The Kenai Peninsula Borough enacted an ordinance that amends KPB 2.40.015 regarding the planning commission process. A previously amended ordinance increased the planning commission membership from 11 to 14 members.
Assembly Member Tyson Cox on the amendments:
“The real difference in here is we added the statement – only residents living within the respective city or single member district may apply for a location specific vacancy. Any borough residents who resides outside the city limits may apply ‘at large’ and may be selected in the event no qualified residents of a single member district apply to fill a vacancy for that district’s seat. The other part to that is there would be an option for people on the website that would state non-area specific vacant seat be filled at large. That allows for the people in that district to apply under their specific heading whether that be Soldotna, Kenai, whichever one that they are applying for and live in and then those that would like to be on the planning commission but don’t have a seat for their area open, that term, they can still apply at the seat at large in the fact that if there’s no one in that area that applies.”
State statute requires that planning commission membership be apportioned so that the number of members from home rule and first-class cities reflects the proportion of borough population residing in home rule and first-class cities located in the borough. Based on current census information, for all five cities to have a seat each year, the planning commission was composed of 14 members with 9 single member district seats.
Borough code states that the planning commissioners appointed to represent a single member district shall reside within that district. In the event no qualified residents of a single member district apply to fill a vacancy for that district’s seat, then the seat may be filled with a qualified resident who resides outside of city limits.
Borough code wasn’t clear as to whether or not borough residents who live outside a single member district can apply with those who live in the single member district. The confusion allowed for some out-of-area residents to apply for area specific planning commissioner seats while other residents assumed that only those living in the area could apply.
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