The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly enacted an ordinance that would adopt the 2022 Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly and Board of Education Apportionment Plans and submit them to the voters on the ballot for the October 4, 2022, regular borough election.
State law requires that the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly adopt an apportionment plan for borough assembly representation, following the 2020 federal census. The ordinance through adopting and presenting to the voters for selection of two representation and apportionment options, one of which is different from the current plan, meets that requirement. The plan receiving the most votes will be put into place after the election.
The first option, Plan 1, would consist of 9 districts in the borough. The second option, Plan 2, would consist of 11 districts in the borough. In both plans, the assembly members and school board members would be elected by voters residing in the district the member represents.
In addition, an amendment from Assembly Member Richard Derkevorkian passed.
He said:
“We talked about this in committee. I just want to make sure that the voters when they go to the polls have all the information in front of them. I worked with legal to get the proper terminology on this amendment as to the range of costs that these four positions would add or potentially add if option 2 is selected.”
His amendment states that Plan 2 would add two elected members to the borough assembly and two elected members to the board of education. The cost to add two elected members to the borough assembly will add an approximate range of $13,000 to $72,000, depending on whether healthcare and all other benefits are exercised in total costs to the borough’s annual budget. The cost to add two elected members to the board of education will add an approximate range of $7,750 to $59,960, depending on whether healthcare benefits are exercised in total costs to the school district’s annual budget.
A separate amendment from Assembly Member Tyson Cox proposed that no conceptual district maps for a nine or eleven district be included in the 2022 Kenai Peninsula Borough voter’s pamphlet. It failed on a 6-3 vote.
Click here for more information.
Reapportionment Committee Final Report
