From left to right: Rep. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks; Rep. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage; Rep. Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks; Rep. Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage; Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
Anchorage could be the last school district to get state reimbursement for its bonds, before the program goes on a five-year hiatus.
For the second time in two days, the Alaska House of Representatives voted to stop the program, which pays for up to 70 percent of municipal bonds meant for school construction.
But on Thursday, a provision that would have allowed the bill to apply retroactively failed to meet the two-thirds threshold required for passage. Members of the House Majority wanted the bill to go into effect January 1, 2015. That’s because Anchorage municipal ballot includes a $60 million bonding proposition.
Majority Leader Charisse Millett, an Anchorage Republican, said on the floor that voters have been given sufficient warning before the April 7 election that their bonds might not be covered by the state.
”It does always say on our ballot on bond propositions that it is up to the Legislature to decide if they can adequately fund a bond debt reimbursement,” Millett said.
But the Democratic minority leveraged their numbers to block the timing provision. Anchorage Democrat Geran Tarr disputed the argument that Anchorage voters have enough notice.
“It’s not fair, and it’s not right with an election that’s happening right now to pull the rug out from under that school district and give no other school district the time to plan,” Tarr said.
