The Kenai City Council enacted an ordinance that amends municipal code to allow for the Kenai Police Department to dispose of certain surplus and obsolete materials without advertisement, public opportunity, or procedures to obtain the highest price. Municipal code states that disposing of surplus or obsolete materials and equipment requires that they must be advertised and disposed of in a manner available to the public and designed to obtain the highest price or benefit to the city.
According to Chief Dave Ross, he writes that the section of Kenai Municipal Code recognizes that certain items in possession of the police department may not be best suited to be disposed of in the same manner as other surplus government equipment and supplies.
Proposed KMC section 7.15.090 (d)(1) will deal with the disposal of firearms in the possession of the Police Department as there are several dealers that specifically bid on guns in police possession. Ross writes that this is typically how KPD has disposed of firearms in the past. This would specifically authorize the disposal method and wouldn’t require other council action.
An additional proposed section of code will deal with various other law enforcement supplies and equipment. Ross writes that many of these items, such as those given as examples in the proposed KMC section, are best suited to sell or trade for other specific law enforcement equipment, often for upgraded equipment, through the dealer or seller of the original products. If they are a surplus to the Kenai Police Department and may be of value to other law enforcement agencies or entities, code would allow them to make efficient use of them.
Another proposed section of code will deal with disposal of bicycles. Ross writes that bicycles available for disposal by the police department have historically gone to auction in large lots under existing provisions of KMC, adding that through previous council action, the city donated some of those bikes to certain organizations including Mountain View Elementary. The Police Department was also recently approached by a community wellness court for the potential future donation to help the program in the form of transportation. Ross added that this new section of KMC will allow the Police Department to work with local charitable organizations and to do so in timely manner.
The Chief will also provide a full written accounting to the City Manager and the Council within 30 days of disposing of the aforementioned items.
The changes allow the department to develop an appropriate policy to dispose the items and give the chief discretion for making them in the best interests of the department and the city.
