"Requesting the Local Boundary Commission to consider borough incorporation for certain unorganized areas."

Senate Concurrent Resolution 12 requests the Local Boundary Commission (LBC) to consider borough incorporation for four areas of the state: Upper Tanana Basin Model Borough, Copper River Basin Model Borough, Glacier Bay Model Borough, and Chatham Region Model Borough. These four areas of the state were recently identified in a February 2003 report by the LBC entitled "Unorganized Areas of Alaska the Meet Borough Incorporation Standards," as meeting the existing standards for borough incorporation.

Although the aforementioned model boroughs are named in the recent Local Boundary Commission report as having the fiscal and administrative capacity to operate borough governments, the majority of the residents do not live in home rule and first class cities. As residents of the unorganized borough, these Alaskans are not required to financially support their local school system. This resolution recognizes this fact and establishes a procedure to determine if the residents of the four areas have the ability to contribute to their local school districts.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 12 requests the Local Boundary Commission to review these areas in depth and make a recommendation for borough incorporation for each of the model boroughs that is determined to have met the applicable borough incorporation standards. The exact details regarding the establishment of each particular recommended borough would be included in each legislative review proposal as submitted by the LBC. Each proposed borough incorporation would be adopted unless the legislature disapproved the recommendation within 45 legislative days.

I respectfully request your consideration and support for this resolution.

Last Updated: 05/07/2003

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