"An Act relating to incorporation of boroughs, to annexation by local action, 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. "

Sponsor Substitute for House Bill 133 makes three changes in the way the Local Boundary Commission deals with municipal incorporation, annexation, detachment, merger, consolidation, reclassification, and dissolution.

This legislation protects the voters' right to incorporate, outline the boundaries, and select the levels of service. The Local Boundary Commission will no longer be able to amend the petition or impose conditions on the incorporation.

Also we will add a provision that requires at least one public meeting and voter approval by a majority of the votes cast in an election before the Local Boundary Commission can take a proposal directly to the legislature.

Finally, AS 29.06.040(c)(1) requires a proposed annexation to be approved by a "majority of the votes on the question cast by voters residing in the area proposed to be annexed". The Local Boundary Commission has a regulation that expands that requirement to "an aggregate vote of the people in the borough and the people in the area to be annexed." This is a requirement above and beyond what the legislature had in mind and dilutes the voting rights of those voters in the area to be annexed.

This legislation is about fairness, preserving a representative form of government, and making sure that laws implemented by non-elected servants of government through regulation do not extend beyond the laws implemented by elected legislators.

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