MEMORANDUM

TO: William Popp, Assembly President

Members, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly

THRU: Dale Bagley, Mayor

FROM: Bob Bright, Planning Director

DATE: March 9, 2000

SUBJECT: Ordinance 2000-13, accepting and appropriating a grant from the U.S. Forest Service in the amount of $2 million to address the spruce bark beetle infestation problems

Due to safety concerns about the spruce bark beetle killed trees on the Kenai Peninsula, Congress recently passed legislation providing $2 million in funding to the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Attached is language from the senate appropriation report and the conference committee report directing that the funds be used for hazardous tree removal resulting from spruce bark beetle infestation in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. The U.S. Senate appropriation report also indicated that the borough should contract with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council to provide jobs for at-risk youth to remove trees on native land.

Funding has been received. This ordinance authorizes the borough to accept the grant and appropriates it. Attached to the ordinance is a proposed Spruce Bark Beetle Hazard Reduction Program, which is the administration?s recommended approach for administering these grant funds. Section 5 of the ordinance would approve this program. The ordinance also establishes a task force to be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the assembly. On April 18, 2000, the administration intends to present to the assembly the names listed in the program for confirmation. This task force will prepare and implement a plan for managing these funds.

The spruce bark beetle task force initially identified projects costing a total of $12 million. It is hoped that more funds will be made available if these funds are used effectively for Congressional purposes.