Title 29 — Municipal Government

The charter commission shall prepare, adopt, and submit to the voters for approval or rejection a proposed home rule charter for the area to be unified.

The charter commission shall consist of 11 voters, three of whom are residents elected at large from the borough and eight of whom, proportionate to the population as determined by the department, are (1) residents of and elected from the area outside all home rule and first clas…

(a) If the assembly determines that a unification petition meets the requirements of AS 29.06.210, or the assembly by its resolution proposes an election on formation of a charter commission, the assembly shall issue a call for the nomination of commission candidates, specifying …

A person is eligible to be nominated as a candidate for the charter commission if that person is a voter of the area from which election is sought and has been a voter of the area for at least one year immediately preceding the date the nomination petition is filed.

(a) After receipt of a valid unification petition or adoption of an assembly resolution to propose formation of a charter commission, the assembly shall submit to the voters the question of whether a charter commission shall be formed to prepare a proposed unification charter. Th…

(a) The votes on the question of formation of a charter commission shall be tabulated in separate classifications. If the question is approved by majority vote in each home rule and first class city in the borough and by a majority vote in the area of the borough outside of all h…

(a) The charter commission shall hold its first meeting within 30 days after certification of its election. The commission shall elect from among its members a chairman and a deputy chairman. (b) A majority of the total membership of the charter commission constitutes a quorum. A…

(a) Vacancies on the charter commission shall be filled by a majority vote of the commission, except the assembly shall appoint members to fill vacancies if, after a proposed charter is rejected by the voters, more than one-half of the members resign. (b) A person who fills a vac…

The assembly may grant a per diem allowance to members of the charter commission and may reimburse the members for travel expenses incurred in carrying out the duties prescribed by AS 29.06.190 — 29.06.410. Costs, fees, and other expenses incurred by the commission are a debt of …

The charter must include (1) provision for (A) the adjustment of existing bonded indebtedness and other obligations in a manner that will assure a fair and equitable burden of taxation for debt service, subject to AS 29.06.380; (B) the establishment of service areas; (C) if elect…

Both before and after drafting the proposed home rule charter, the charter commission shall hold a public hearing in each area represented on the assembly. Other public hearings may be held by the commission as it considers necessary.

Upon the adoption of a proposed home rule charter by the charter commission, the charter shall be signed by at least a majority of the total membership of the commission and shall be filed with the borough clerk. A copy of the charter with signatures affixed shall also be filed w…

Within 10 days after filing the proposed home rule charter, the borough clerk shall have it published. In addition, the clerk shall have a copy of the proposed charter posted in at least three public places in each city and each unincorporated community in the borough. Copies of …

(a) The proposed home rule charter adopted by the charter commission shall be submitted to the voters at a borough election held within 60 days of the date of publication and posting of the proposed charter. The borough clerk shall prepare the ballots for use in the election and …

Upon ratification, the home rule charter of a unified municipality operates to dissolve all municipalities in the area unified in accordance with the charter.

A unified municipality shall succeed to all the assets and liabilities of the municipalities it unified. A bonded indebtedness or other debt incurred before unification remains the tax obligation of the area that contracted the debt, except that by ordinance the tax obligation ma…

Within two years after ratification of the home rule charter, the unified municipality shall revise, repeal, or reaffirm all municipal ordinances, resolutions, and orders in effect in the area of the unified municipality on the date of unification. Each ordinance, resolution, reg…

All provisions of law authorizing aid from the state or federal government to a former municipality that was in the area of a unified municipality remain in effect after unification.

A municipality unified under AS 29.06.190 — 29.06.410 has all powers (1) not prohibited by law or charter; and (2) granted to a home rule borough.

Article 5. Dissolution. AS 29.06.190 — 29.06.420 apply to home rule and general law municipalities.

(a) Two petition methods may be used to initiate dissolution of a municipality: (1) petition to the Local Boundary Commission under regulations adopted by the commission; or (2) the local option method specified in AS 29.06.460 — 29.06.510. (b) The department shall investigate a …

(a) Voters of a municipality may file a dissolution petition with the department in the form prescribed by the department. The petition must be signed by a number of voters equal to at least 25 percent of the number of votes cast in the last regular election in that municipality.…

(a) Except as provided in (b) of this section, voters of a municipality may petition for dissolution when the municipality is free of debt, or, if in debt, each of its creditors is satisfied with a method of repayment and (1) the municipality no longer meets the minimum standards…

(a) The department shall review a dissolution petition for content and signatures, and shall return a deficient petition for correction or completion. (b) If the petition contains the required information and signatures, the department shall investigate the proposal.

(a) The department shall report its findings to the Local Boundary Commission with its recommendation regarding the dissolution of a municipality. (b) The Local Boundary Commission shall hold at least one public hearing in the municipality proposed to be dissolved.

(a) The Local Boundary Commission may amend the petition and may impose conditions for the dissolution. If the commission determines that the dissolution, as amended or conditioned if appropriate, meets applicable standards under the state constitution and commission regulations,…

(a) The Local Boundary Commission shall immediately notify the director of elections of its acceptance of a dissolution petition. Within 30 days after notification, the director of elections shall order an election in the municipality to determine whether the voters desire dissol…

A municipality succeeding to a dissolved municipality succeeds to all rights, powers, duties, assets, and liabilities of the dissolved municipality. Otherwise, the state succeeds to those rights, powers, duties, assets, and liabilities. If the state succeeds to a dissolved munici…

[Repealed or reserved.]

(a) A general law borough or first class city may adopt a charter for its own government. (b) [Repealed, § 31 ch 58 SLA 1994.] (c) At an incorporation, merger, or consolidation election a municipality may adopt a charter for its own government and incorporate, merge, or consolida…

The department shall prepare at least one model home rule charter for a city, borough, and unified municipality. The model charters shall be made available to persons interested in filing a petition to form a home rule municipality under AS 29.05.060 or AS 29.06.090.

(a) A home rule charter shall provide procedures for initiative and referendum. (b) A charter may not require an initiative or referendum petition to have a number of signatures greater than 25 percent of the total votes cast in the municipality at the last regular election. (c) …

(a) A candidate for a charter commission of an existing municipality shall have been qualified to vote in municipality for at least one year immediately preceding the charter commission election. (b) A charter commission candidate is nominated by a petition signed by at least 50 …

At a charter commission election the voters of an existing municipality shall consider the question “Shall a charter commission be elected to prepare a proposed charter?” and shall elect the members of the commission. If the question is approved, the seven candidates receiving th…

The charter commission shall, within one year, prepare a proposed home rule charter for an existing municipality. The proposed charter shall be signed by a majority of the members of the commission and filed in the office of the municipal clerk. Within 15 days, the clerk shall ha…

The proposed home rule charter for an existing municipality shall be submitted to the voters at an election held not less than 30 days or more than 90 days after the proposed charter is published. The proposed home rule charter for a home rule municipality to be formed by incorpo…

(a) If a majority of those voting in an existing municipality favor the proposed charter or if a majority of those voting to form a home rule municipality by incorporation, merger, or consolidation favor incorporation, merger, or consolidation, the proposed charter becomes the or…

(a) If a proposed charter for an existing municipality is rejected, the charter commission shall prepare another proposed charter to be submitted to the voters at an election to be held within one year after the date of the first charter election. If the second proposed charter i…

Article 2. Home Rule Limitations. (a) A home rule charter may be amended as provided in the charter, except that no amendment is effective unless ratified by the voters. (b) If a charter is amended, the municipality shall file the indicated number of copies of the revised charter…

Only the following provisions of this title apply to home rule municipalities as prohibitions on acting otherwise than as provided. These provisions supersede existing and prohibit future home rule enactments that provide otherwise: (1) AS 29.05.140 (transition); (2) AS 29.06.010…

(a) Each municipality shall adopt a conflict of interest ordinance that provides that (1) a member of the governing body shall declare a substantial financial interest the member has in an official action and ask to be excused from a vote on the matter; (2) the presiding officer …

Article 2. Governing Bodies. (a) Meetings of all municipal bodies shall be public as provided in AS 44.62.310. The governing body shall provide reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard at regular and special meetings. (b) This section applies to home rule and general law…

(a) The legislative power of a borough is vested in the assembly. The legislative power of a city is vested in the council. (b) This section applies to home rule and general law municipalities.

(a) Assembly composition and apportionment shall be consistent with the equal representation standards of the Constitution of the United States. (b) The assembly of a newly incorporated borough is, after incorporation and until the adoption of an ordinance providing for a change …

(a) The assembly shall provide for its composition and for the form of its representation. (b) Not later than the first regular election that occurs after adoption of a final state redistricting plan under art. VI, sec. 10, Constitution of the State of Alaska, the assembly shall …

(a) Not later than two months after adoption of a final state redistricting plan under art. VI, sec. 10, Constitution of the State of Alaska, the assembly shall determine and declare by resolution whether the existing apportionment of the assembly meets the standards of AS 29.20.…

(a) A reapportionment ordinance approved by the voters, or a decision of the assembly that the standards of AS 29.20.060 do not require a change in apportionment, may be appealed to the commissioner. Fifty voters may submit a petition to the commissioner requesting the commission…

(a) The commissioner may request the superior court to enforce a reapportionment order issued under AS 29.20.090(e). (b) Each of the following is subject to judicial review: (1) a plan of reapportionment approved by the voters under AS 29.20.080(a); (2) a determination by the ass…

(a) A change in assembly apportionment or composition under AS 29.20.080 or 29.20.090 is effective beginning with the first regular election for members of the assembly that is held more than 60 days after the later of (1) approval of a reapportionment ordinance by the voters und…

The provisions of AS 29.20.080 — 29.20.110 apply to home rule and general law municipalities, except they do not apply to a (1) unified municipality; (2) home rule borough if the borough, by home rule charter, provides for reapportionment of the assembly.