KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly passed its budget at Thursday night’s meeting, and approved funding for two organizations that promote the island and its businesses.
The general fund budget amounts to a little over 15-and-a-half-million dollars, as part of a total budget of 31-million-600-thousand dollars. For the first time ever, the borough is funding the school district to the maximum allowed under law, to the tune of 10-million-783-thousand-220-dollars.
Assemblyman Tom Abell said the school funding was possible without raising the property tax rate above the current 10-point-5 mills:
— (Budget 1 23 sec “… we’re both happy that we reached the cap.”)
Assemblywoman Pat Branson, who manages Seniors of Kodiak, was pleased that borough non-profit organizations received level funding in this year’s budget:
— (Budget 2 39 sec “… gave the staff in this, the FY 09 budget.”)
While funding the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce was passed enthusiastically and unanimously, it was a six-to-1 vote to fund the Kodiak Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. Assemblywoman Louise Stutes cast the lone dissenting vote:
— (Budget 3 38 sec “… disbursing more money to this non-profit organization.”)
Abell had expressed some of the same reservations the week before at the assembly’s work session, but obviously had a change of heart by the time it came to vote on the funding:
— (Budget 4 21 sec “… you correct it in-house and move on.”)
The Kodiak Island Convention and Visitors Bureau will receive 55-thousand dollars from the borough over the next year, while the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce will receive 43-thousand.
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