Assembly Report for February 28, 2006

HEARING ON SULLIVAN SIGN ORDINANCE ROLLBACK POSTPONED: In order to allow the Planning and Zoning Commission to comment, the Assembly delayed a public hearing on Dan Sullivan’s "rollback" of the city’s sign code until March 28, 2006. The Commission will hear Sullivan’s ordinance on March 13th. His act would repeal many of the important changes the Commission and the Assembly made to the City’s sign law in late 2003 after several years of community review and work by municipal planners. Under Sullivan’s proposal, amortization or phase out of outlawed "pole signs" and older signs that do not meet current dimensional requirements would be repealed, thereby allowing these nonconforming signs to rust in place, forever. Examples would include the airport parking sign on International Airport Road, the Outback sign on C St and those monster golden arches that harken back to another era. Sullivan would also increase the allowable area of signs devoted to "changeable copy" (electronic messages) from 30% to 80%. His law would also bring back moving or rotating signs along the streetscape.

Municipal staff told the Assembly on February 24th they oppose rollbacks on the city sign code, because the accumulation of illegal signs "creates clutter and a Las Vegas effect" and traffic safety hazards along roadways by scrolling or moving signs. Speaking for auto dealers, Rick Morrison disagreed with staff and promised copies of a study which shows moving or flashing signs actually improve traffic safety by keeping drivers awake. Staff notes that since October 1, 2003, 573 sign permits were issued for erection of new signs. Comments at the work session suggest there are still thousands of illegal signs in Anchorage: the Chamber of Commerce claims businesses will have to pay $200,000,000 to rebuild their signs under current standards. One thing is clear: thanks to Dan Sullivan, "sign wars" are back, again.

LARGE ANIMAL ORDINANCE PASSES, ONCE AGAIN: A revised version of the ordinance setting land use standards for keeping of large domestic animals (horses) in outlying areas of Eagle River and the Hillside was passed again Tuesday evening. AO 2005-150(S-1) sets standards for size of corrals, buffering, vegetation, setbacks, and numbers of animals allowed in corrals and stables in rural areas. Previously adopted by the Assembly earlier this year, the ordinance was brought back for additional amendments offered by Janice Shamberg and Debbie Ossiander governing size of outdoor structures and numbers of animals allowed.

120 ACRE REZONE IN SOUTH ANCHORAGE: Assembly members heard but took no action on a large rezoning of 120 acres in South Anchorage on Tuesday night. Forest Heights, LLC had proposed zoning the property as R-7 with density limited to two units per acre. Many residents of the area had protested the action, arguing traffic impacts, wildlife, and surface run off problems. According to Art Weiner, the area will look like a "moonscape" once the "digging and blasting" is completed in order to build the subdivision. The parcel is located off Goldenview Drive and is one of the largest, undeveloped tracts within the municipality. The public hearing on the rezone is closed; the Assembly will act on March 14th.

ASSISTED LIVING ORDINANCE HELD OVER: Assembly members voted 6-5 to withhold action on revisions to the city’s assisted living ordinance in order to allow the mayor’s staff and assembly members to iron out differences between competing versions of the legislation. The ordinances, AO 2005-124 and AO 2005-124 (S), would set occupancy limits for assisted living homes in residential neighborhoods. The Administration’s version allows up to 8 residents in certain facilities, the assembly draft reduced that number to 6 in certain zones but allows operators to increase occupancy through an administrative process. The ordinances return to the Assembly for final action on March 14th.

INSTANT RUN OFF VOTING WINKS OUT: Members postponed indefinitely a charter amendment pushed by conservatives to ask voters in April to approve so called "instant run off voting" in certain municipal elections. Because the Assembly ran out of time and did not take action on this proposal on February 14th, the measure was postponed indefinitely on Tuesday.

MAYORAL RUN OFF AMENDMENT QUIETLY EXPIRES: Assembly conservatives quietly buried their failed effort to ask voters to change the rules governing run off elections for the office of mayor. Because the Assembly ran out of time on February 14th to consider the matter for the April, 2006 ballot, the proposal was postponed indefinitely Tuesday night.

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP: The Tax Foundation estimated the average taxpayer's total state and local tax burden for 2005 in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. That burden reflects what residents pay, as a percentage of per capita income, in state and local income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, luxury taxes and fuel taxes. States were ranked from least to most tax friendly. Not surprisingly, New York had the highest tax burden with 12%. The state with the lightest state and local tax burden is, of course, Alaska with only 6.4%. The study did not, however, also consider annual Permanent Fund Dividends. In another study showing what a family of four with annual income of $75,000 would pay in major state and local taxes, rankings were assigned for each state's largest city and Washington, D.C. Local taxes were highest in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Anchorage finished 50th, slightly higher than Cheyenne, Wyoming. See the study at http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/taxesbystate2005/index.html/