The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly failed to pass a laydown resolution that would change the special assistant to the mayor from a part-time position to a full-time position, in addition to removing the position’s designation as Chief of Emergency Services.
The FY22 budget has a part-time Special Assistant to the Mayor position designated as the Chief of Emergency Services. There currently is a need for additional resources to serve as a liaison to the Borough’s various boards and commissions, assist with upcoming capital projects, a potential $65 million bond package that would be subject to voter approval, work with cities and their councils to collaborate on borough and city issues, and other assigned duties due to an increased workload. Under previous fiscal years, Special Assistants to the Mayor have served in similar roles.
Aaron Rhoades, Chief of Staff for Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce told the assembly that there’s a need for this position:
“The individual that we’re considering bringing into this role, his name is James Baisden. What we’re going to have James do is continue some of the activities and projects that I would normally be doing and then, am currently doing under my multiple roles presently. He’s also going to work with service areas and commissions to make sure that they are functioning as they should.”
Assembly Member Tyson Cox:
“When we’re creating new positions, especially when we’re creating new positions this close to budget time, I do have a few questions. One of the questions is we’re going from a .25 to a full-time position. We haven’t spoken much about what that cost will be. I also wanted to mention that when you add things right now, what that does is when we go to look at our budget, that budget line for FY22, has this position then included in it, so then when it’s added in FY23, it’s not actually added. It just looks like it was already there, even though this is a position that was added, two or three months before budget comes up. I do think it’s worth talking about. We’ve talked a little bit about clarity earlier today and I think it probably the clearest way to talk about it and ask why now?”
The resolution could be reconsidered at a future meeting, per a request following the vote from Assembly Member Richard Derkevorkian.
