Increases in labor costs, fuel costs, and cost of equipment have all contributed to the Kenai Peninsula Borough approving $654,000 in additional funds for the operation of four solid waste transfer sites within the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
The KPB Ordinance 2022 -19-24 Increased Costs of Operating Certain Transfer Facilities past through the Consent Agenda at the regularly scheduled Borough Assembly meeting on October 25th.
Speaking on the ordinance, Assemblyman Tyson Cox stated, ” Part of that comes because labor costs have gone up, fuel costs have gone up, the cost of equipment. All of those things have gone up so that is reflected in these new contracts.”
In a memo addressed October 11th, Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste Director Lee Frey related that contacts for the waste sites for Seward and for Kenai, Nikiski and Sterling are set to expire and both contracts were recently put out to bid and services are higher than budgeted for in the current year.
Ordinance 2022-19-24 approves additional funds in the amount of 236,700 for the Seward Transfer Site and $417,200 for the Kenai, Nikiski, Sterling transfer sites.
Tyson on funds, “That amount will be for Seward, which will be $236,700, for Kenai, Nikiski and Sterling that amount will be $417,200. This is for an increase for the contract of services; it isn’t the total-it’s for the increase.”
According to the KPB FY23 Assembly Adopted Budget, $3,117,233 is earmarked for the KB Solid Waste Fund including a budgeted $1,250,000 for Solid Waste Capital Projects.