housesHouses statement nan streets of Douglas successful precocious May. (Photo by Clarise Larson/Juneau Empire)

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed a bipartisan bill into rule past week that puts much guardrails connected really section governments measure nan worth of existent estate. Assessments are what supply nan ground for spot taxes.

The recently signed bill, SB 179, requires taxation assessors to beryllium accredited by nan state, prevents municipalities from raising nan assessed worth of properties during an entreaty process and changes nan default for who hears appeals.

Juneau Democratic Sen. Jesse Kiehl said nan purpose is to make nan spot appraisal process successful nan authorities much adjacent and transparent for spot owners.

“I was very pleased to spot nan politician motion that bill. It has a batch of provisions successful it, almost each of which I for illustration and are good,” he said. 

The taxation appraisal information of nan measure was primitively introduced successful a abstracted measurement by Kiehl and successful nan Alaska House by Anchorage Republican Rep. Julie Coulombe. It was later folded into different measure arsenic nan legislative convention neared its end. 

That measure was sponsored by Kenai Republican Sen. Jesse Bjorkman. It besides allows section governments to exempt workplace structures from spot taxes and outlaw taxes connected existent property sales. 

When Kiehl’s measure was first introduced successful nan Alaska Senate, it received a batch of support, peculiarly from residents in Juneau and Haines, who said they had seen steep jumps successful their spot assessments. That led them to mobility if their assessors were being transparent and fair. 

“This is different 1 of those pieces of authorities that was brought successful by citizens who saw thing they didn’t deliberation was ever moving right,” he said. “So, moving pinch them, I’m really proud of wherever we ended up.”

The regulations will spell into effect connected Jan. 1.