The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly met in Homer Tuesday for its annual visit and convened in the Homer City Council Chambers. The agenda was fairly light, but there was some contention over funding a new emergency service area, stretching from the northern boundary of the borough to just west of Seward and east of Sterling.
The assembly approved forming the Eastern Peninsula Highway Emergency Service Area back in May, but returned to the issue of funding services along the 100 miles of highway corridor. The Alaska Department of Transportation estimates 3,000 to 4,000 vehicles travel the stretch of highway daily and that number can triple during the summer months.
Hope, ooper Landing and Moose Pass all have volunteer emergency services and have historically responded to emergencies on the highway. Volunteers at those departments are aging and response times along the Sterling and Seward highways can be lengthy. Borough Mayor Mike Navarre says his office has been working to resolve the gap in emergency services for over a year.
Some council members were hesitant to approve about $300,000 in federal PILT money, or Payment in Lieu of Taxes, to fund services in the area. Some who gave testimony noted that those services cover anyone traveling along the highway, including children and Southern peninsula residents.
There was a motion to delay the vote until the assembly returns to Soldotna, but that was voted down. The assembly approved funding the service area with assembly member Paul Fischer being the only no vote.