HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE March 23, 2000 8:15 a.m. COMMITTEE CALENDAR Impacts of proposed 10-mil tax cap initiative TAPES 00-20, SIDES A & B 00-21, SIDE A CALL TO ORDER{TC "CALL TO ORDER"} REPRESENTATIVE JOHN HARRIS, Co-Chair, convened the House Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee meetings at 8:15 a.m. PRESENT Committee members present were Representatives Harris, Halcro, Kookesh, Joule, Murkowski and Morgan. SUMMARY OF INFORMATION STEVE VAN SANT, State Assessor, Municipal & Regional Assistance Division, Department of Community & Economic Development, discussed the potential impacts of the initiative on the state assessors office and on efforts to consolidate city and borough governments. JIM BALDWIN, Assistant Attorney General, Governmental Affairs Section, Civil Division (Juneau), Department of Law, answered the committee members' questions regarding the approval and challenge process the initiative underwent, emphasizing that the Attorney General would be reluctant to issue an opinion of the legality of various aspects of the initiative prior to its passage. He noted that the legislature has the power to amend the initiative if it passes, but could not repeal it. BOB CHRYSTAL, Anchorage Superintendent of Schools, testified that his schools would lose a quarter of their budget, which would impact school bonds, class sizes and access to technology. It also would result in massive layoffs. ALAN TESCHE, Anchorage Assemblyman, discussed impacts on Anchorage city and school district budgets. LENNY REAGIN, Fairbanks North Star Borough Assessor, discussed the increasing workload on assessors and how it will increase more if the tax cap passes. HARRIET DRUMMOND, Anchorage School Board member, testified as to the impacts on the Anchorage School District budget if the tax cap passes. MARY HUGHES, Attorney for the Municipality of Anchorage, discussed the impacts on Anchorage if the tax cap passes. She encouraged the committee to obtain a legal opinion from a former attorney general if the current attorney general will not write one. COMMITTEE ACTION Representative Murkowski moved that the committee send a formal request to the Attorney General requesting a legal opinion on the constitutionality of the initiative and to clarify what would be its effective date. The motion carried without objection. ADJOURNMENT CO-CHAIR HARRIS adjourned the meeting at 10:00 a.m. NOTE: The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were taken. A copy of the tape(s) and log notes may be obtained by contacting the House Records Office at 129 6th Street, Suite 229, Juneau, Alaska 99801-2197, (907) 465-2214, and after adjournment of the second session of the Twenty-first Alaska State Legislature this information may be obtained by contacting the Legislative Reference Library at 129 6th Street, Suite 102, Juneau, Alaska 99801, (907) 465-3808.