FY2014-17 Recommending Changes to the Federal Subsistence Board's Criteria for Rural Determination 1 Introduced by: Borough Manager
2 Requested by: Borough Manager
3 Drafted by: Special Projects
Introduced on: 10/17/2013
4 Adopted on: 10/17/2013
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7 KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
8 RESOLUTION NO. FY2014-17
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10 A RESOLUTION OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH ASSEMBLY
11 RECOMMENDING CHANGES TO THE FEDERAL SUBSISTENCE
12 BOARD'S CRITERIA FOR RURAL DETERMINATION
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14 WHEREAS, the Kodiak Island Borough is an island archipelago where social and cultural
15 ties are strong and where a historical and cultural tradition of subsistence continues; and
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17 WHEREAS, Kodiak Island is located in the Gulf of Alaska more than 100 miles from the
18 nearest urban area and is accessible only by boat or plane when weather conditions are
19 acceptable; and
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21 WHEREAS, the City of Kodiak is the transportation hub providing the first stop to rural
22 communities of the archipelago that can only be reached by additional boat or plane travel;
23 and
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25 WHEREAS, all communities within the Kodiak Island Borough retain their rural
26 characteristics with use of local fish and wildlife resources and the sharing of this resource
27 among local residents and between communities; and
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29 WHEREAS, an abundance of fish and wildlife exist in the mountains, forests, and waters
30 of the Kodiak Island Borough and are successfully managed by state and federal agencies;
31 and
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33 WHEREAS, the cost of transportation to the communities within the Kodiak Island
34 Borough inflates the cost of food and makes a healthy diet sometimes unaffordable for
35 many; and
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37 WHEREAS, in the event of inclement weather or disaster, the delivery of food and
38 supplies may be delayed for an unpredictable period of time; and
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40 WHEREAS, the Federal Subsistence Board is seeking comments on the following
41 components of the rural determination process: population thresholds, rural characteristics,
42 aggregation of communities, timelines and information sources until November 1, 2013.
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Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Resolution No. FY2014-17
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45 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BYTHE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND
46 BOROUGH THAT THE FEDERAL SUBSISTENCE BOARD CONSIDER THE
47 FOLLOWING CHANGES TO THE CRITERIA FOR RURAL DETERMINATION:
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49 • While population is a starting point in determining a community to be rural or non-
50 rural, subject to consideration of community characteristics, the Kodiak Island
51 Borough opposes the current process of determination of non-rural status based on
52 population thresholds without consideration of overall population density; and
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54 • Regarding the component of Rural Characteristics the Kodiak Island Borough
55 proposes that in addition to the existing criteria (Use of Fish & Wildlife, Economic
56 Development and Diversity, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Educational
57 Institutions) a higher priority consideration be Geographic Remoteness and
58 Isolation. If access to a community is by limited means, dependent upon weather,
59 and hundreds of miles from the nearest road system or urban area, that community
60 is "remote" and deserves to be classified as Rural.
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62 • The Kodiak Island Borough also strongly supports the use Fish and Wildlife as a
63 determining factor in community classification as Rural. An understanding of how
64 fish and game is harvested and shared is relevant and important, especially when
65 there are limited options to purchase food in a community; and
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67 • In regards to the Aggregation of Communities component, the Kodiak Island
68 Borough proposes that a community determined to be "remote" within the Rural
69 Characteristics component should be not be further considered for aggregation; and
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71 • The Kodiak Island Borough opposes a 10 year cycle of review and determination of
72 whether a locality is rural serves no purpose and supports the concept that an area
73 should remain classified as rural until there is a major change in the nature of the
74 community.
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76 ADOPTED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
77 THIS SEVENTEENTH DAY OF OCTOBER, 2013
78 KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
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81 1
82 ATT ST: Jerome M. Selby, Borough Mayor
83 �--
85 1 .TA A`
86 ova M. Javier, MMC, frough erk
Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Resolution No. FY2014-17
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