   the                                                                    
PowerPoint  Presentation:  "Condition  of  Communities."  He                                                                    
looked forward  to walking through AML's  perspective on the                                                                    
connection   between   state   and   municipal   government,                                                                    
especially  the budget  intersections.  He  would provide  a                                                                    
sense of the condition of the communities he represented.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen turned to slide  2: "The Basics." He would be                                                                    
reviewing the  basics relating to local  governments and the                                                                    
state  budget He  would also  discuss how  Covid-19 and  the                                                                    
Coronavirus Aid,  Relief, and Economic Security  (CARES) Act                                                                    
funding had  impacted local  decision-making. He  thought it                                                                    
was important  to know how governments  were structured. The                                                                    
state had  165 cities and  boroughs out of  224 communities.                                                                    
He indicated there were 19 boroughs  made up of 11 home rule                                                                    
boroughs,  1  first  class  borough,   and  7  second  class                                                                    
boroughs. He  relayed that out  of 145 cities there  were 11                                                                    
home rule  cities and 18  first class cities.  The remainder                                                                    
were second class cities. He  noted there was 1 municipality                                                                    
that was organized under federal law, Metlakatla.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen indicated  there had  been conversations  in                                                                    
the news  about what a home  rule government was and  what a                                                                    
general law  local government was.  The difference  was that                                                                    
the home rule community was  allowed to do anything that was                                                                    
not  prohibited by  law. General  law communities  were only                                                                    
allowed  to  do  things  allowed   by  law.  The  home  rule                                                                    
governments  were  the  minority   of  the  165  cities  and                                                                    
boroughs.  However,  their  residents incorporated  under  a                                                                    
charter and  had driven  the level  of government  that they                                                                    
wanted as  part of their  lives. All other first  and second                                                                    
class  boroughs  were  considered  general  law  governments                                                                    
following Title 29.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen continued  that  there  were three  required                                                                    
powers for boroughs  including education, planning/platting,                                                                    
and  taxation.  Regarding  education, the  same  requirement                                                                    
applied to first  class and home rule cities  outside of the                                                                    
organized  borough.  He   reported  that  local  governments                                                                    
served all  Alaskans. He suggested  there was more  than the                                                                    
population of the state, as  there was overlapping authority                                                                    
between boroughs  and cities.  Local governments  were major                                                                    
employers.  He  reported  just  under  8,000  Alaskans  were                                                                    
employed by  local governments. If  the number  was combined                                                                    
with schools  and enterprise organizations the  number would                                                                    
increase  to   20,000  employees   that  worked   for  local                                                                    
governments.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen relayed that over  the course of the previous                                                                    
year, there  had been  a drop in  employment of  about 3,400                                                                    
jobs. In terms  of their financial tax  revenues, cities and                                                                    
boroughs  had  experienced  static  numbers from  FY  18  to                                                                    
FY 19, around $1.8  billion for a combined  total revenue of                                                                    
approximately    $2.5    billion.   The    difference    was                                                                    
intergovernmental   transfers   and   grants.   The   annual                                                                    
expenditures were around $2.5  billion. He wanted to provide                                                                    
some context  on how  the information  fit into  the state's                                                                    
budget.  The Department  of Revenue  (DOR)  had presented  a                                                                    
slide  showing  where state  revenue  lined  up: 48  percent                                                                    
federal;  20.8 percent  investments; local  governments fell                                                                    
in  the middle;  19.7  percent petroleum;  and 11.4  percent                                                                    
other revenue.  He remarked that  local governments  fell in                                                                    
the  middle  between  what  the stat  brought  in  from  its                                                                    
investment  earnings and  from  petroleum or  oil taxes.  He                                                                    
indicated that state  and local revenues equated  to a total                                                                    
of $10.5 Billion.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:39:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative LeBon  noted that  there was one  first class                                                                    
borough in  the state. He  asked Mr. Andreassen  to identify                                                                    
the borough  and queried what  powers it chose not  to have.                                                                    
Mr.  Andreassen responded  that it  was the  Municipality of                                                                    
Skagway.  It was  a  consolidated  government combining  its                                                                    
city and borough structures into  one. It was different than                                                                    
the  City   and  Borough   of  Juneau.   It  had   the  same                                                                    
responsibilities as a home rule.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative  LeBon  asked if  the  home  rule cities  and                                                                    
boroughs could choose  to have their own  police powers. Mr.                                                                    
Andreassen responded in the affirmative.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative  LeBon asked  how many  of the  11 home  rule                                                                    
boroughs  had police  powers. Mr.  Andreassen could  look up                                                                    
the  answer.  He  suggested  a  different  approach  to  the                                                                    
legislator's question. He reported  that there were 40 local                                                                    
governments  with police  departments. There  were 70  local                                                                    
governments out of the 165  that had police powers with some                                                                    
level of  law enforcement  either a  police department  or a                                                                    
village police  officer. He estimated  that just  under half                                                                    
of all  local governments had  police powers. He  added that                                                                    
every city  and borough had  some level of  police authority                                                                    
to ensure public welfare.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Ortiz asked  if the  3,400  job losses  occurred                                                                    
since  the  onset  of Covid-19.  Mr.  Andreassen  responded,                                                                    
"That's correct."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Edgmon  asked   how  825,000  Alaskans  were                                                                    
served when  the population  of Alaska  was only  730,000 to                                                                    
740,000.  Mr. Andreassen  indicated that  he was  looking at                                                                    
layers  of  government  and some  of  them  overlapped.  For                                                                    
instance, the  Mat-Su Borough  had the  City of  Wasilla and                                                                    
the City  of Palmer.  He was  double counting  those numbers                                                                    
because both  levels of  government had  some responsibility                                                                    
to residents.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wool  referred to the  box on the  right side                                                                    
of slide  2 where it  showed state/local revenues.  He asked                                                                    
why local governments were listed  third. He wondered if the                                                                    
box  showed  sources  of  state   and  local  revenues.  Mr.                                                                    
Andreassen  suggested that  if  thinking in  terms of  local                                                                    
governments as political subdivisions  of the state, then it                                                                    
made  sense  to  look  at the  combined  revenues  of  those                                                                    
bodies. Therefore, the state  plus local government revenues                                                                    
totaled  approximately  $10.5  billion    all  of  it  being                                                                    
leveraged in the public's interest  on behalf of Alaskans in                                                                    
some  form or  another.  He pulled  the  percentages from  a                                                                    
slide from  DOR that  mapped the  different buckets  for the                                                                    
state.  He provided  some sense  of where  local governments                                                                    
fit  into the  overall  combined revenue  picture of  Alaska                                                                    
government.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:43:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wool  asked if $10  billion was  the combined                                                                    
total revenue  of the  state and  local governments.  If the                                                                    
state brought in  $5 billion, he wondered  whether the local                                                                    
governments brought  in the other  $5 billion  consisting of                                                                    
taxes such  as sales, bed,  and cruise ship taxes.  He asked                                                                    
about the composition of  revenues. Mr. Andreassen responded                                                                    
that  generally Representative  Wool was  correct. He  noted                                                                    
that the  revenues included federal dollars.  He thought the                                                                    
state level was  closer to $9.5 billion. He  was only adding                                                                    
the tax revenue  of local governments to the  amount. He was                                                                    
not  including  the  transfers   from  the  state  to  local                                                                    
governments so that he was  not double counting. The box was                                                                    
provided to  give an  idea of how  money was  being expended                                                                    
and what was available.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:45:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  continued  to   slide  3  to  review  local                                                                    
government revenues.  In FY 19 revenue  totaled $2.5 billion                                                                    
and  was  made  up  of  a  variety  of  sources.  The  state                                                                    
constitution  gave local  governments sole  taxing authority                                                                    
outside  of  state  government. Prior  to  statehood  school                                                                    
districts also had  that authority. He reported  that for 15                                                                    
of 19  boroughs and 21 cities  there was a total  revenue of                                                                    
$1.6 billion. He  noted the state had a property  tax in the                                                                    
form of  a minimum requirement  of a local  contribution for                                                                    
education in  the amount of  $256 million. He  reported that                                                                    
95 cities  and 9  boroughs had a  sales tax  which generated                                                                    
about $260 million. There were  a variety of other taxes and                                                                    
fees ranging  from tobacco,  raw fish,  car rental,  and bed                                                                    
taxes adding  up to  $146 million. He  noted that  there had                                                                    
been  dramatic decreases  in local  taxes such  as passenger                                                                    
vessel  taxes  and  raw  fish  taxes  which  was  definitely                                                                    
impacting local governments.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen continued that outside  of tax revenues state                                                                    
and  federal transfers  equaled  about 20  percent of  local                                                                    
government  budgets.  Examples   included  the  the  federal                                                                    
Payments in Lieu  of Taxes (PILT) Program,  the Secure Rural                                                                    
Schools  (SRS)  Program,  the state's  Community  Assistance                                                                    
Program, and  a number of other  intergovernmental transfers                                                                    
and  grant  dollars  that  supplemented  local  budgets.  He                                                                    
reported that all  of the revenue he mentioned  was less the                                                                    
state's mandatory exemptions  including the mandatory senior                                                                    
citizen  and disabled  veteran property  tax exemption.  The                                                                    
value  was $95  million for  the current  year, applications                                                                    
having  doubled over  the  prior 10  years,  and the  amount                                                                    
significantly   increasing.   The   amount  had   not   been                                                                    
reimbursed  for more  than  20 years  and  should have  been                                                                    
according to law.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Josephson  asked if  the law  stated "shall."                                                                    
He  wondered  if  the  state should  have  helped  with  the                                                                    
exemptions   it   imposed   on   local   governments.   Yet,                                                                    
legislators  were the  ultimate appropriators  and were  not                                                                    
appropriating the money. He wondered  if the legislature was                                                                    
relying on  it as  a trump  card. Mr.  Andreassen responded,                                                                    
"That's correct."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:49:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen detailed  local  government expenditures  on                                                                    
slide 4.  Local governments had balanced  budgets. The total                                                                    
revenues for FY 19 were  $2.5 billion and total expenditures                                                                    
were  $2.5  billion.  He  reported that  5  percent  of  the                                                                    
expenditures was paid into the  state's pension system ($130                                                                    
million).  The local  governments  also carried  a total  of                                                                    
$4.2  percent  in  bond  debt.  A  large  portion  of  their                                                                    
expenditures   went   to   repay  their   own   bond   debt.                                                                    
Municipalities contributed  a total  of $486 million  as the                                                                    
local  education   contribution  or  20  percent   of  total                                                                    
expenses  of local  governments.  He clarified  that it  was                                                                    
really about  36 out of  the 165 cities and  boroughs making                                                                    
the local contribution.  Municipalities contributed slightly                                                                    
more than  25 percent of  the state's overall  obligation to                                                                    
public education.  Some of the  numbers might  include local                                                                    
impact aid  which was from  the federal government  to local                                                                    
school  districts.  However,  because  of  the  equalization                                                                    
formula of the  state, it was used by the  state against its                                                                    
own contribution.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Mr.   Andreassen   continued   that   the   required   local                                                                    
contribution in  FY 18 was  $256 million.  Local governments                                                                    
gave  beyond  what was  required,  they  gave $230  million.                                                                    
Another  area  of spending  for  local  governments was  for                                                                    
public safety.  There were 40  police departments  for local                                                                    
governments with  combined budgets of $75  million more that                                                                    
the Department  of Public Safety  budget. He  suggested that                                                                    
it  was worth  exploring the  level of  public safety  being                                                                    
delivered by local governments.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen continued to report  on slide 4. He noted the                                                                    
importance  of keeping  communities whole.  There were  many                                                                    
communities  with  pools,  libraries, recreation  and  youth                                                                    
centers, and  parks which make communities  livable stemming                                                                    
outmigration.  He  indicated  another  bucket  of  municipal                                                                    
expenditures had  to do with  public facilities,  works, and                                                                    
transportation  infrastructure.  Some expenditures  included                                                                    
water  and sewer,  landfills, roads  and transit,  and ports                                                                    
and harbors.  He pointed out that  public safety, education,                                                                    
and  public  works  were  the   largest  expenses  of  local                                                                    
governments. He  reported that  local expenditures  had been                                                                    
reduced over the prior 7  years, since FY 13. He highlighted                                                                    
the  chart   on  the  right   of  the  slide   which  showed                                                                    
expenditure  had   decreased  as   less  revenue   had  been                                                                    
available.  At   the  state  level  municipal   budgets  had                                                                    
adjusted  accordingly  which  had resulted  in  a  different                                                                    
level of expenditures  in each of the  priority programs for                                                                    
municipalities.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:52:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen advanced  to slide  5 to  discuss the  state                                                                    
budget and  municipal implications. In broad  scope he noted                                                                    
that when the  state considered reductions to  the budget it                                                                    
really meant cost-shifting to local  governments. It did not                                                                    
happen equally  to all local governments  although they were                                                                    
all  impacted.  He  reported that  in  FY  20  cost-shifting                                                                    
equated  to  $900  million  which fell  on  about  20  local                                                                    
governments. He  argued that the  state's budget  should not                                                                    
be balanced on  the backs of local governments.  He spoke of                                                                    
the basic  services provided by state  and local governments                                                                    
essential  to the  functioning of  communities keeping  them                                                                    
whole. He noted some communities  having to shut their doors                                                                    
a  couple  of  decades  previously. It  took  a  significant                                                                    
amount  of time  for them  to reopen  having to  reestablish                                                                    
their base  level of  funding. The  base funding  level kept                                                                    
the  lights on  and allowed  small cities  to address  items                                                                    
such as landfills, electricity, and elections.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen  surmised that there  were other  things that                                                                    
impacted local governments  including expenditures on public                                                                    
radio or tv,  the ferry system, or other  building blocks to                                                                    
livable communities.  He suggested that if  communities were                                                                    
not livable  through some of  the state support, it  made it                                                                    
challenging for  residents. His final  comment on  the slide                                                                    
was  that  when  budget  reductions  or  cost-shifting  were                                                                    
proposed, there  were very few  options at the  local level.                                                                    
The first  option was not  to raise  taxes in an  attempt to                                                                    
keep communities whole and livable.  However, it did happen.                                                                    
He reported  that, within  the first  year or  two following                                                                    
community assistance going  away, many jurisdictions imposed                                                                    
increased  or new  taxes. Another  response to  state budget                                                                    
reductions was  the reduction of the  provision of services.                                                                    
Many governments  had delayed their capital  investments and                                                                    
maintenance protocols. Finally,  local governments looked to                                                                    
reduce  their government  which  meant eliminating  programs                                                                    
and laying off  staff. He argued that none  of the responses                                                                    
were positive developments  for municipalities and suggested                                                                    
they should be avoided.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:56:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Wool referred  to  the FY  20 reductions  of                                                                    
$850 million  for 20 local  governments. He asked if  it was                                                                    
fair to say that a large  portion of that money was the real                                                                    
estate  property tax  on  the oil  properties  on the  North                                                                    
Slope.  He wondered  how much  of  the amount  would be  oil                                                                    
pipeline  related.  Mr. Andreassen  thought  that  it was  a                                                                    
combination of the petroleum property  tax, school bond debt                                                                    
reimbursement, and  reductions to  the University  of Alaska                                                                    
and the  Alaska Marine Highway System.  Research would argue                                                                    
that  reductions  in  certain  services  would  have  direct                                                                    
impacts  on  local  governments in  the  form  of  increased                                                                    
economic activities. He suggested  that it was a combination                                                                    
of things that added  up. Representative Wool clarified that                                                                    
he was wondering  if one factor was  disproportionate to all                                                                    
the rest.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen moved  to slide 6 to review the  vetoes in FY                                                                    
20 and  FY 21. In reviewing  all of the vetoes  enacted over                                                                    
FY 20  and FY  21, there were  some specific  groupings that                                                                    
were concerning  for local governments.  Many of  the vetoes                                                                    
affected  public health  programs  including behavioral  and                                                                    
mental  health.  A  large portion  of  them  impacted  local                                                                    
governments and  schools. A large  portion of  them impacted                                                                    
things  that communities  depended  on such  as the  unified                                                                    
court system, fish and game management, and transportation.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  suggested  that an  approach  to  governing                                                                    
through   vetoes   meant    that   local   governments   and                                                                    
stakeholders had little  time to plan or prepare  for how to                                                                    
adjust to  the vetoes. Those  that were enacted came  in the                                                                    
middle  or the  end of  a budgeting  cycling making  it very                                                                    
difficult  to   respond  to  them.  Communities   were  left                                                                    
scrabbling  to adjust  in a  very short  amount of  time. He                                                                    
noted  that  for FY  21  several  of  the vetoes  were  made                                                                    
thinking  that   CARES  Act  funding   could  make   up  the                                                                    
difference.  However,  it was  not  the  case based  on  the                                                                    
federal guidelines  that were released. He  mentioned losing                                                                    
school  bond   debt  reimbursement,   community  assistance,                                                                    
funding  for  K-12  education,  municipal  port  and  harbor                                                                    
reimbursement,  and matching  grants which  all destabilized                                                                    
local governments  at a time  when they needed  stability in                                                                    
support  of  responding to  an  economic  and public  health                                                                    
crisis.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:00:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen advanced  to slide 7 to discuss  a short list                                                                    
of  state  budget  priorities   for  local  governments.  He                                                                    
included a  quote from the  Office of Management  and Budget                                                                    
from 2017. He  asserted that one of the reasons  there was a                                                                    
direct connection  between state  and local  governments was                                                                    
the shared  tax base.  There were some  portions of  it that                                                                    
were  restricted  to  the  state.   The  state's  Office  of                                                                    
Management and  Budget (OMB) memo  from 2017  explained what                                                                    
that was  and why there  were different expectations  of the                                                                    
state when  it came  to certain budget  items than  might be                                                                    
seen  in  other   states.  He  would  review   each  of  the                                                                    
priorities.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  moved to  the  topic  of school  bond  debt                                                                    
reimbursement  on slide  8. School  Bond Debt  Reimbursement                                                                    
was  one of  the largest  priorities for  municipalities. He                                                                    
explained  that school  bond debt  reimbursement was  a deal                                                                    
made  between state  and local  governments  to address  the                                                                    
state's constitutional obligation  to fund public education.                                                                    
It   was  a   mechanism  that   made  sense   whereby  local                                                                    
governments   went  through   a  bonding   process  with   a                                                                    
commitment by  the state  to reimburse  for some  portion of                                                                    
it.  In the  current case,  it  was approximately  30 or  40                                                                    
percent   depending   on  the   year   of   the  bond.   The                                                                    
municipalities   had    experienced   reductions    to   the                                                                    
reimbursements  through  the  veto  process  over  the  past                                                                    
couple of years which had been a point of contention.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen  explained that some communities  had dropped                                                                    
off  the school  bond debt  list since  FY 20.  Others would                                                                    
continue to drop off the list  as they paid down their debt.                                                                    
By  FY 26  he would  be having  a very  different discussion                                                                    
with the legislature when the  amount to be repaid each year                                                                    
changed to  approximately 50 percent of  full reimbursement.                                                                    
There  was  still  $800 million  in  local  government  debt                                                                    
outstanding with the expectation  that some portion would be                                                                    
repaid by the state.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen  relayed that school bond  debt reimbursement                                                                    
was a useful  tool to the state. It placed  less pressure on                                                                    
other  funding  mechanisms.  He  would  discuss  the  school                                                                    
construction  and grant  program and  the grant  maintenance                                                                    
program later  in his presentation. He  highlighted that the                                                                    
debt  made  a  significant difference  in  construction  and                                                                    
maintenance  of the  state's  obligation  related to  public                                                                    
education.  The  moratorium   had  placed  more  competition                                                                    
within  the  grant   program  between  Regional  Educational                                                                    
Attendance  Areas (REAAs)  and  municipal school  districts.                                                                    
Recently, the  Department of  Education and  Early Childhood                                                                    
Development   reported  the   need   for  multiple   funding                                                                    
mechanisms to fully meet the state's obligation.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen   pointed  to   the  table  that   showed  a                                                                    
combination  of   the  school  bond  debt   and  the  senior                                                                    
exemption  which  was mandatory  and  specified  in law.  He                                                                    
reported that about 25 communities  were heavily impacted by                                                                    
state  decisions  for large  portions  of  their budget.  He                                                                    
included the percentage  of tax revenues on  the chart which                                                                    
made  sense  in  some  instances  and,  in  other  instances                                                                    
caveats  were  added.  The   Northwest  Arctic  Borough  was                                                                    
different  because  it   had  a  payment  in   lieu  of  tax                                                                    
structure. Some  municipalities relied on a  fish tax versus                                                                    
a property  tax potentially making things  more complicated.                                                                    
He reasserted  that the combination of  shifting school bond                                                                    
debt  reimbursement  (or not  reimbursing  for  it) and  not                                                                    
reimbursing  for the  senior exemption  made it  challenging                                                                    
for municipalities. It shifted costs  to other tax payers in                                                                    
the cities and boroughs.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:05:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  turned  to  slide  9  to  review  community                                                                    
assistance.  Community Assistance  had  been a  longstanding                                                                    
program. He  had included  the original  formula used  in FY                                                                    
70.  It   was  originally  established  as   a  contract  or                                                                    
cooperative  agreement between  state and  local governments                                                                    
for  the provision  of certain  essential services  that the                                                                    
state could  not provide. It  had evolved over time  and had                                                                    
gone through multiple iterations.  As part of the evolution,                                                                    
and  considering   values  adjusted  for   inflation,  local                                                                    
governments  had less  available  and were  doing less  than                                                                    
they had  been. He  suggested that  when looking  at whether                                                                    
the  local  governments could  pick  up  the difference  for                                                                    
public safety,  schools, or road maintenance,  the state had                                                                    
reduced  its contributions  and  had left  communities in  a                                                                    
tough circumstance.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen  hoped the flow  chart on the  slide conveyed                                                                    
that the  failure to  recapitalize community  assistance had                                                                    
left   community  assistance   in  a   precarious  position.                                                                    
Communities  were  expecting  an  automatic  formula  driven                                                                    
transfer  to occur  in the  current  year in  the amount  of                                                                    
about $22  million ($7.5 million  less than the  $30 million                                                                    
that should  go out). The community  assistance amount would                                                                    
decline  precipitously over  the following  few years.  Once                                                                    
the  state's contributions  to communities  were reduced  to                                                                    
less than $20  million and the formula  changed according to                                                                    
population in  significant ways, by  FY 24 only  $12 million                                                                    
was expected to  be distributed. He thought  it would result                                                                    
in  some  communities  being forced  to  shut  their  doors,                                                                    
reduce services, or  look at new or increased  taxes to make                                                                    
up the difference.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson  hoped  he  had  a  reputation  of                                                                    
someone who  was very sympathetic  to local  governments and                                                                    
their  needs. He  noted a  headline in  the Anchorage  Daily                                                                    
News.  He wondered  how  a legislator  could  make sense  of                                                                    
revenue  and   what  amount  was  sufficient.   The  federal                                                                    
government had come to the rescue in the current year.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen thought it ended  up being a matter of scale.                                                                    
It  was  insufficient  for many  communities.  He  had  been                                                                    
talking with the  City of Newhalen who was  happy to receive                                                                    
$33,000.  If  there  were  ways to  juxtapose  the  City  of                                                                    
Newhalen's  $33,000  with  the Municipality  of  Anchorage's                                                                    
$100 million  it was per  capita, the level of  service, the                                                                    
scale of  the services that the  governments were delivering                                                                    
to communities and their population  sizes. He would address                                                                    
the question further on another slide.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:09:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  addressed the  question  of  why the  state                                                                    
should  invest in  the Alaska  Marine Highway  System (slide                                                                    
10. Over the prior year  through the reshaping working group                                                                    
process  he  had heard  a  number  of arguments  about  many                                                                    
communities  that  were  not  accessed  by  the  AMHS.  They                                                                    
suggested that  many of these  communities would be  just as                                                                    
well  serviced  by air.  He  thought  legislators should  be                                                                    
looking at what  kind of communities they  wanted in Alaska.                                                                    
The  other  question  was   what  contributions  from  these                                                                    
communities did the  state need at a time it  was facing its                                                                    
own fiscal  policy decisions. He  reported for the  33 ferry                                                                    
system  communities, there  were  very strong  contributions                                                                    
into   the  state's   pension  system,   into  the   state's                                                                    
obligation  for education,  into  carrying significant  bond                                                                    
debt, and  receiving very little  from a program  like Power                                                                    
Cost Equalization. On  the other side in looking  at the 106                                                                    
cities  simply  served  by  air,  they  did  not  contribute                                                                    
significantly.  The ferry  system communities  had economies                                                                    
of scale, a tax base, and  were doing well with the building                                                                    
block the state provided in the form of a ferry system.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen   suggested  also  looking   at  resolutions                                                                    
communities  only  serviced by  air  to  put them  on  equal                                                                    
footing. He noted that overtime  the state's contribution to                                                                    
the ferry  system had decreased  significantly since  FY 07.                                                                    
At  the  time there  were  significantly  shortfalls at  the                                                                    
state level. Even  at the time, the  communities were making                                                                    
important investments  in the system.  The ferry  system did                                                                    
not just  benefit the  33 port communities  or even  the 106                                                                    
communities served  by air.  He was  talking about  the vast                                                                    
majority of Alaskans who benefited  from a ferry system that                                                                    
was  intact   and  adequately   providing  service   to  the                                                                    
communities it served.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wool asked about  the 33 port communities. He                                                                    
wondered  if  the number  of  communities  the ferry  system                                                                    
served  had  decreased  recently.   He  was  aware  of  some                                                                    
communities  losing  service   temporarily.  Mr.  Andreassen                                                                    
thought the  number had fluctuated  over time.  He indicated                                                                    
there were  a couple  of communities  that had  been removed                                                                    
from the  list. He  was aware that  a number  of communities                                                                    
had incorporated  post ferry system. Many  were in existence                                                                    
because of the transportation  link of AMHS. Communities had                                                                    
thrived with the system supporting them.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:13:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Carpenter  noted that  there were  106 cities                                                                    
served  only by  air.  He  noted the  picture  of Alaska  on                                                                    
slide 10  and   the  area  covered  in   blue  showing  port                                                                    
communities.  He wondered  about  the  106 communities  only                                                                    
served by  air. Mr.  Andreassen replied  that the  data came                                                                    
from a McDowell Group report  that talked about the economic                                                                    
impact of AMHS. The map  included a list of communities that                                                                    
benefitted indirectly  and directly  from the  ferry system.                                                                    
It showed port  communities but was much  more expansive. He                                                                    
had not  included those communities  that were  not included                                                                    
in the McDowell Group report.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Carpenter  asked  if  the  106  cities  were                                                                    
cities  in Southeast  Alaska that  did not  have a  port. He                                                                    
asked   what  entities   comprised  the   106  cities.   Mr.                                                                    
Andreassen  could provide  a list  of  the 106  communities.                                                                    
Many of  them were on the  coast represented in grey  on the                                                                    
map.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Representative Carpenter  was curious  how many  cities were                                                                    
on  a  river  network  that   were  served  by  barges,  for                                                                    
instance.  He wondered  if the  106  communities were  truly                                                                    
only served  by air.  Mr. Andreassen  thought Representative                                                                    
Carpenter was talking  about state-supported infrastructure.                                                                    
Representative Carpenter noted that  it was Mr. Andreassen's                                                                    
slide and comparison. He was confused about the comparison.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative Thompson asked about  the 33 port communities                                                                    
serviced by AMHS. He asked  if all of those communities were                                                                    
also served by air. Mr.  Andreassen believed the majority of                                                                    
them  had air  service. He  offered  that the  point of  the                                                                    
slide had more to do  with the contributions the communities                                                                    
were making to the state.  He was thinking about whether the                                                                    
state was seeing  a return on its investment  into the AMHS.                                                                    
He further clarified his point.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:18:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  continued  to slide  11:  "PERS:  Actuarial                                                                    
Determined  Contribution  Rate."  The state  pension  was  a                                                                    
critical  issue   for  local  governments.   The  sixty-four                                                                    
municipal  employers  made  up  18 percent  of  the  state's                                                                    
pension system.  He reported that  of the  municipal payroll                                                                    
about $130  million went  towards the  22 percent  capped at                                                                    
the employer rate. A substantial  investment would be needed                                                                    
to make  up the  difference between  that and  the actuarial                                                                    
rate.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen reported that there  were two concerns within                                                                    
the state's pension system. First,  it was not fully funded,                                                                    
and  funding  levels  continued  to  decrease.  He  reported                                                                    
funding  levels  at 64  percent  for  pension benefits.  The                                                                    
second  concern was  that  a large  portion  of payroll  was                                                                    
going into PERS. The contribution,  whether 22 percent or 30                                                                    
percent, made it difficult to  recruit and retain employees.                                                                    
He reported that for defined  benefits employees for pension                                                                    
benefits, it  was 28.89  percent. The  normal cost  was 2.58                                                                    
percent and  the past  service rate  (what was  necessary to                                                                    
address   the  unfunded   liability)   was  18.31   percent.                                                                    
Additionally,   for   defined    benefits   employees,   the                                                                    
healthcare benefits  percentage was 3.12 percent,  and there                                                                    
was no past service rate    it was currently overfunded. The                                                                    
defined contributions employee plan  had a percentage of 6.1                                                                    
percent. It was all four  of those elements that combined to                                                                    
make up the total rate  of 30.11 percent. He indicated there                                                                    
was a  total of about  15,000 defined benefits  employees in                                                                    
the system and about  29,000 defined contributions employees                                                                    
in the system.  He claimed that pension  obligations made up                                                                    
a  significant portion  of  local  government budgets  which                                                                    
they had  no control over  and no representation  within the                                                                    
Alaska  Retirement Management  Board (ARMB).  He hoped  that                                                                    
the state  would keep the  cap in  place. He also  hoped for                                                                    
further discussions  about how  to get to  a better  type of                                                                    
pension system  that addressed  the unfunded  liability, the                                                                    
additional  state contribution,  and how  to bring  the rate                                                                    
down so  that employers  could be more  competitive relative                                                                    
to others in the nation.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:21:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen turned  to slide  12 to  address keeping  up                                                                    
with education. He pointed to the  graph at the top right of                                                                    
the  slide. He  indicated the  state  had kept  up with  its                                                                    
education  funding. It  had remained  flat  if adjusted  for                                                                    
inflation.  The  amount  was  not  adjusted  for  pupil.  He                                                                    
pointed out  that the ADM count  over the past 10  years had                                                                    
increased overtime.  However, spending had not  kept up with                                                                    
the ADM but had with  inflation. The base student allocation                                                                    
(BSA)  had not  kept up  with inflation.  He pointed  to the                                                                    
bottom right  chart which  showed how  the BSA  had declined                                                                    
over time. In many ways schools  were being asked to do more                                                                    
with less.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen  continued that since the  majority of school                                                                    
districts  were municipal,  AML was  concerned with  whether                                                                    
the state  was spending  enough on  education. There  was an                                                                    
adequacy  test   within  the   system.  He   mentioned  past                                                                    
litigation,  the Kasayulie  Case that  looked at  inadequacy                                                                    
relative  to  rural communities.  He  noted  the Moore  Case                                                                    
related  to   adequacy  and  the  Mat-Su   Case  related  to                                                                    
operations   versus  instruction.   He   also  mentioned   a                                                                    
Ketchikan case  that looked at  public education  that could                                                                    
be relitigated  according to a public  education clause. The                                                                    
fundamental question  was whether the state  was meeting its                                                                    
constitutional  obligation to  deliver  a  system of  public                                                                    
education  to  Alaskans.  The Alaska  Municipal  League  was                                                                    
concerned at  a local  government level in  partnership with                                                                    
schools whether the state was meeting its obligation.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen discussed  community and  regional jails  on                                                                    
slide  13. Similar  to school  funding, jails  had tried  to                                                                    
keep  up  with inflation.  If  community  and regional  jail                                                                    
funding was adjusted  for inflation, the state was  at FY 02                                                                    
funding levels. Funding  had been static at  $7 million over                                                                    
the previous  6 years.  The current  year proposal  was also                                                                    
$7 million.  He opined  that the  amount was  inadequate. In                                                                    
order to  provide services for  the state so  the Department                                                                    
of  Corrections (DOC)  and the  Department of  Public Safety                                                                    
(DPS)  did   not  have  to   add  to  their   budget,  local                                                                    
governments  were  picking  up  as much  as  50  percent  of                                                                    
expenses in  some places.  If things  did not  change, there                                                                    
was a  real possibility that  jails might not  be maintained                                                                    
and costs would get shifted back to DOC and DPS.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:26:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen advanced to slide  14 to address the question                                                                    
of  how   to  look  forward.  He   had  mentioned  inflation                                                                    
throughout the  presentation. He  tried to think  about what                                                                    
it meant  for local  government. The graph  on the  left was                                                                    
OMB's  inflation adjusted  10-year plan  with a  baseline in                                                                    
the current year that was  slightly different than it should                                                                    
be  if the  proposed funds  source changes  were taken  into                                                                    
consideration.  A nominal  1.5  percent was  applied to  the                                                                    
10-year  budget.  He  did  not  know  if  it  accounted  for                                                                    
everything  but  it  accounted  for  the  things  the  state                                                                    
tracked for  inflation-proofing. If the budget  was adjusted                                                                    
to where  it should be without  items being paid for  out of                                                                    
AHFC or AIDEA the number  would be different. There would be                                                                    
an  increase  between  the current  year's  budget  and  the                                                                    
budget in FY 32.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen commented  that the  numbers for  the Alaska                                                                    
Permanent Fund  Corporation (APFC) and for  PERS reflected a                                                                    
growth  of  expenditures over  the  following  10 years.  He                                                                    
wondered  what  it meant  for  programs  important to  local                                                                    
governments.  He asserted  that  mostly,  inflation had  not                                                                    
been  addressed  within  almost  any  formula  program  that                                                                    
transferred out  to local governments. While  there might be                                                                    
some accounting  for inflation for some  state programs such                                                                    
as payroll  or agency  work, elsewhere, he  did not  see the                                                                    
same  increase  play out  over  time.  There would  be  very                                                                    
different numbers  presently if,  going back  to FY  07, the                                                                    
state  had   invested  differently   in  the   programs.  He                                                                    
mentioned  a  spending  cap.  The  constitutional  amendment                                                                    
passed  in  1982.  He  speculated  that  if  the  state  had                                                                    
adjusted  for   inflation  the   state's  budget   would  be                                                                    
$12.9 billion or 26 percent above  what was proposed in 2017                                                                    
during   periods  considered   high  spending   overall.  He                                                                    
contended  that   if  the  state  was   not  accounting  for                                                                    
inflation, then it  was requiring that its  partners do less                                                                    
with less  in terms of  the services they were  providing on                                                                    
behalf of the state.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:29:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen   reviewed  slide  15:   "Stabilizing  State                                                                    
Budget."  He hoped  the  legislature would  look  at how  to                                                                    
stabilize  the   budget.  The   budget,  as   proposed,  was                                                                    
insufficient in many  ways in terms of meeting  the needs of                                                                    
local governments and other partners.  He included a list of                                                                    
several  items that  had necessary  funding levels  that, if                                                                    
not  funded,  would  be   destabilizing  and  have  negative                                                                    
impacts   to  local   governments.   He   argued  that   the                                                                    
legislature  needed  to  recapitalize  community  assistance                                                                    
fully  returning   to  the  $30  million   distribution.  He                                                                    
indicated  $32 million  would necessary.  He also  asked for                                                                    
additional funding for the public  safety system. All of the                                                                    
needs at  a community  level added up.  He relayed  that the                                                                    
proposed FY  22 budget was  short by about $600  million. He                                                                    
admitted the request was not minimal.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen   discussed  addressing   an  infrastructure                                                                    
deficit  on slide  16. He  argued  that it  was critical  to                                                                    
address the state's infrastructure  deficit. The list on the                                                                    
slide  totaled $22  billion but  was not  a request  for the                                                                    
current year. He thought the  state should be looking at its                                                                    
infrastructure needs.  He mentioned  DEED's 6-year  plan for                                                                    
school construction and major  maintenance that totaled $1.6                                                                    
billion  to $2.3  billion. He  indicated that  Indian Health                                                                    
Services (HIS) maintained a list  water and wastewater needs                                                                    
of $1.9  billion. There  was probably an  equal need  at the                                                                    
urban  level. There  were  capital lists  from  at least  50                                                                    
local  governments totaling  around $4  billion. There  were                                                                    
also port  and harbor needs.  The state maintained  its list                                                                    
of  deferred maintenance  and STIP.  The broadband  need was                                                                    
likely  underestimated  on  the  slide.  He  also  hoped  to                                                                    
improve   the  jail   facilities   and  infrastructure.   He                                                                    
requested  that legislators  be  cognizant of  needs at  the                                                                    
local  level.  Maintaining  a   list  and  prioritizing  was                                                                    
critical.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:34:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen   moved  to  slide   17  to   review  school                                                                    
construction  and  major  maintenance grants.  He  indicated                                                                    
that   one   of   the  infrastructure   needs   was   school                                                                    
construction and  major maintenance.  He had  spoken earlier                                                                    
about the  school bond debt reimbursement  program. All that                                                                    
was left  was the school construction  and major maintenance                                                                    
grant program. The history of  the grants was not inspiring.                                                                    
He thought  it was a  little scary  that the state  had only                                                                    
funded 14 percent of the  total need since 2011. He reported                                                                    
that  for maintenance  projects, only  .07 percent  had been                                                                    
funded over  a 10-year  time horizon.  He indicated  that of                                                                    
just  over  1000 schools  about  75  percent were  owned  or                                                                    
maintained by  municipalities. Almost  half were  older than                                                                    
40  years which  was the  time to  start worrying  about the                                                                    
health of the infrastructure.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen stated  that the  requests in  the currently                                                                    
proposed  budget were  not being  met. The  need for  school                                                                    
construction was estimated  to be $162 million.  There was a                                                                    
request of $187 million  for major maintenance: $119 million                                                                    
for municipal schools and $68  million for REAAs. He pointed                                                                    
out that the  current maintenance compared to that  of FY 15                                                                    
provided a  sense of  the reversal  that had  occurred since                                                                    
school bond debt went away.  Municipalities were more likely                                                                    
to  apply   for  assistance  relative   to  REAAs   and  the                                                                    
competition  between  the two.  The  need  at the  municipal                                                                    
level had  increased over time.  The grant  programs weighed                                                                    
the requested  needs against the  investments that  might be                                                                    
necessary in REAAs.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen continued that the  6-year plan would require                                                                    
about $1.6 billion  and the FY 22 need was  $500 million. If                                                                    
looking at  the total  eligible state  share, the  amount of                                                                    
need should be calculated  differently and would total about                                                                    
$2.8 billion  since FY  11. He noted  that 16  districts did                                                                    
not  submit any  project  need requests.  The Department  of                                                                    
Education  and  Early   Childhood  Development's  facilities                                                                    
report   indicated   that   the   state's   total   deferred                                                                    
maintenance was $9.4 billion. In  order to address that need                                                                    
the  legislature  would  have to  appropriate  $283  million                                                                    
annually. The amount was  significant and under-addressed in                                                                    
much  of  how the  legislature  had  approached the  state's                                                                    
constitutional  obligation.   He  suggested  that   only  48                                                                    
percent of  the forecasted need  was being addressed  in the                                                                    
budget.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:37:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  turned  to slide  18:  "Municipal  Roads  -                                                                    
Transportation."  Another area  of infrastructure  important                                                                    
to look at  was municipal transportation. It was  one of the                                                                    
three or four buckets of  funding in which local governments                                                                    
contributed.  Local  governments   managed  about  the  same                                                                    
number of road miles at  DOT, approximately 5500 road miles.                                                                    
Municipal  transportation budgets  added  up  to about  $190                                                                    
million a  large portion of which  went towards maintenance.                                                                    
Municipal projects were not reflected  well in the Statewide                                                                    
Transportation Improvement Program  (STIP). He thought there                                                                    
were  some  process  questions about  how  the  state  fully                                                                    
accounted for  the transportation needs of  its roads. There                                                                    
were  6  municipal airports.  Also,  there  were many  local                                                                    
governments   that   maintained   state   airports   through                                                                    
contracts.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen also  included  information regarding  ports                                                                    
and harbors.  He reported that  the majority of  state ports                                                                    
and harbors were  owned by municipalities. Many  of them had                                                                    
been transferred by  the state to local  governments, as the                                                                    
state did  not want  the responsibility of  maintaining them                                                                    
or thought  local governments were  in a better  position to                                                                    
manage them.  Resulting from the  transfers came  the harbor                                                                    
matching  grant program.  However, the  program was  outside                                                                    
the traditional  operating or capital budget.  Over time the                                                                    
state  had  contributed  annually   to  the  matching  grant                                                                    
program. It was a deal that  was made similar to school bond                                                                    
debt  reimbursement    the state  would help  along the  way                                                                    
with the  ports and harbors  if local governments  took them                                                                    
and managed them for the state.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen continued  that within the STIP  there was no                                                                    
funding for  ports and harbors  because they were  not state                                                                    
owned. There  were some ferry terminals  included. For ports                                                                    
and harbors  he had an  early estimate from members  in 2010                                                                    
of a total  need of $595 million determined  through a Corps                                                                    
of Engineers study.  He highlighted the table  on the bottom                                                                    
right  of  the slide.  It  showed  those municipalities  who                                                                    
responded to the  survey. The full need of  $595 million was                                                                    
not reflect  on the  table. The  need for  those communities                                                                    
that responded had  doubled. He mentioned a  port and harbor                                                                    
project assessment  that was either  planned or  where there                                                                    
was need  totaling about  $2 billion.  He noted  having made                                                                    
agreements under a previous program  (noted on the top right                                                                    
of  the slide)  under TIDSRA/HB528  municipal projects.  The                                                                    
state made  the agreement that if  municipalities bonded for                                                                    
the  projects listed,  the state  would  reimburse them  for                                                                    
some portion.  The funds  had been  vetoed or  otherwise not                                                                    
appropriated in  recent years. He concluded  his snapshot of                                                                    
transportation needs.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:42:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen addressed  the funding  needs for  municipal                                                                    
water and sewer on slide 19.  He pointed to the pie chart on                                                                    
the  right representing  the  rural  Alaska sanitation  fund                                                                    
need  of $1.8  billion. Indian  Health Services  managed the                                                                    
list and the  state provided funding through  two forms; the                                                                    
revolving  loan fund  and the  village  safe water  program.                                                                    
Ther  revolving loan  program  went to  some  cities in  the                                                                    
unorganized borough and more likely  to cities and boroughs.                                                                    
Local  governments  could borrow  from  the  program at  low                                                                    
interest rates  (1.5 percent interest) but  were required to                                                                    
pay  the money  back.  The state  provided matching  dollars                                                                    
through the village safe water  program to be able to access                                                                    
a  much  greater amount  of  federal  funding. Most  of  the                                                                    
projects  associated with  the  village  safe water  program                                                                    
were within  small communities in the  unorganized boroughs.                                                                    
He  thought the  state,  the federal  government, and  local                                                                    
governments should work together to address the need.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen continued  to slide  20: "COVID  and Limited                                                                    
Relief." He  would address where  the state was at  in terms                                                                    
of how  it had been  impacted by  Covid, the CARES  Act, and                                                                    
the American Rescue  Plan Act (ARPA). He  indicated that the                                                                    
goal of  local governments  and hopefully  the state  was to                                                                    
stabilize  government making  sure there  was continuity  in                                                                    
operations  to  ensure  that  resident  received  what  they                                                                    
needed  in challenging  times. He  reported that  in talking                                                                    
with  mayors they  were very  focused  on economic  recovery                                                                    
that included  public health and  targeted relief  with some                                                                    
big  lifts at  the state  and  local level.  For some  local                                                                    
governments,  even with  COVID  funding, they  could not  be                                                                    
made whole.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:45:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  advanced to  slide  21  to discuss  Covid's                                                                    
impacts. Covid impacts had  been diverse across communities.                                                                    
The financial impacts of  Covid included significant vetoes,                                                                    
reductions  to  the  previous year's  budget,  lost  revenue                                                                    
during hunker  down orders and  mitigation measure,  and the                                                                    
additional activities  taken on by local  governments. There                                                                    
was a multitude  of decision points or  inputs that affected                                                                    
how  local  governments  responded. Every  local  government                                                                    
approached  the  issue  by  asking how  to  make  sure  that                                                                    
residence had what  they needed during the  pandemic. It was                                                                    
the  primary goal  among other  decisions.  There were  nine                                                                    
points he included on his slide worth reviewing:                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     In response to the pandemic and impacts of vetoes,                                                                         
     local governments have maintained fiscal stability                                                                         
     and:                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
          • Implemented furloughs or reduced staff hours                                                                      
          • Eliminated or reduced programs or services                                                                        
          • Increased or added new taxes                                                                                      
          • Waived fees or other normal charges                                                                               
          • Accessed grant programs or took out loans                                                                         
          • Reduced capital budget                                                                                            
          • Spending down of emergency reserves                                                                               
          • Eliminated travel and training                                                                                    
          • Adjusted prior year appropriations                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  reported  there   had  been  a  variety  of                                                                    
responses from  communities. There  were a number  of health                                                                    
mitigation  strategies implemented.  At the  heart of  local                                                                    
government response  was state-level guidance  that expected                                                                    
decisions  at  the  local   level.  Some  local  governments                                                                    
partnered with  public health experts to  manage through the                                                                    
emergencies.  Emergency  operations  centers were  stood  up                                                                    
across  the  state,  and  every   local  government  had  an                                                                    
incident  commander and  a  public  information officer.  He                                                                    
reported  that 165  counsels and  assemblies  met weekly  to                                                                    
evaluate where  they were at  in dealing with  the pandemic.                                                                    
There were a number of  health mitigation measures that were                                                                    
put into  place at the local  level. He relayed that  one of                                                                    
the things  that stood  out in the  pandemic was  that local                                                                    
governments set  up resident support systems  to ensure that                                                                    
residents had what they needed through the crisis.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:50:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen continued to slide  22: "CARES Act." He noted                                                                    
how  appreciative   he  was  of   the  governor's   and  the                                                                    
legislature's decision  to move  CARES Act funding  from the                                                                    
state  to local  governments  exactly as  the U.S.  Treasury                                                                    
advised at 45  percent of the state's allocation.  It made a                                                                    
huge  difference  for  fine tuning  the  relief  communities                                                                    
needed. He  pointed out that  out of the  total expenditures                                                                    
of local governments during the  period, economic support in                                                                    
the form  of resident grants  or business was number  one in                                                                    
how they  were expended.  Payroll funding went  to emergency                                                                    
operations  and  public  safety.  Another  portion  went  to                                                                    
public health.  Most local governments  did not  have public                                                                    
health  powers. Therefore,  they were  not providing  public                                                                    
health  like  other  counties around  the  nation.  However,                                                                    
entities  worked  together  to  be able  to  address  public                                                                    
health and medical issues.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen   continued  that  the  majority   of  local                                                                    
governments had  received their CARES Act  funding. He noted                                                                    
that of  his members, only  8 communities had  not requested                                                                    
CARES Act  funds for their communities  for various reasons.                                                                    
Some were  uncertain of eligibility  and did not  know about                                                                    
repayment.  Some  communities  had  not  been  significantly                                                                    
impacted  by the  pandemic. The  vast  majority of  entities                                                                    
needed  the  funding  and  had spent  90  percent  of  their                                                                    
funding. He  thought the  state would  have only  reached 98                                                                    
percent by the original date  had it not been extended. Most                                                                    
communities had  made quick  decisions in  the last  week of                                                                    
2020. He  reported that  $552 million  of the  federal funds                                                                    
had  been  distributed.  The  Alaska  Municipal  League  had                                                                    
collaborated  with OMB  and the  Division  of Community  and                                                                    
Regional  Affairs  (DCRA)  among others.  Local  governments                                                                    
worked with AML to make  sure they were in proper compliance                                                                    
at  the state  and  federal  levels to  use  the funds  most                                                                    
effectively. He thought it was a success story.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Merrick   recognized  that   Representative                                                                    
Johnson had joined the meeting.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:54:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wool  thought the  anonymous mayor  quoted on                                                                    
slide 20, "We're hosed" was  referring to ARPA. He suggested                                                                    
one could argue that some  of the smaller communities faired                                                                    
disproportionately   well   with  the   first   disbursement                                                                    
compared  to some  larger communities.  He  wondered if  Mr.                                                                    
Andreassen agreed. Mr.  Andreassen asked Representative Wool                                                                    
to restate  his question.  Representative Wool  restated his                                                                    
question.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen  agreed that  the quote  was in  reference to                                                                    
ARPA. However, nothing was easy  about the implementation of                                                                    
the CARES  Act funding, nor  was the funding a  windfall for                                                                    
communities. Most  communities had to jump  through hoops to                                                                    
build capacity  to figure out  how to be compliant  with the                                                                    
federal  guidelines   that  changed  frequently   and  state                                                                    
reporting requirements.  Most communities were  limited with                                                                    
how the funds could be  spent. Although the quote referenced                                                                    
ARPA, it  was important to  know how challenging it  was for                                                                    
local  governments  to  use  the CARES  Act  funds.  It  was                                                                    
challenging for  both large and small  communities to manage                                                                    
through CARES Act implementation.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wool agreed with  Mr. Andreassen comments. He                                                                    
hoped that some  of the state ARPA money could  help some of                                                                    
the  smaller  communities such  as  Skagway  and the  Denali                                                                    
Borough who were heavily affected by the lack of tourism.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:57:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen turned  to slide  23: "COVID's  Impact." The                                                                    
slide contained  a rough list  of how local  governments had                                                                    
been impacted.  Every local government was  different in how                                                                    
COVID and  the economic  crisis impacted their  finances. He                                                                    
could provide  detailed numbers for each  of the communities                                                                    
if anyone  wanted them.  Some of  the impacts  included lost                                                                    
taxes  like sales  taxes and  fish taxes.  Those communities                                                                    
that  relied on  ports,  fishing, cruise  ships, or  tourism                                                                    
were  most disproportionately  impacted. He  argued that  no                                                                    
community   stayed   whole   through  the   pandemic.   Some                                                                    
communities' sales  tax stayed flat and  managed through the                                                                    
crisis. Some hub communities continued  to see some domestic                                                                    
tourism.  He   indicated  smaller  communities   reliant  on                                                                    
revenue generating  activities such  as bingo and  pull tabs                                                                    
were shut down.  He noted that some  communities had utility                                                                    
waivers through the  pandemic. Municipalities did everything                                                                    
they  could to  avoid adding  to residents'  and businesses'                                                                    
burdens.  They  also  stood   up  emergency  operations.  He                                                                    
indicated that  for the majority  of communities,  they were                                                                    
negatively impacted financially.  Although CARES Act funding                                                                    
helped, they could not be used for revenue replacement.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:00:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen  reviewed ARPA on slide 24.  He reported that                                                                    
although  the  numbers were  not  final,  they were  a  good                                                                    
assessment of  where things were  headed. He  indicated that                                                                    
cities were  split into two different  groups and everything                                                                    
was based on  a community development block  grant (CBDG) or                                                                    
a U.S. Housing and  Urban Development (HUD) grant. Anchorage                                                                    
was the  only metropolitan area  in Alaska. They  received a                                                                    
direct appropriation,  approximately $45 million.  All other                                                                    
cities, because  they were CBDG non-entitlement  cities, had                                                                    
to go  through the  state and  the legislature  before going                                                                    
through distribution  similar to the CARES  Act funding. The                                                                    
city portion  was about $88.5  million. Boroughs  and census                                                                    
areas on  the same  list would  receive about  $142 million.                                                                    
Out of the census areas it was  up to the state to develop a                                                                    
distribution    methodology   for    unorganized   boroughs.                                                                    
Anchorage would appear  on both lists. He  reported that the                                                                    
$100  million that  was reported  earlier  was the  combined                                                                    
amount  between   its  city   allocation  and   its  borough                                                                    
allocation. Some  communities were on both  lists and others                                                                    
were not.  The Alaska Municipal  League had argued  with the                                                                    
U.S. Treasury that some communities  should be on both lists                                                                    
to help  those that  were most  disproportionately impacted.                                                                    
He suggested that  there was a huge opportunity  to meet the                                                                    
needs of Alaskans by  collaborating. He mentioned partnering                                                                    
with different  entities to respond to  economic impacts and                                                                    
the  health emergency,  to  stabilize  government through  a                                                                    
lost revenue  provision, and to  make investments  in water,                                                                    
sewer,   and    broadband.   He   had    already   initiated                                                                    
conversations about what collaboration  for water and sewer,                                                                    
broadband, and child care might look like.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:04:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  turned  to  slide  25  to  discuss  federal                                                                    
relief.  He thought  there was  a formula  for figuring  out                                                                    
those local  governments that  had not  been made  whole. He                                                                    
suggested  adding  up lost  revenues  from  fees and  taxes,                                                                    
vetoes, and  additional expenses  incurred due to  the COVID                                                                    
public  health emergency.  He would  look  at the  allowable                                                                    
expenses  under the  CARES Act  and consider  what could  be                                                                    
shifted within  the CARES Act  guidance. He would  also look                                                                    
at   the  anticipated   funding  from   ARPA.  Taking   into                                                                    
consideration all of  those things he would  look at whether                                                                    
communities  were made  whole.  The  CARES Act  restrictions                                                                    
meant there  were limited benefits to  local governments. If                                                                    
federal  relief  was  not sufficient  to  meet  resident  or                                                                    
business expectations,  Alaskans might look to  the state to                                                                    
provide  additional  relief  or  for  local  governments  to                                                                    
provide continued levels of support.  He thought there would                                                                    
be  limited capacity  for most  communities to  do so.  As a                                                                    
result   of  federal   relief,  he   speculated  that   most                                                                    
communities  would come  out even  and  some might  be in  a                                                                    
position  to focus  more on  economic  recovery. He  relayed                                                                    
that  the  Alaska  Conference  of  Mayors  had  a  champaign                                                                    
related  to  a race  to  recovery.  There would  communities                                                                    
disproportionately impacted.  He argued that  federal relief                                                                    
was wholly insufficient. The slide  provided a quick list of                                                                    
communities that were significantly  impact and did not come                                                                    
close to  being made whole.  Most of the  communities relied                                                                    
on tourism  and travel. He  was only providing a  look back.                                                                    
There  were  communities  in which  ARPA  funding  would  be                                                                    
insufficient.  Communities were  already considering  laying                                                                    
off  staff, reducing  services,  delaying capital  projects,                                                                    
spending down  reserves, and otherwise  addressing revenues.                                                                    
He thought  working together would be  necessary to maximize                                                                    
relief.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:08:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Rasmussen  noted   the  Denali  Borough  was                                                                    
seeking $4 million to $7  million. The other communities had                                                                    
more specific numbers. She wondered  why the borough's range                                                                    
was so  significant. Mr. Andreassen  responded that  AML had                                                                    
estimates  for  the Denali  Borough  from  the previous  and                                                                    
current year. The borough's losses  from the prior year were                                                                    
$4 million  and $3 million in  the current year. It  was not                                                                    
just about  the prior year  but what was anticipated  in the                                                                    
following year.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson asked  Mr.  Andreassen to  clarify                                                                    
the  meaning of  wholly  inadequate. He  wondered if  direct                                                                    
funding   was  wholly   inadequate.  He   noted  the   other                                                                    
opportunities  with assistance  listed  in  his outline.  He                                                                    
asked if he was accurate.  Mr. Andreassen responded that the                                                                    
other  funding that  was coming  through the  ARPA could  be                                                                    
applied on  behalf of those  communities. There  was nothing                                                                    
else that  provided direct relief  that was  formula driven.                                                                    
Everything  else was  either competitive  in the  form of  a                                                                    
grant or through the state.  Unless there was a contribution                                                                    
with a  formula from the state  it would not go  to fill the                                                                    
whole. Rather it would fill other parts of their budget.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative Josephson  noted there were no  provisions in                                                                    
the CARES Act, Coronavirus  Response and Relief Supplemental                                                                    
Appropriations  Act  (CRRSAA),  or  ARPA  that  allowed  the                                                                    
funding   to  be   used  to   replace   lost  revenues   for                                                                    
communities.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen  responded,  "Not specifically."  There  was                                                                    
something added  within ARPA for  Payments in Lieu  of Taxes                                                                    
(PILT) or Secure Rural School  (SRS) communities. He thought                                                                    
public  lands   communities  would   have  access   to  some                                                                    
additional formula. It  was pretty minimal in  terms of what                                                                    
was included  in ARPA,  and there was  no formula.  The only                                                                    
other  thing   within  ARPA  that  was   specific  to  would                                                                    
disproportionately  impacted  communities  was  through  the                                                                    
U.S.  Economic  Development  Administration  (EDA).  It  was                                                                    
unclear whether or how it would come to Alaska.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson thought  that the  panhandle would                                                                    
argue that  it was a  public lands community because  of the                                                                    
Tongass  National Forest.  He  recalled  some trade  dollars                                                                    
coming  to  the  Southeast through  congressional  authority                                                                    
about 5  years prior in lieu  of some harm that  came from a                                                                    
trade  act. He  asked if  Mr.  Andreassen knew  what he  was                                                                    
talking about.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Mr.   Andreassen  was   uncertain  of   what  Representative                                                                    
Josephson  was  specifically   talking  about.  However,  he                                                                    
thought the  representative was right  that it would  be the                                                                    
public  lands,  boroughs, and  cities.  They  were all  PILT                                                                    
recipients.  He  did  not  know  how  the  monies  would  be                                                                    
allocated.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:13:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Ortiz  pointed  to  Hoonah  on  the  slide.  The                                                                    
community thought  it would be receiving  $183,500. However,                                                                    
in order  to make  them whole they  would need  $2.7 million                                                                    
from the state. He asked if he was correct.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen relayed  that the  slide  captured what  the                                                                    
difference was  between the funding they  were receiving and                                                                    
the  amount  that  would  make  them  whole.  He  thought  a                                                                    
conversation would  be necessary  to discuss how  to address                                                                    
the communities that  were most disproportionately affected.                                                                    
He wondered if  there was a formula or  mechanism that could                                                                    
be developed to offset a portion in the coming months.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:15:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  LeBon  wanted to  look  ahead  at the  final                                                                    
slide regarding the  eight stars of gold.  He wondered about                                                                    
the  relationship between  the state  and local  governments                                                                    
whether boroughs,  cities, or  municipalities and  where the                                                                    
responsibilities begin  and end.  He represented  a district                                                                    
that rested  entirely within the  city limits  of Fairbanks.                                                                    
The residents of  Fairbanks paid for their  public safety in                                                                    
the form  of the  Fairbanks Police Department.  He commented                                                                    
that none of the eight stars  of gold on the slide suggested                                                                    
that public safety should be  shared   at least some element                                                                    
of  responsibility  to  pay  for  public  safety  among  all                                                                    
organized communities.  He asked  if AML  had a  position on                                                                    
the  responsibility  towards  public safety  shared  by  all                                                                    
communities. Mr.  Andreassen asked a clarifying  question to                                                                    
Co-Chair Merrick.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Merrick  indicated Mr. Andreassen could  answer the                                                                    
question.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen replied,  "Yes,  to some  extent." He  noted                                                                    
that  the eight  stars of  gold were  not necessarily  AML's                                                                    
eight  stars  of gold.  From  an  AML perspective  on  state                                                                    
fiscal policy,  a large  part was to  look at  devolution of                                                                    
state   powers,  responsibilities,   authorities  to   local                                                                    
governments that had  the capacity to do so.  He thought AML                                                                    
would  be  open  to  discuss  the  right  formula  mechanism                                                                    
relating to public safety or any  other power as long as the                                                                    
local government  had a tax  base that could support  it and                                                                    
the capacity to implement it.  Implementation would not be a                                                                    
quick directive.  Rather there would  be a process  in which                                                                    
capacity was built at the  local level to incentivize taking                                                                    
on the  additional responsibilities.  He continued  that the                                                                    
eight  stars  of  gold  were an  attempt  to  highlight  the                                                                    
following:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
 1) State spending was insufficient in some ways for some                                                                       
    constitutional and other obligations.                                                                                       
 2) The state needed an economic rebound post-pandemic and                                                                      
    in general.                                                                                                                 
 3) The state had an infrastructure deficit.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen concluded that some  combination of the eight                                                                    
stars of  gold needed to  happen in the  current legislative                                                                    
session.  The stars  represented what  a comprehensive  plan                                                                    
could or should look like and  agreed to by the governor and                                                                    
the  legislature. There  were other  areas  or aspects  that                                                                    
could be included.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:19:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  LeBon  pointed out  that  one  of the  eight                                                                    
stars  of  gold  was  to implement  a  broad-based  tax  and                                                                    
revenue  measure. He  commented that  it would  be tough  to                                                                    
tell his constituents  the there would be  a broad-based tax                                                                    
and  they   would  have  to   continue  paying   for  police                                                                    
protection. He  was unwilling to  bring that message  to his                                                                    
constituents.  He  assumed  that  the eight  stars  of  gold                                                                    
represented the  positions of  AML. He  asked about  the PFD                                                                    
formula changes versus the  community assistance program. He                                                                    
wondered  if   Mr.  Andreassen   was  suggesting   that  the                                                                    
legislature reduce the  PFD formula in some  material way to                                                                    
make room for more community assistance.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Andreassen   thought  Representative  LeBon   had  good                                                                    
questions. He  was unsure  what approach  the representative                                                                    
would  or should  take with  his constituents.  He indicated                                                                    
the  eight  stars of  gold  were  items  that needed  to  be                                                                    
negotiated  between a  variety  of  different programs.  The                                                                    
Alaska  Municipal League  had not  taken a  position on  the                                                                    
amount of  the PFD or  the formula. There was  a recognition                                                                    
that there  was an emerging consensus  that something needed                                                                    
to  change within  the  dividend formula  to  make sure  the                                                                    
state could pay  for things in the budget  and could fulfill                                                                    
its  constitutional,  debt,  and statutory  obligations.  He                                                                    
thought all of the items  would be negotiated in the process                                                                    
with  the  legislature and  the  governor.  The eight  stars                                                                    
represented what had emerged over  the previous few years of                                                                    
debate around fiscal policy.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative LeBon  appreciated that one of  the goals was                                                                    
to ensure  a sustainable  draw from  the Permanent  Fund. He                                                                    
assumed AML  would not support  an overdraw of  the Earnings                                                                    
Reserve  Account (ERA)  to enhance  community assistance  or                                                                    
any  other shortfall  Mr. Andreassen  had  addressed in  his                                                                    
presentation.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Wool assumed,  as did  Representative LeBon,                                                                    
that  the eight  stars of  gold represented  AML's position.                                                                    
His constituents supported some  kind of broad-based tax. Of                                                                    
the 165 communities, many already  had a sales tax. He asked                                                                    
if  AML's  communities  had  a   preference  of  a  type  of                                                                    
broad-based  tax. Mr.  Andreassen responded  that AML  had a                                                                    
resolution  in support  of  an income  tax.  He thought  the                                                                    
resolution included that AML was  open to a discussion about                                                                    
a sales tax  that would not negatively impact  a local sales                                                                    
tax.  He  thought  an  income  tax  might  not  be  feasible                                                                    
currently. He noted that only  the stat could implement one,                                                                    
as it was  preempted for local governments.  The state's tax                                                                    
base preempted its  resource base from being  taxed by local                                                                    
governments. He reiterated that  AML supported a broad-based                                                                    
tax.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:24:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Johnson  referred  to ARPA  and  direct  aid                                                                    
versus pass-through  money. She asked if  municipalities had                                                                    
any coordinated effort to find  the ARPA money. She wondered                                                                    
if  Mr.   Andreassen  was  helping  find   that  money.  Mr.                                                                    
Andreassen  replied  that AML  previously  had  a CARES  Act                                                                    
coordinator and  thought the position  would evolve  into an                                                                    
ARPA   coordinator  that   assisted  local   governments  in                                                                    
managing   ARPA  funds   and   maximizing   them  in   their                                                                    
communities.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Johnson was  glad to  hear Mr.  Andreassen's                                                                    
response.   She   remarked   that  sometimes   the   federal                                                                    
requirements  were difficult  to  meet.  Smaller cities  had                                                                    
limited resources to track  those requirements. She wondered                                                                    
if he  had heard  of smaller  cities having  trouble meeting                                                                    
the federal  requirements. Mr. Andreassen  mentioned earlier                                                                    
about  the collaboration  that AML  and communities  had had                                                                    
with OMB  and DCRA which was  still in place. The  state was                                                                    
the primary recipient of the  funds. Therefore, the treasury                                                                    
action  in relation  to any  of  the communities  had to  go                                                                    
through OMB.  Thus far, there  had been good  cooperation in                                                                    
the accounting.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Johnson  noted that ARPA had  a spending plan                                                                    
through 2024. She asked if  Mr. Andreassen had an opinion on                                                                    
how  he would  like to  see the  funding dispensed.  She had                                                                    
heard the  funding might  be dispensed once  per year  for 3                                                                    
years. Mr. Andreassen indicated  AML was waiting for federal                                                                    
guidance. He thought funding for  local governments would be                                                                    
dispensed  in two  tranches    one within  the following  60                                                                    
days (the  state had  30 days  to dispense  it) and  one the                                                                    
following  year. The  funding would  be spread  out to  some                                                                    
extent over the following few years.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Representative Johnson  referred to the eight  stars of gold                                                                    
of  which only  7  were discussed.  She  thought adopting  a                                                                    
reasonable  spending  cap  was   an  interesting  idea.  She                                                                    
wondered  if  AML  had  something   specific  in  mind.  Mr.                                                                    
Andreassen  indicated  that the  eight  stars  of gold  were                                                                    
factors AML  believed would or  should be part of  a package                                                                    
to get  the state  on the right  footing to  stabilize state                                                                    
government.  He  did  not have  anything  specific  about  a                                                                    
spending  cap. In  the past  AML had  not wanted  a spending                                                                    
cap. However, AML  realized that a spending cap  was part of                                                                    
the formula  that need to a  part of the next  steps for the                                                                    
state.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:30:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Johnson thanked AML for its work.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Rasmussen  asked how AML saw  creating equity                                                                    
for those municipalities and boroughs  who did not currently                                                                    
pay  for certain  services when  the legislature  was asking                                                                    
for  broad-based  taxes  to   support  state  services.  She                                                                    
thought  the   legislature  should  be  looking   at  making                                                                    
services more equitable so that  certain communities such as                                                                    
hers and Representative LeBon's who  have a sizable tax base                                                                    
and supported  their own police  or supported more  of their                                                                    
education  or  school   costs  were  not  disproportionately                                                                    
impacted  and   double-dipped  what   they  were   asked  to                                                                    
contribute. She invited Mr. Andreassen to comment.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Andreassen responded that he  would follow up in written                                                                    
form due  to time constraints.  He remarked that  the things                                                                    
Representative  Rasmussen brought  up were  things he  hoped                                                                    
could be  negotiated. He thought  it would require  bills to                                                                    
be  introduced  and  discussions  to be  had.  All  entities                                                                    
needed to be at the  table working through what equity might                                                                    
mean  and   how  to   fulfill  the   state's  constitutional                                                                    
obligations  to  public   health,  welfare,  education,  and                                                                    
public  safety.  He would  follow-up  with  a more  detailed                                                                    
response to the representative's inquiry.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster reviewed the agenda for the following day.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:32:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The meeting was adjourned at 3:32 p.m.                                                                                          

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
AML - HFin - Condition of Communities 032421.pdf HFIN 3/24/2021 1:30:00 PM
AML _ HFin response040121.pdf HFIN 3/24/2021 1:30:00 PM
AML 8-stars Response to Q HFIN 040121.pdf HFIN 3/24/2021 1:30:00 PM
AML Andreassen Response to HFIN Q.pdf HFIN 3/24/2021 1:30:00 PM
AML Response to HFIN Q 8stars outline.docx o4o121.pdf HFIN 3/24/2021 1:30:00 PM