03/03/2005 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

HB 133-LOCAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION REGS & POWERS                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:37:52 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR THOMAS announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be SPONSOR  SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE  BILL NO. 133, "An  Act relating                                                               
to  incorporation of  boroughs and  to regulations  of the  Local                                                               
Boundary  Commission  to  provide standards  and  procedures  for                                                               
municipal   incorporation,  reclassification,   dissolution,  and                                                               
certain  municipal   boundary  changes;  and  providing   for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:38:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NEUMAN   moved  that  the  committee   adopt  the                                                               
following amendment:                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 4,                                                                                                            
     Delete "one"                                                                                                               
     Insert "three"                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NEUMAN  related that  often  after  one of  these                                                               
public  hearings, the  community notices  the issue.   He  opined                                                               
that three  public hearings would  be better, especially  in some                                                               
of the larger areas.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOTT objected.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:40:01 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN  COGHILL, Alaska State  Legislature, sponsor,                                                               
explained  that  he  used  the  language  "at  least  one  public                                                               
hearing" because  some areas  are small  enough that  one hearing                                                               
would be  sufficient.   He said  he expected  that the  LBC would                                                               
have the  latitude to have  more hearings if they  were necessary                                                               
due to geographical size or economic  units in the area.  He said                                                               
that mandating three hearings in  the smaller areas could be less                                                               
useful.   However,  he indicated  that  he is  open to  providing                                                               
direction  for  more  hearings  if  the  geography  of  the  area                                                               
dictated such.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:41:29 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN commented that  "two" public hearings could                                                               
be  okay.   He  reiterated  that often  the  first  meeting in  a                                                               
community  is  the   "wake  up  call"  and   people  then  become                                                               
interested in being involved.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  COGHILL  said  that   he  is  more  amendable  to                                                               
changing the language to "two".                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:41:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR THOMAS  asked if there  was objection to  the amendment,                                                               
as amended.  There being  no objection, the amended amendment was                                                               
adopted.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:42:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAN  BOCKHORST, Staff  to the  Local  Boundary Commission  (LBC),                                                               
Department  of   Commerce,  Community,  &   Economic  Development                                                               
(DCCED), said  that Representative Coghill's belief  that the LBC                                                               
would take  into consideration  the geographic  area in  terms of                                                               
[the number  of public hearings]  is already the practice  of the                                                               
LBC.   He informed  the committee that  in virtually  every [case                                                               
that comes before the LBC] a  public hearing [is held] in or near                                                               
the area of  the proposed [annexation].  Where  the area includes                                                               
multiple communities in  a large region, the  LBC typically holds                                                               
multiple hearings.   Mr.  Bockhorst said  that he  didn't believe                                                               
the   LBC  would   oppose   requiring   an  additional   meeting.                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:44:21 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  OLSON moved  to report  SSHB  133, as  amended, out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.   There being  no objection,  CSSSHB 133(CRA)  was                                                               
reported from  the House Community and  Regional Affairs Standing                                                               
Committee.