The Kenai City Council on Dec. 18, 2024, adopted a resolution approving extensions and amendments to two memorandums of agreement with the State of Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection to continue operations of a slash disposal site and to preserve the city’s ability to use federal funds for hazardous‑tree removal.

City Manager Terry Eubank told the council the first agreement provides state funding for operation of the city’s slash disposal site. He said the original memorandum provided up to $150,000 and, after three summers of operation, “we have mid‑eighties, upper‑eighties dollars … left of those funds.” The extension would allow the city to operate the site again next summer.

The second memorandum covers hazardous‑tree removal for spruce bark beetle impacts. Eubank said that agreement is for $385,000 and called it the city’s match share to a federal grant of the same amount. “In order for us to continue to utilize the remainder of that federal grant, we need this memorandum and that funding,” he said, adding that he expects a future amendment to expand the geographic scope of permitted tree cutting.

Council members asked for details about acreage and phasing. Eubank and staff said the original project footprint was about 105 acres, and that future phases are expected to cover significantly more land. He explained the borough has contributed federal funds and mitigation work on city‑owned property in some areas, and that combined efforts mean the next phase will allow substantially more hazardous‑tree removal work.

Council did not record a roll‑call tally in the meeting minutes for the resolution, and the item passed by unanimous consent. Eubank told council that the extension is intended to prevent the state and federal funding from expiring this December and that a later, more detailed amendment limited to the tree‑cutting scope would likely return to council for approval.

Why it matters: extending the agreements preserves state support for slash disposal and maintains the city’s ability to draw down matching federal funds for hazardous‑tree removal. Council members pressed staff for acreage and scope details and were told specific scope expansions will be brought back as amendments for formal approval.

Implementation and next steps: the city will accept the extended agreements and staff expects to present a scope amendment for the hazardous‑tree removal memorandum at a future meeting.