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Service Areas
Safe With Passage of HB 13
Bunde Wins Vote in Senate to Protect
Neighborhood Service Areas

(JUNEAU) - Alaskans who band together to pay for road maintenance, fire protection or parks and recreation services will retain control of their local service areas with the Senate's passage today of House Bill 13.

Rep. Con Bunde (R-Anchorage) sponsored the bill as a way to keep service areas safe from forcible absorption into local area-wide government service districts, he said.

"House Bill 13 requires that any alteration or abolishment of a service area could occur only with the approval of a majority of voters living in that area," Bunde said. "I introduced this bill again this year for the same reason I introduced it in years past: To preserve Alaskans' constitutional right to maximum local self-government, and to protect residents of service areas from the tyranny of the majority."

Service areas are popular in semi-rural areas of Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, where neighbors pool their money to pay private contractors to maintain roads, provide fire protection, or maintain parks.

"The road to self-determination can be a long one, but I am glad to see the Legislature remains committed to the idea that Alaskans in a neighborhood should be able to pay for the services they want without fear of annexation to a larger service area without their permission."

Notice of reconsideration was given on the vote.

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