The Kenai City Council voted to authorize a budget transfer to provide supplemental funding for the Shop Local Economic Stimulus Program and authorize an amendment to extend the date vouchers must be spent. Council in January adopted an ordinance that authorized the city to establish a Shop Local Economic Stimulus Program in the amount of $350,000 and execute an agreement with the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center to administer the program.
Council, in March, passed a resolution extending the program for an additional month to May 1st and increased administrative costs and funding the program for direct incentive to shoppers. The Kenai Chamber of Commerce notified the city of the need for supplemental funding to cover pending online submissions for the program that were submitted prior to the conclusion of the program on May 1st.
The Kenai Chamber worked with participating businesses to ensure that they would be able to extend the date vouchers must be spent from June 1st to July 1st. The extension of the date is designed to reward local shopping, promote Kenai businesses, and continue the community’s recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Councilman Jim Glendening, “I just wanted to thank city administration for being proactive and forward leaning on this. It truly is emblematic of a soft landing for this type of program. It’s hard to forecast the demand for a program of this dollar amount and it was very well managed. The benchmarks and markers along the way where the city was notified as to how the funds were being spent and it almost finished with a zero balance. I’ll be proud to support this additional appropriation. It’s money well spent for the benefit of the community.”
Resolution No. 2021-33 unanimously passed.