Assembly reviews FY2026 department budgets; IT, community development and parks among items discussed

The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly took a first look April 10 at proposed FY2026 budgets for a range of general-fund departments and one special-revenue fund, with department heads and staff summarizing principal changes and answering assembly questions.

Information Technology director Fred (last name not provided) told the assembly the IT budget reflects routine salary steps plus key one-time capital needs. Fred said a main capital request is for enterprise storage replacement and a backup server: “The current one is end of life this summer in June… they run about $50,000,” he said, referring to centralized virtual-server storage. He also described maintenance agreements (for software subscriptions and ongoing support) and a rise in communications costs related to expanding iPad use for emergency and mission-critical teams.

Community Development staff led by Chris summarized modest departmental restructuring that reduced salary costs by moving an associate planner into code-enforcement and promoting internal staff; the department retains a training line to prepare staff for additional comprehensive-plan work. Chris said staff reduced contracted-services spending from $40,000 last year because major consultant work on the comprehensive plan did not materialize, though some translation and targeted consulting remain possible.

Parks and Recreation budget items drew attention: staff proposed a $150,000 contract for demolition and park installation at Harlequin Court and a second $150,000 machinery-equipment line for playground equipment, plus smaller maintenance and snow-removal lines. Several assemblymembers asked that budget planners prioritize pool repairs over a new playground if the pool repair need proves more urgent; staff said the parks committee is focused on pursuing one park project per year and will return with priorities.

Emergency preparedness budget items include a $25,000 line for tsunami-siren maintenance and $75,000 for a new emergency coordinator position shared with the city of Kodiak. Staff said the position’s training and redundancy obligations drove the proposed training budget increases to ensure more personnel beyond a single coordinator are trained.

Assessing staff told the assembly they plan an outreach and property-inspection effort to several villages, budgeting about $25,000 for travel and per diem and noting the need for updated digital measuring equipment to pair with the new Tyler assessing software the borough is implementing. The assessing office also expects short-term double costs while migrating to the new platform because both old and new systems require maintenance during the migration period.

Across departments, assemblymembers probed specifics—contracted-services reductions, maintenance-agreement details, IT lifecycle timelines, and whether playground or pool projects should be prioritized. Staff said several items will be finalized in the next budget round and will return with level-two budget details and any requested clarifications.