City Passes $55-Million Budget

Jay Barrett/KMXT

The Kodiak City Council passed its annual budget at last night’s meeting. The general fund budget – that is salaries and operations – amounts to about 13-and-a-half-million dollars. There are 24-million-dollars for capital projects. Almost 2-million-dollars for insurance and retirement obligations, and there is 11-million in enterprise fund spending, largely related to water, sewer and the harbors. The total budget amounts to just over 55-million-dollars, which includes about 4-million dollars drawn from the city’s enhancement fund.

Vice Mayor Gabriel Saravia cautioned against dipping into the city’s cash reserves too often:

— (Budget 1 June 27 14 sec “… try to keep the budget as skinny as possible.”)

Councilman Tom Walters’ self-professed libertarian streak showed itself before he voted to pass the budget:

— (Budget 2 June 27 30 sec “… that our forefathers never wanted us to do.”)

Come July the city council will hold two work sessions and two regular meetings in the same month. It’s the first time that’s happened this year.

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