01/31/2005 01:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

                                                                                                                                
                  SB  14-MUNICIPAL  ELECTIONS                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR GARY STEVENS announced the  first order of business to come                                                               
before the committee was SB 14.  He explained that the bill gives                                                               
local  municipalities an  option when  there is  a referendum  or                                                               
initiative  to hold  the  election  at the  time  of a  regularly                                                               
scheduled  election  if the  issue  isn't  urgent  or to  hold  a                                                               
special election if the issue is timely.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:32:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The  bill would  avoid costly  special elections  that frequently                                                               
result  in low  voter  turnout.  He reported  the  bill has  wide                                                               
support from municipalities and communities across the state.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
He noted  supporting letters  in members'  packets from  City and                                                               
Borough municipal clerk, Laurie Sica, and from Wrangell.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
He asked  Linda Murphy  whether she  had anything  to add  to her                                                               
previous testimony.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:33:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LINDA  MURPHY, Kenai  Peninsula Borough  clerk, said  she had  no                                                               
additional  comments,   but  she   was  concerned   with  Senator                                                               
Wagoner's  proposed  amendment. She  asked  that  he introduce  a                                                               
separate  bill so  that each  issue could  be argued  on its  own                                                               
merit.  She   said  the   proposed  amendment   is  sure   to  be                                                               
controversial and  the Kenai Peninsula  Borough would  be opposed                                                               
to it.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:34:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WAGONER   announced  that   he  wouldn't   introduce  an                                                               
amendment at this  time and furthermore he hadn't  found too many                                                               
clerks that  even understand what  his amendment would  have been                                                               
or how the process works.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR GARY STEVENS asked Ms.  Drexler whether she had anything to                                                               
add to her previous testimony.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:35:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MONA LISA DREXLER, Fairbanks North  Star Borough clerk,  said she                                                               
had no  additional testimony,  but she wanted  to clarify  that a                                                               
special  election  in  the Fairbanks  North  Star  Borough  costs                                                               
between $60,000-$66,000 rather than $30,000  as was stated at the                                                               
previous hearing.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
With regard to Senator Wagoner's  proposal, she said she respects                                                               
his right to  introduce any legislation dealing with  any area of                                                               
state  law, but  she respectfully  requests he  so in  a separate                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:36:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  DREXLER reported  that her  borough saw  a 49.9  percent all                                                               
time high  voter turnout  in 1982 during  a regular  election. At                                                               
issue was  hours of  sale for  alcoholic beverages.  The National                                                               
Voter  Registration   Act  (NVRA)  has  made   it  difficult  for                                                               
municipalities to  get higher turnouts  and this  is particularly                                                               
true for  boroughs with a  transient population such  as military                                                               
bases. The presidential  election is the only  election that it's                                                               
been possible to attain a 60 percent voter turnout.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:38:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  THOMAS  WAGONER  told Ms.  Drexler  that  the  municipal                                                               
clerks'  representative should  stop by  his office  because they                                                               
obviously  don't understand  what  his  proposed amendment  would                                                               
have done.  It has nothing  to do with a  60 percent vote  at the                                                               
time of the election, he asserted.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  GARY  STEVENS restated  for  the  record that  the  matter                                                               
before the  committee was SB  14 and  there was no  amendment. He                                                               
asked that discussion be limited to the original bill.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:39:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BONNIE  WILLIAMS identified  herself as  the legislative  liaison                                                               
for the Fairbanks  North Star Borough. She said the  issue was of                                                               
great  concern last  year and  they would  like it  to pass  this                                                               
year. It's straightforward and simple  and assumes that municipal                                                               
assemblies  will have  the best  interest of  their community  in                                                               
mind.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR GARY STEVENS  thanks Ms. Williams for her  comments and for                                                               
the work done by the clerk's office.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:40:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KATHY  WASSERMAN, Alaska  Municipal League  representative, spoke                                                               
in support  of SB 14.  "The bill allows for  public participation                                                               
and  process  while yet  being  mindful  of  the costs  that  are                                                               
incurred with special elections," she said.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR GARY  STEVENS noted there  was no additional  testimony and                                                               
asked for a motion.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:41:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WAGONER  motioned to move  SB 14 from committee  with two                                                               
attached  fiscal  notes  and  individual  recommendations.  There                                                               
being no objection, it was so ordered.