Legislature(2013 - 2014)BARNES 124
04/15/2014 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB157 | |
| SB213 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SB 157 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 213 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
April 15, 2014
8:07 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, Co-Chair
Representative Benjamin Nageak, Co-Chair
Representative Bob Herron
Representative Sam Kito III
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Neal Foster
Representative Kurt Olson
Representative Lora Reinbold
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 157
"An Act relating to municipal fire protection service area
boundary changes."
- MOVED HCS SB 157(CRA) OUT OF COMMITTEE
SENATE BILL NO. 213
"An Act relating to the appointment of municipal election
boards."
- MOVED SB 213 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 157
SHORT TITLE: FIRE PROTECTION SERVICE AREAS
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) COGHILL
02/05/14 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/05/14 (S) CRA
02/18/14 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
02/18/14 (S) Heard & Held
02/18/14 (S) MINUTE(CRA)
02/20/14 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
02/20/14 (S) Moved SB 157 Out of Committee
02/20/14 (S) MINUTE(CRA)
02/21/14 (S) CRA RPT 5DP
02/21/14 (S) DP: MICCICHE, EGAN, BISHOP, GIESSEL,
HOFFMAN
02/24/14 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
02/24/14 (S) VERSION: SB 157
02/26/14 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/26/14 (H) CRA
04/15/14 (H) CRA AT 8:00 AM BARNES 124
BILL: SB 213
SHORT TITLE: MUNICIPAL ELECTION BOARDS
SPONSOR(s): COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
03/17/14 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/17/14 (S) CRA
03/20/14 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/20/14 (S) Moved SB 213 Out of Committee
03/20/14 (S) MINUTE(CRA)
03/21/14 (S) CRA RPT 4DP
03/21/14 (S) DP: MICCICHE, EGAN, BISHOP, GIESSEL
04/11/14 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
04/11/14 (S) VERSION: SB 213
04/13/14 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/13/14 (H) CRA
04/15/14 (H) CRA AT 8:00 AM BARNES 124
WITNESS REGISTER
HANS RODVIK, Intern
to Senator John Coghill
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HCS SB 157, version C, on behalf
of Senator Coghill.
DAVID GIBBS, Director
Emergency Operations
Fairbanks North Star Borough
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in support of HCS SB 157, Version C.
JEFF TUCKER, Representative
Alaska Fire Chiefs Association
Kenai, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in support of HCS SB 157, Version C.
LARRY SIMMONS, Staff
to Senator Peter Micciche
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SB 213 on behalf of Senator
Micciche.
JOHNI BLANKENSHIP, Clerk
Kenai Peninsula Borough
Kenai, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of SB 213.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:07:36 AM
CO-CHAIR GABRIELLE LEDOUX called the House Community and
Regional Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:07
a.m. Representatives Herron, Kito, Nageak, and LeDoux were
present at the call to order.
SB 157-FIRE PROTECTION SERVICE AREAS
8:08:33 AM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX announced that the first order of business would
be SENATE BILL NO. 157, "An Act relating to municipal fire
protection service area boundary changes."
CO-CHAIR NAGEAK moved to adopt the House Committee Substitute to
SB 157, labeled 28-LS1329\C, as the working document.
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX objected.
8:09:19 AM
HANS RODVIK, Intern, Senator John Coghill, Alaska State
Legislature, said Version C changes SB 157 to apply only to
Alaska's seven second class boroughs. He noted that fire
service areas in second class boroughs serve only areas that are
outside of city limits, and there were concerns of "first class
boroughs scooping up some areas that are on the borders." The
intent of SB 157 is to ensure that in the case of an emergency,
property owners are served by the nearest fire department. He
provided maps to the committee, which show there are some fire
departments that travel through a different fire service area to
reach the parcel requesting help. Fire crews will sometimes
pass by another fire department, and SB 157 allows property
owners and municipalities a quick fix to this problem, he
explained. Under current law, local assemblies can moderately
increase the number of land parcels in a fire service area
without the vote of property owners, and SB 157 will allow an
assembly to also reduce the number of parcels in a fire service
area so long as the property owners concur.
MR. RODVIK noted that current law requires an election of the
entire service area just to remove one parcel or make a minor
boundary change. That is costly and cumbersome, he stated, and
the vote often has dismal participation. The bill simplifies
the process by allowing property owners, only in second class
boroughs, to request removal from a fire service area or be
transferred into another area that provides more accessible fire
protection. He said that fire service areas are constantly
growing and being created, and SB 157 allows property owners to
adjust quickly to these boundary changes.
8:14:39 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KITO III asked if there are problems with
existing statute for increasing the number of parcels in a
service area; the map makes it look like there would be a parcel
that would be removed from a service area and added to another.
MR. RODVIK said SB 157 simplifies the process of shifting the
parcel. Currently, that shift would require a fire service
area-wide election. Under the bill, if the property owners
request being transferred to another service area, it can be
done without having to go through the long election process.
8:16:16 AM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX withdrew her objection. There being no further
objections, Version C was before the committee.
8:16:39 AM
DAVID GIBBS, Director, Emergency Operations, Fairbanks North
Star Borough, said that the Fairbanks North Star Borough
supports the new version of SB 157. Fire service areas were
established in the early 1980s, he explained, with an estimate
of future growth patterns. There are a few situations where
development has not occurred as anticipated, and service area
residents may be receiving substandard response times. The fix
is overly cumbersome as it requires the expense and effort of
multiple elections to make even minor adjustments to the
boundaries of existing fire service areas, he stated. Senate
Bill 157 provides a much needed tool by giving a municipality
the authority to decrease or transfer, by ordinance, a small
number of parcels in a fire service area, and it provides
property owners with an opportunity for a public hearing before
any action is taken. He noted that some residents are still
paying fire protection taxes, but due to limited accessibility
cannot expect to receive high quality fire services. Passage of
SB 157, along with companion ordinances by municipalities, will
allow a property owner to petition a municipality to have the
property removed from a fire service area until there is better
road access, for example. He said there is no mechanism now to
remove people from fire service areas who cannot receive the
service. Parcels can also be transferred to a closer fire
service area for increased fire protection, he added.
8:20:16 AM
JEFF TUCKER, Representative, Alaska Fire Chiefs Association,
said he was recently the chief of the North Star Volunteer Fire
Department. The Alaska Fire Chiefs Association supports SB 157
as it will help provide the most effective and efficient fire
service, he stated. The current process is cumbersome, he said,
and disallows a municipality to adjust fire service boundaries
so that the closest fire service can respond.
8:21:41 AM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX closed public testimony.
CO-CHAIR NAGEAK moved to report HCS SB 157, Version 28-LS1329\C,
Bullard, 4/14/14, out of committee with individual
recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note. There being
no objection, HCS SB 157(CRA) was reported from the House
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee.
The committee took an at-ease from 8:22 a.m. to 8:24 a.m.
SB 213-MUNICIPAL ELECTION BOARDS
8:24:25 AM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX announced that the final order of business would
be SENATE BILL NO. 213, "An Act relating to the appointment of
municipal election boards."
LARRY SIMMONS, Staff, Senator Peter Micciche, Alaska State
Legislature, said SB 213 allows municipalities to conduct
elections efficiently. Currently, Alaska statute requires that
an election board be established for every election and for
every precinct. If an election is conducted by other than in-
person balloting, the municipality still has to hire an election
board, but the board does not have a job to do in every
precinct, because people are not voting in person, he explained.
"This bill simply allows, through statute, for municipalities to
conduct elections efficiently by means other than in-person
balloting," he said. There is a zero fiscal note, and it has
the support of the Alaska Municipal Clerks Association, he said.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough requested this change, he added.
8:26:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KITO III asked if Alaska allows non-in-person
municipal elections.
MR. SIMMONS replied yes, Alaska statute allows for other
balloting, like mail-in ballots.
8:26:37 AM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX noted that the Lake and Peninsula Borough holds
all municipal elections by absentee ballots. Is it true that,
currently, that borough has to have an election board even
though the board would have nothing to do?
MR. SIMMONS said his understanding is that in conducting
elections, there must be an election board for each precinct.
He said he does not know what the make-up of the Lake and
Peninsula Borough's election precincts look like, but the
current statute says that they must have an election board for
each precinct, and this bill would allow a municipality to
choose to only have election boards at, for example, an absentee
precinct, "so that people would be able to go to an absentee
precinct and vote in person, and the rest of the mail-in ballots
would not require - because they're not voting in-person - it
would not require an election board at each precinct."
8:28:09 AM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX inquired as to what an election board does.
MR. SIMMONS suggested that a clerk answer that question.
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX opened public testimony.
8:28:46 AM
JOHNI BLANKENSHIP, Clerk, Kenai Peninsula Borough, said "we
requested this bill" because [the Kenai Peninsula Borough] would
like to conduct elections by mail, and in reviewing the state
statutes it became clear that even if the borough did conduct
its elections by mail, it would still have to hire election
judges to sit at polling locations where there was no balloting
actually taking place. She explained that SB 213 would allow
municipalities to conduct elections by mail or other means and
to only hire election boards where necessary.
8:29:51 AM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX asked if there are election judges at every
polling place, in addition to the person checking in voters.
MS. BLANKENSHIP said those people are one in the same. Those
who check voters in are considered the election board and
judges, she explained.
8:30:37 AM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX recalled that in Kodiak there was one precinct
where no one could vote-it was a mail-in precinct. "So election
judges had to be hired specifically for that precinct even
though nobody was going to vote there?"
MS. BLANKENSHIP said the current law is written such that the
municipality "shall appoint an election board composed of at
least three judges for each precinct." She said she does not
know that that was done [in Kodiak], but "we wanted to make sure
that the statutes allowed us to conduct the elections in such a
way that we wouldn't have to hire people when there was nothing
but by-mail balloting going on."
8:31:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked if the reason for an election board
is because identification cards are not required to vote if a
judge knows the voter and can confirm his or her identity.
MS. BLANKENSHIP answered yes, if the voter is personally known
to one of the three judges [no identification card is required].
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX, upon determining no one else wished to testify,
closed public testimony.
8:32:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON noted that he supports SB 213.
CO-CHAIR NAGEAK moved to report SB 213 out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note.
There being no objection, SB 213 was reported from the House
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee.
8:33:51 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 8:33 a.m.