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Old 07-11-2017, 07:13 AM
 
Location: Bernalillo, NM
1,182 posts, read 2,476,929 times
Reputation: 2330

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Quote:
Originally Posted by jate88 View Post
Why does Alaska have buroughs instead of counties? Unlike Louisiana's parishes I hear there are some differences.
Regarding the OP's original question, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Alaska and specifically the following:
Article X provides for Alaska's unique borough system. Local government in the territory was undeveloped, due to its sparse population and the Organic Act of 1912 which banned the creation of counties. The delegates wished to avoid the pitfalls of the traditional county system, such as overlapping jurisdictions and service districts, and tightly constrained local bodies, so they created an entirely new system. The aim, as stated in Section 1, was "to provide for maximum local self-government with a minimum of local government units, and to prevent duplication of tax-levying jurisdictions." Thus Article X states that the only local government units are cities and boroughs (both organized and unorganized), and only organized boroughs and cities may levy taxes.
The Organic Act of 1912 was a law that Congress passed which turned Alaska into a US territory with an elected legislature.
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Old 07-11-2017, 08:35 PM
 
Location: Back and Beyond
2,993 posts, read 4,303,849 times
Reputation: 7219
I live in an unorganized borough. We have zero borough employees, zero borough services, and zero borough specific rules/zoning. As well as no borough property taxes. Everyone around here seems to prefer it that way. The borough is over 25,000 square miles in size with less than 7,000 people equating to a population density of about .28 people per square mile. It is certainly better than any county in America .
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Old 07-11-2017, 09:59 PM
 
1,931 posts, read 2,169,945 times
Reputation: 1629
Quote:
Originally Posted by 6.7traveler View Post
I live in an unorganized borough. We have zero borough employees, zero borough services, and zero borough specific rules/zoning. As well as no borough property taxes. Everyone around here seems to prefer it that way. The borough is over 25,000 square miles in size with less than 7,000 people equating to a population density of about .28 people per square mile. It is certainly better than any county in America .
Did we live in the same borough?
There's only one unorganized borough right?
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Old 07-11-2017, 10:08 PM
 
Location: Interior Alaska
2,383 posts, read 3,103,563 times
Reputation: 2379
Quote:
Originally Posted by Haolejohn View Post
Did we live in the same borough?
There's only one unorganized borough right?
There is only one, but it's not, uhh... "contiguous," I guess is the right word. Scroll down to the unorganized borough section.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...reas_in_Alaska
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Old 07-11-2017, 10:53 PM
 
Location: Back and Beyond
2,993 posts, read 4,303,849 times
Reputation: 7219
^^^ Oh wow. Learn something new everyday. According to Wikipedia I live in the southeast fairbanks census area (which was the area and population stats I included) which is a part of the entire "unorganized borough" which includes everywhere not in an organized borough in Alaska.

Somehow I liked the thought of being one of the only unorganized boroughs, so this is sad news to know I'm not really special anymore. A "census area" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Oh well at least there's still no local gubbermint out here.

I heard there was some bill or something being thrown around in Juneau that would force all of the "unorganized" borough to "organize". I don't know if this was/is true.
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Old 07-11-2017, 10:56 PM
 
26,639 posts, read 36,717,994 times
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Seems like there's always some bill vulturing property owners in the unorganized borough. Ketchikan's been trying to get their clutches on my place for years.
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:12 PM
 
Location: Back and Beyond
2,993 posts, read 4,303,849 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Metlakatla View Post
Seems like there's always some bill vulturing property owners in the unorganized borough. Ketchikan's been trying to get their clutches on my place for years.
I'm confused. The first sentence makes you sound pro organized borough, while the second sounds more pro unorganized borough. Maybe I'm just misunderstanding? I just needed to know whether to agree with you or get mad and argue .

Organized boroughs are over rated and are for designed for Anchorage and other places who hate freedom and love local tyranny. Property taxes mean you aren't really free nor own your own land. The fairbanks borough even decides if you can have a wood stove and which kind you may have and which days you can use it. You also get to pay them every year for this "privilege" or they will seize and sell "your" land to the highest bidder.

Unless you live in Salcha. Then the borough doesn't care if you have a wood stove as they know it will probably be stolen anyways by roving gangs of tweeked out meth heads sooner than later.
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:18 PM
 
26,639 posts, read 36,717,994 times
Reputation: 29911
Quote:
Originally Posted by 6.7traveler View Post
I'm confused. The first sentence makes you sound pro organized borough,
It did? I just meant that there always seems to be some bill in Juneau about the borough situation. Maybe you read it as bill-vulturing property owners as in the property owners doing the vulturing when I mean that the bills are the ones doing the vulturing.
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:24 PM
 
Location: Back and Beyond
2,993 posts, read 4,303,849 times
Reputation: 7219
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metlakatla View Post
It did? I just meant that there always seems to be some bill in Juneau about the borough situation. Maybe you read it as bill-vulturing property owners as in the property owners doing the vulturing when I mean that the bills are the ones doing the vulturing.
That's exactly how I misread it. Thanks for the clarification! I was a tad bit excited though as I thought someone may actually be pro organized borough which would make for a great thread.
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:32 PM
 
Location: Interior Alaska
2,383 posts, read 3,103,563 times
Reputation: 2379
Quote:
Originally Posted by 6.7traveler View Post
^^^ Oh wow. Learn something new everyday. According to Wikipedia I live in the southeast fairbanks census area (which was the area and population stats I included) which is a part of the entire "unorganized borough" which includes everywhere not in an organized borough in Alaska.

Somehow I liked the thought of being one of the only unorganized boroughs, so this is sad news to know I'm not really special anymore. A "census area" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Oh well at least there's still no local gubbermint out here.

I heard there was some bill or something being thrown around in Juneau that would force all of the "unorganized" borough to "organize". I don't know if this was/is true.
No, I think you were right the first time. I don't think you read far enough. See the section called Census Areas in the Unorganized Borough... the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area is inside the Unorganized Borough.

You still enjoy all the badasssery of being in the unorganized borough.
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