Assembly to Decide Fate of Non-Smoking Ballot Question

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT

Tonight the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly will hold a public hearing on a hot button item that has been stirring up quite a few community comments in the past few weeks – second hand smoke. But tonight the assembly will not be deciding whether or not smoking should be allowed in indoor public places, rather if Kodiak residents will be allowed to vote the matter. The second hand smoke control ordinance, if passed tonight, will simply put the question of public smoking on the fall ballot and leave the community to decide.
The ordinance was brought forth last month by Assemblymen Aaron Griffin and Tuck Bonney. During last week’s borough work session Bonney recanted his support of the ordinance and said conversations with numerous community members helped change his mind. If the ordinance fails tonight it will not be placed on the fall ballot and it’s unclear if it will resurface for the following year.
Also on tonight’s agenda is a reconsideration of an ordinance that passed the assembly during its last meeting. Earlier this month the assembly voted in favor of a rezoning a plot of land on Shannon Point in Womens Bay from business to industrial. During the meeting many community members expressed concerns over an application with the Army Corps of Engineers to build new dock on that land. In the end the assembly was split and Mayor Jerome Selby broke it in favor of the rezone. Bonney originally voted against it, but changed his vote to be on the prevailing side, which allowed him the ability to bring it up for reconsideration during tonight’s meeting.
Tonight’s meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. in the borough assembly chambers. It will be broadcast live on KMXT.