government

On today’s episode of the Kenai Conversation, we’re joined by Republican State Sen. Jesse Bjorkman to talk about the Alaska Legislature’s ongoing special session and the Alaska LNG Project tax break driving debate.

In a letter, Griebel says he is resigning from the assembly to take a job with the borough.

Soldotna’s next mini grant application cycle opens July 15. The council has approved $4,000 for grants this year.

Council members added roughly a quarter of a million dollars in one-time spending during their Wednesday meeting.

The borough budget designates money for local schools, road work, borough landfills, service areas and government operations, among other things.

Council member Jordan Chilson says the changes were inspired by a conversation about how Soldotna should accommodate remote participation in city meetings.

The plan describes twenty years of development for Kenai’s parks. It ranges from rezoning to development of a new festival and event space. The council will vote next month whether to adopt the plan.

Those in favor said the bump is a necessary investment given financial trends, while those opposed said it would financially burden shoppers already feeling the strain of inflation.

The school board budget closes four schools and cuts millions of dollars in programs and employees. But board members said they’d reverse certain cuts if the assembly funded the school district at the same level as last year.

People still have three minutes to talk about non-agenda items at the beginning of the meeting, three minutes to talk about anything at the end of the meeting and three minutes to testify about specific items up for a public hearing.