MEMORANDUM

TO: Pete Sprague, Assembly President

Members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly

THRU: Dale Bagley, Borough Mayor

Scott G. Holt, Finance Director

Max Best, Planning Director

Roberta Wilfong, Spruce Bark Beetle Project Manager

FROM: Bonnie L. Golden, Grants Manager

DATE: March 4, 2004

SUBJECT: Ordinance 2003-19-39 An ordinance accepting and appropriating a direct lump sum payment from the U.S. Forest Service in the amount of $929,000 to remove spruce bark beetle killed trees on the Kenai Peninsula.

Continued Congressional concern over the wildfire danger on the Kenai Peninsula has resulted in Congress directing the United States Forest Service (USFS) to appropriate a direct lump sum payment in the amount of $929,000 to the Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) to remove spruce bark beetle killed trees. (See letter from USFS dated February 4, 2004, and congressional Committee language attached for reference. The rescission, which is the USFS administrative fee, has already been deducted.)

The Congressional appropriation also provided funding to the City of Seward in the amount of $260,000 for tree removal. In addition, $300,000 was appropriated to Homer Electric Association for tree removal in areas located on the south side of Kachemak Bay.

Ordinance 2000-19-19, adopted by the KPB Assembly on April 3, 2001, established the Phase II Program Outline and Description to govern Spruce Bark Beetle (SBB) Mitigation programs. Item #2 (Hazard Tree Removal) of the Phase II Program Outline and Description established:

(1) The hazard tree removal program to clear rights of way and corridors;

(2) The slash disposal program to dispose of woody debris resulting from wildfire mitigation projects; and

(3) The Community Defensible Space Program to partner with community FireWise projects.

The objective of these three programs is to clear beetle kill around communities to reduce wildfire hazards.

Enactment of this ordinance will accept the $929,000 direct lump sum payment from the USFS to KPB and appropriate it to the SBB Hazard Tree Removal account to accomplish the above-described tasks.

Attachments: Ordinance; letter of notification; congressional committee language