SSTA - 3/2/95 SB 80 MUNICIPAL POLICE SERVICES CHAIRMAN SHARP calls the Senate State Affairs Committee to order at 3:36 p.m. and brings up SB 80 as the first order of business before the committee. The chairman calls the first witness. Number 020 SENATOR RIEGER, prime sponsor of SB 80, reads the sponsor statement on SB 80 to the committee. Number 065 TIM ROGERS, Executive Assistant, Anchorage Mayor's Office, testifying from Anchorage, informs the committee that the mayor and his administration are adamantly opposed to SB 80. Mr. Rogers lists reasons for opposing the bill. One of the reasons for opposition is SB 80 would ensure that municipal laws will continue to be unenforceable in special areas of the city. Mr. Rogers does not believe SB 80 is in the best interest of Anchorage or Alaska. Number 115 JUDY MORELEIN, Home and Landowners Organization (HALO), testifying from Anchorage, explains the area encompassed by HALO and introduces the next four witnesses. Number 135 BOB BELL, Assemblyman from south Anchorage, testifying from Anchorage, does not agree with Mr. Rogers' description of the Hillside as a privileged area. Anchorage was organized under a service-area concept. The concept is that each of the service areas that agree to become part of the Municipality of Anchorage, vote on the services to be provided to them. The Hillside area includes approximately 35% of the assessed valuation in Anchorage. Hillside residents feel their area is a rural environment, while the Anchorage Police Department is an urban department; so Hillside residents feel they would be better served by Alaska State Troopers. Number 200 PAUL LANCE, Member, Potter Creek Homeowners' Board, testifying from Anchorage, also thinks the Anchorage Police Department is overpriced, but the state troopers are not. Mr. Lance does not thing the Hillside would get it's moneys worth from the Anchorage Police Department. Number 230 BARBARA WEINIG, Member, Board of Directors of Rabbit Creek Community Council and HALO, testifying from Anchorage, informs the committee that a survey done on the cost of Alaska State Trooper coverage in the Hillside area for a two-month period in 1993 was $4,200. Hillside residents were told that even if they elected coverage by the Anchorage Police Department, there would not be very much coverage of the Hillside area because the crime rate there was so low. Ms. Weinig asserts there would be no Anchorage Police Department Officers to serve the Hillside at this time, because it takes two years to train officers. But she believes there are currently troopers available who could serve the Hillside area. Ms. Weinig also believes SB 80 will benefit other areas of the state, such as Healy, Kodiak, and the North Star Borough. Number 284 DICK WEINIG, testifying from Anchorage, states he strongly supports SB 80, and asserts it is not just a bill for the Hillside area, but is a statewide bill. It would offer self-determination to communities across the state. Mr. Weinig repeats statements made by Ms. Weinig, Mr. Lance, and Mr. Bell regarding the cost of Anchorage Municipal Police versus the cost of Alaska State Trooper coverage, and the Hillside area being a rural. He also addresses non-enforcement of municipal laws by state troopers, and thinks that would not be a problem. Mr. Weinig thinks the Hillside is paying its' fair share already. Number 365 PAT ABNEY, Assembly Member, testifying from Anchorage, states she concurs with previous testimony, and thinks SB 80 is a good bill. She thinks SB 80 would serve the people as they wish to be served and urges support of the bill. Number 375 JUDY MORELEIN, testifying from Anchorage, also thinks the Hillside Area is paying its' fair share, and does not think divisiveness is an issue that should be continuously thrown into the argument. SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS asks if there is a position paper from the Department of Public Safety. Number 405 DEL SMITH, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Public Safety (DPS), states the administration is neutral on SB 80. The governor does not support SB 80; the governor has no position on the bill. There is no particular action required of DPS by SB 80 at this time, which is why there is a zero fiscal note. The department sees SB 80 as enabling legislation. Mr. Smith informs the committee that hiring, training, and placing troopers on the street can take up to eighteen months. So if there is a short time frame between when a vote occurs and when the department is required to provide service to an area, troopers would have to be withdrawn from other areas in the state. Mr. Smith asks that consideration be given to allowing build-up time for beginning service. Mr. Smith also asks for consideration of more wind-down time than 120 days if an area decides it no longer wants service. The department would need more time than that to absorb personnel through attrition throughout the state. He suggests approximately one year, because there are union considerations, bargaining unit agreements, and redistribution of personnel which must be taken into consideration. Number 435 CHAIRMAN SHARP asks if the troopers are currently providing service to that area. MR. DELL responds troopers are providing emergency service to the Hillside area, but there are no routine patrols. Number 440 SENATOR LEMAN asks if contracting with someone other than the troopers would be possible. Could the Hillside area contract with a private organization? Number 445 MR. DELL is not sure if he has an adequate answer to that question, but he has heard of some areas in California that contract for security. He states a private person can make arrests. Mr. Dell thinks there would probably be some problems with doing that, but is not sure they would be insurmountable. Number 450 SENATOR LEMAN wonders if private contracting would meet the need without creating an ongoing obligation of the State of Alaska. MR. DELL reiterates the administration's neutrality, but says if the department is directed to contract trooper services, they would do so. Number 464 SENATOR DUNCAN notes some of the previous testimony stated there were troopers available, and asks Mr. Dell to clarify whether DPS would have to train additional troopers. MR. DELL responds DPS does not have extra troopers. It would take 14 to 18 months to recruit, screen, train, and place troopers on the streets if Hillside elected trooper coverage. If the department is required to place troopers in the Hillside area in 60 days or 90 days, those troopers will be pulled from other places around the state. Number 475 SENATOR DUNCAN asks what the time frame in SB 80 is for beginning trooper services. MR. DELL replies he does not see a time frame in SB 80. He is concerned there is not a specific time frame in the legislation. Mr. Dell restates it will take 14 to 18 months before the department would have troopers available to the Hillside area. SENATOR DUNCAN comments the alternative would be for some other area of the state to lose trooper service. MR. DELL responds that is correct. Number 489 SENATOR DUNCAN asks Senator Rieger what time frame the bill addresses, or if there is another way to handle the time frame issue. SENATOR RIEGER replies he sees two ways the issue could be addressed: one, lengthen the time frames in the bill for both the wind-up and wind-down time; or two, the level of service could be implemented in stages. Senator Rieger states he would be happy to address the problem so that SB 80 is not a detriment to any other area of the state. CHAIRMAN SHARP adds he does not see any restrictions in SB 80 which would preclude the commissioner of DPS from deciding when the department would be able to begin providing services. Number 514 SENATOR DUNCAN asks how subsection (e) would affect the time frame. SENATOR RIEGER responds subsection (e) applies to the payments, not to deployment of personnel. If there is concern over deployment of personnel, that should be addressed before SB 80 reaches the floor. Number 522 SENATOR LEMAN makes a motion to discharge SB 80 from the Senate State Affairs Committee with individual recommendations. CHAIRMAN SHARP notes, contrary to some testimony, SB 80 will only apply to unified municipalities; it would not be applicable to the North Star Borough, the Denali Borough, or any other place. The only places where the bill would be applicable would be Juneau and Anchorage. CHAIRMAN SHARP, hearing no objection, orders SB 80 released from committee with individual recommendations.