By Jake Dye

Homer Independent Press

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly on Tuesday approved the acceptance of state funds to reimburse Bear Creek Fire Service Area for equipment used during the Goldstream Creek Fire and authorized extra funding for the purchase of a new snow plow.

Both moves were authorized via a pair of ordinances enacted via the group’s consent agenda during Tuesday’s meeting without any significant assembly discussion or public testimony. 

A memo from Richard Brackin, chief of Bear Creek Fire Service Area, says his department has an agreement with the State Division of Forestry & Fire Protection that defines “response, reporting, rates, personnel, equipment, billing procedures and expectations.” His staff was part of the response to the Goldstream Creek Fire in July, which was last reported by the Division as being more than 20,000 acres and causing delays on roads near Nenana — between Denali and Fairbanks. 

Per the ordinance, $41,000 in revenue from the division is directed to Bear Creek’s personnel budget. A further nearly $57,000 is directed to the Bear Creek Fire Service Area capital project fund to replenish used equipment. 

Assembly increases snowplow funds

The other enacted ordinance adds $10,000 to an existing capital project, where previously $120,000 had been appropriated for the purchase of two new vehicles equipped with snowplows. A memo from Road Service Area Director Dil Uhlin, attached to the ordinance, says that the cost of a vehicle with a plow was found to be “approximately” $65,000.” That means the total cost of both vehicles would be instead $130,000. The assembly approved the additional funding from the Road Service Area’s capital project fund. 

Fisheries tax disbursement, firefighter tax exemption increase resolutions passed

In addition to the two ordinances, the assembly on Tuesday adopted two resolutions — also via the consent agenda and without significant discussion. 

The first applies for and sets the structure for disbursing funding from the Shared Fisheries Business Tax Program; among 10 communities set to receive funding, the borough will receive roughly $840, Homer $370, Kachemak $327 and Seldovia $324. Borough Finance Director Brandi Harbaugh said during a finance committee meeting earlier Tuesday that the funds are generated by seafood processing taxes from outside the jurisdictions of incorporated communities. 

The second resolution calls on the Alaska Legislature to draft and adopt a bill amending a provision in Alaska Statute that allows municipalities to exempt volunteer firefighters from a certain amount of property tax value. Currently, that exemption has to be implemented by an ordinance but cannot exceed $10,000. The resolution, sponsored by assembly member Dale Eicher of Sterling/Funny River, requests that the $10,000 limit be removed — allowing municipalities to set the exemption “at an amount deemed appropriate by the governing body.”

During a policies and procedures committee meeting earlier Tuesday, Eicher said he has formerly served as a volunteer firefighter and used to drive long distances in his own vehicle — from Sterling where he lives to the Kasilof station of Central Emergency Services — at least once a week, if not more.

“The $10,000 exemption for property taxes is nice, but it just seems to pale in comparison to the sacrifice that these upstanding citizens are contributing to our community,” he said. 

Public hearing set for election calendar changes

The assembly set for public hearing at their Feb. 17 meeting an ordinance that would make a few changes in response to the recently successful citizen’s initiative ballot measure that moved borough elections from October to November. Among the changes, the ordinance would move the borough’s filing period to be later in the year, create a new seven-day window for candidates to withdraw from elections after the filing period, and newly require the assembly to set the rate of pay for election officials during their annual budgeting process.

The assembly also appointed Paul Cziko to the Seldovia Recreational Service Area Board.

Mayor opposes oil and gas property tax reductions

Borough Mayor Peter Micciche delivered a report during the meeting in which he said he was closely involved in statewide discussions surrounding a proposal from Gov. Mike Dunleavy — which has yet to be introduced to the Alaska Legislature as a bill — that would significantly reduce the state’s property taxes levied against oil and gas properties, including the long-developing Alaska LNG Project. While that change would reduce the costs borne by the project developers and potentially incentivize the development, Micciche said the loss to the borough would be substantial.

“I made it clear that our community — although we’re willing partners to sit down and negotiate — the bottom line is our community cannot subsidize AK LNG,” he said. “We have to have our costs covered.”

Those discussions, he said, are ongoing.

“I don’t think the bill is going anywhere without the municipalities linking arms with administration on this project going forward,” Micciche said.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly will next meet on Feb. 3. An agenda will be published to kpb.legistar.com. A recording of this week’s meeting can be found on the same site.