Assembly gives tourism working group 60 more days to finish report

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly voted April 15 to amend and adopt a resolution extending the tourism industry working group's deadline for its final meeting and report by 60 days.

The legislative committee reported that the working group was close to completing recommendations but needed additional time. Assemblymember Tonseth summarized that the group "weren't able to reach consensus yet" and that an extension could help them finalize recommendations. Assemblymember Cox proposed an amendment to extend the deadline from 30 days to 60 days; Cox said one meeting in May would probably be insufficient to both discuss options and adopt a final report.

Vice President Cooper, a sponsor of the resolution, said "this group has been great to work with. They just need a little more time, and that is why we've requested another 30 days" — and supported extending that to 60 days after Cox's proposed amendment. The assembly approved the amendment by unanimous consent and later adopted the resolution on a roll call vote: 7 yes, 2 no (Assemblymember Eklund and Assemblymember Cox opposed).

The approved amendment moves the working group's final meeting and report deadlines into mid‑to late‑June (the resolution, as amended, set the new final report due no later than June 30, 2025). Assemblymembers emphasized that the extension is intended to give the working group time to complete recommendations rather than to change the group's scope.

Why it matters The tourism industry working group is charged with developing recommendations intended to inform borough policy affecting tourism operators and communities across the peninsula. Extending the deadline gives the group more time to finalize recommendations that could influence tourism policy and operations for the coming year.