MEMORANDUM

TO: Pete Sprague, Assembly President

Members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly

THRU: Dale Bagley, Mayor

Scott Holt, Finance Director

Craig Chapman, Borough Controller

FROM: David Gibbs, Emergency Management Coordinator

DATE: November 6, 2003

SUBJECT: Ordinance 2003-19-26, Accepting and appropriating $30,000 from the Alaska Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Services for developing a multi-jurisdictional All-Hazard Mitigation Plan for the Kenai Peninsula Borough

The Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, has funding available for pre-disaster all-hazard mitigation planning. The Borough's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) applied for, and received, funding under this program in the amount of $30,000. Funds may be used for developing a multi-jurisdictional all-hazard mitigation plan. Local governments failing to develop plans risk losing eligibility to compete for funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. This grant is in addition to the grant of $20,000 accepted pursuant to Ordinance 2003-19-15 which was also granted to the borough for preparing an all-hazard mitigation plan.

Mitigation plans reduce community vulnerability to disaster losses. An example of a mitigation strategy would be to limit development within the floodway. Another example is fuel reduction or treatment to limit the effect of wildland fire. The Borough has not completed an all-hazard mitigation plan.

Specifically, the borough must submit a final draft to the State by September 15, 2004. The plan must be completed and adopted as a municipal all-hazard local mitigation plan by October 1, 2004.