Trails and Consolidation on Agenda for Council Work Session

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

The Kodiak City Council and the public will sit through both presentations and powerpoints at the council work session tonight. The first of these will be a Near Island pedestrian pathway planning and design update.

According to a land use plan included in the meeting packet, DOWL is proposing a few new trails or trail linkages, one for example which appears to snake behind the Alaska Department of Fish and Game buildings on Trident Way.

The council and the public will also see a powerpoint regarding the implementation of new harbor rates, which was postponed earlier this summer. City Mayor Pat Branson says those rates were originally supposed to go into effect July 1, when the new fiscal year began.

“I was very much against that and it was only giving harbor users a two week notice and we thought there were better ideas, the council did, about how to implement those rates in a phased in process. And so those options are coming back from the administration to the council to look at.”

Another ongoing issue is the recent advisory question the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly decided it would put to voters during the regular municipal election in October, regarding whether or not the borough and city should consider consolidating into one government. Branson says the council had requested discussion, but has so far not met with the assembly on the matter.

She refers back to the Comprehensive Plan the borough completed in 2008.

“Also in that comprehensive plan is an issue that states the need for improved communication between the borough and local governments, tribal organizations, and community groups – was identified as a high priority by residents in the communities. So, I would say, communication is important and unfortunately that didn’t happen.”

The work session will be at the library beginning at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

Then, on Thursday, the city council will hold its regular meeting in the assembly chambers.