By Marcia Kuszmaul

Homer Independent Press

The city council has settled on a path forward in hopes of enabling a robust and thoughtful community conversation about short-term rentals. 

At Monday’s council meeting, Councilmembers Shelly Erickson and Jason Davis volunteered to  develop a resolution over the next several weeks that would provide direction to the Economic Development Advisory Commission and Planning Commission to investigate specific short-term rental issues.

The resolution will not propose solutions but rather identify areas for investigation.

“Fact finding is going to be really important,” Erickson said. “We need to have very specific goals and questions . . . so whatever we do in the full issue of short-term rentals isn’t just like a big shotgun . . . but that we’re very deliberate.”

Julie Engebretsen, community development director, will support the effort to collect input into the resolution from council members, city commissions and community members.

“This is a resolution directing conversation,” Mayor Rachel Lord said. She said she is looking for good questions to debate that will advance the process. 

At the same time, the Public Review Draft of the Title 21 Update, which is scheduled for release Tuesday, March 31, will include a suggested short-term rental registration system. A 45-day public comment period will be another avenue for the community to weigh in on the issue.

In other business, after some discussion of the need to protect the city’s water, the council approved two ordinances for the purchase of four properties to bolster the city’s utility infrastructure. 

Two lots comprising 11.29 acres adjacent to the 1 million-gallon water treatment tank on Skyline Drive will provide for future expansion of water treatment operations. Two lots totaling 2.95 acres immediately adjacent to the city’s Bridge Creek Reservoir will help protect the city’s water quality from future development.

Jan Knutson, director of the Homer Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center, introduced the 2026 Homer Visitor Guide and 2026 Shorebird Festival Program at the March 23 City Council meeting. (Photo by Marcia Kuszmaul/Homer Independent Press) 

City updates

City manager Melissa Jacobsen announced that the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly unanimously approved the adoption of the 2045 Homer Comprehensive Plan on March 17, bringing to a close a process that began in 2023 and engaged hundreds of residents, businesses and organizations and entailed countless surveys, open houses, interviews, committees in an extensive community effort. 

Jacobsen reported that April 1 will be the start for the Raw Water Transmission Main Replacement project, a $2.2 million FEMA-funded project to replace approximately 4,000 linear feet of 50-year-old, earthquake-vulnerable cast iron pipe that carries water from the pump house at Bridge Creek Reservoir to the water treatment plant and more.

Borough updates

With the alignment of city, borough, state and federal elections on a single date, Nov. 3, the borough is working through a number of issues that will impact voters. Kelly Cooper, borough assembly member, reported that people should be prepared for possible changes in polling locations and multiple ballots. 

Cooper also reported that:

• The Kenai Peninsula School District Board will meet at Homer High School April 6. Guidelines for testifying at a school board meeting are available on the borough website.
  
  
  

• The borough will hold a budget meeting in Homer, April 2. 
  
  
  

• A borough resolution is asking the legislature to hold 2026 assessed property values for three years.
  
  
  

A video with a full transcript of the March 23 city council regular meeting is available on the city’s web site. The next city council meetings are Monday, April 13.