Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly voted in a new invocation policy last night, which will allow volunteer chaplains to give invocations, rather than members of the public. In 2018, a previous borough invocation policy was found unconstitutional in Alaska Superior Court.

The borough assembly will take up a resolution tonight that would only allow chaplains to give invocations before meetings. The borough opened invocations to anyone, regardless of religious affiliation, in 2018, following a lawsuit brought by the ACLU.

In a resolution, the assembly estimates east side set-netters lost a collective $7 million after the fishery was closed this past season. They're asking the governor to declare an economic disaster.

The borough assembly, board of education and many city governments across the peninsula have new incoming members. The City of Kenai will certify its elections tomorrow.

Despite lengthy testimony at the last two public hearings, the code revision passed after little public comment and a unanimous vote from the assembly.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. for today's municipal election, which includes races for city councils, the borough assembly, school board and more. Check KDLL throughout the evening for updated election results.

A resolution, sponsored outgoing Assembly Member Richard Derkevorkian, asks the state legislature to allow term limits for school boards.

In a public hearing Tuesday night, more than a dozen gravel pit operators turned out to share grievances with the assembly's latest gravel pit code revision. The assembly hopes to take a final vote within the month.

Last Wednesday was the deadline to file for races in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Board of Education, City of Kenai and City of Soldotna.

The grant comes from the U.S. Forest Service. The money will go toward removing beetle killed trees from roadways.