Sectional Analysis for SB 264

Aid for Municipal Road Maintenance

Sec. 1: Amends the existing statute requiring public notice by including the new Aid for Municipal Road Maintenance program for required public notice.

Sec. 2: Amends existing statute by adding new Article 9 Aid for Municipal Road Maintenance.

New 29.60.700. Aid for municipal road maintenance.

1. States that municipalities who exercise road maintenance power are entitled to receive funds for maintenance subject to exclusions set forth in items (1) through (5);
2. Specifies funding amount of $1,000 per mile of maintained road.

New 29.60.710. Municipal road maintenance account.

1. Establishes the account in the Department of Community and Regional Affairs (DCRA); provides for funds for the account from the tax on motor fuel ^{/1 or from federal or other sources. States that the amount appropriated shall be distributed pro rata among municipalities.}
2. Allows excess funds in the account to be allocated to the Department of Transportation (DOT) for road improvements.

New 29.60.720 Regulations.

Requires the DCRA to adopt regulations; to include standards for minimum road maintenance and performance reports by a municipality.

New 29.69.730 Transfer of roads to municipalities.

1. Allows transfer of road from the State to a municipality if after the transfer, the municipality qualifies for a grant for maintenance under this bill.
2. Establishes responsibilities for DOT: time line for responce to a municipal request for a road transfer; determination of specific road improvement need; requirement to proceed with improvements; and specifies that funds for this section shall be appropriated annually.

Sec. 3: Amends AS 43.40.010(g) by referencing this bill’s new subsection (m).

Sec. 4: Amends AS 43.40.010 by adding new subsection (m) which requires that 37.5 percent of the revenues from motor fuel taxes, less the State's collection costs, are deposited in a municipal road maintenance account. Those funds can then be used for grants to municipalities under the new $1,000 per mile program and for improvements to roads transferred to a municipality under the new AS 29.60.730(b).

Sec. 5. Repeals AS 29.60.110(a), which is the current revenue sharing program road maintenance. Subsection (b) of that statute is not repealed, which is the current revenue sharing program for frozen waterway funding.

Sec. 6. Effective date of the bill.

SA SB 264: S(TRA): 1/26/98: mj