MEMORANDUM

TO: Pete Sprague, Assembly President

Members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly

THRU: Dale Bagley, Borough Mayor

Scott Holt, Finance Director

Max Best, Planning Director

Mary Toll, Platting Officer

FROM: Bonnie L. Golden, Grants Manager

DATE: May 6, 2004

SUBJECT: Ordinance No. 2003-19-50: Accepting and appropriating $10,000 from the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, for research and mapping of section line easements

Last year the Planning Department applied for funding ($80,644) to conduct research and mapping of section line easements. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources ("DNR") awarded a grant to the Borough in the amount of $70,000. This grant was accepted and appropriated through Ordinance 2003-19-10. Recently, the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") notified the Borough that additional funds were available for this program and that the Borough was eligible to receive an additional $10,000 for this project. The attached ordinance accepts and appropriates the additional $10,000 for section line easement research and mapping. The additional $10,000 will fully fund the project as originally requested.

The Planning Department has found that identifying correct section line easements can be very challenging, especially when the information is not readily available or is inconsistent. Currently, research of section line easements is confusing and time consuming, and must be undertaken on a case-by-case basis. Due to staff limitations, many questions regarding section line easements are referred to BLM or DNR, both located in Anchorage.

Planning has hired a full-time employee with land research abilities to research, identify, and map the section line easements. The employee will review all Borough parcels, creating a database with information for each section. In addition, the employee will use the information to graphically depict the section line easements on the Borough's GIS parcel base map.

Attachments:

Proposed Amendment to Assistance Agreement

Ordinance