By Delcenia Cosman

Homer Independent Press

The Homer City Council will wait to see if voters elect to renew the HART Fund this fall before allocating additional funding for trails in Karen Hornaday Park.

On Monday, the council postponed an ordinance that would have spent $150,000 from the Homer Accelerated Roads and Trails Fund on planning and design to turn an existing “primitive” roadbed above the park into a hiking trail. The council will consider Ordinance 26-41 again during its first meeting in November, after city election results are certified.

This project is part of the city’s overall planning and design for the Woodard Canyon Trail. The roadbed connects Karen Hornaday Park to the city-owned acreage above the park, where the city intends to build a low-impact loop trail to connect all existing trails. Funding for the loop trail design is already in place.

Hikers already use the roadbed as a trail, but city officials say there are issues with sloughing and drainage.

“It’s kind of unfortunate that this road was ever put in … but it’s there,” said council member Donna Aderhold. “But we do need to have a stable trail bed.”

Council member Shelly Erickson said she felt the project had a timing issue and she was uncomfortable spending so much from the HART Fund on a study prior to the fund’s renewal.

The HART Program is funded by a dedicated portion — up to 0.75% — of Homer’s 4.85% city sales tax, subject to voter approval, for maintenance and construction of city roads and non-motorized trails.

Voters will decide in the regular city election on Nov. 3 whether to renew the HART Program and continue the sales tax levy for another 20 years. According to the HART Policy Manual, the current tax collection expires Dec. 31, 2027.

Find Ordinance 26-41 and Monday’s meeting recording on the City of Homer website.