FY2022-20 Identifying Federal Program Priorities And A Capital Improvement Program For Federal Fiscal Year 2022 & 20231
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Introduced by: Borough Manager's Office thru the Mayor
Drafted by: Special Projects Support
Introduced on: 02/17/2022
Adopted on: 02/17/2022
KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
RESOLUTION NO. FY2022-20
A RESOLUTION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH IDENTIFYING
FEDERAL PROGRAM PRIORITIES AND A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FOR
FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR 2022 & 2023
WHEREAS, the Alaska Congressional Delegation has requested the views of the Kodiak Island
Borough on which Federal programs and projects should be considered priorities, in no particular
order, for rural Alaskan communities and their residents.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND
BOROUGH that:
the Kodiak Island Borough's views and recommendations on priority Federal programs and
projects are as follows:
1. FY 2023 Community Project/Congressionally Directed Spending Requests:
The Borough submits the following FY 2023 community project/Congressionally directed
spending requests, consistent with guidance issued by the House and Senate
Appropriations Committees. These requests do not include all of our capital projects but
have been selected where there is consistency with relevant appropriations
accounts/programs that allow for directed project funding under the Committees' rules.
• M/V Tustumena Replacement: Ferry service is critical to our island communities.
The State has placed replacement of the aged Tustumena on the STIP and we await
development of a design by DOT/PF. We were pleased to learn that the Infrastructure
Investment & Jobs Act included $342 million to the Federal Dept. of Transportation for
its ferry program. Should additional Federal funds be needed for the new ferry and
are requested by the State, we urge the Delegation to support the request. We also
urge the Delegation to closely monitor the Dept. of Transportation's implementation of
the new $200 million annual ferry operating subsidy program to see that AMHS
receives its fair share and appropriately dedicates the funding to improving service to
Kodiak.
• Safe Pathways to North Star Elementary School: North Star Elementary School is
located on a hill in an area and that is accessed through largely narrow dirt roads
without sidewalks. Children walking to school as well as other pedestrians are at
safety risk from vehicular traffic. The Kodiak Safe Routes To School Plan, completed
in 2013, identified the need and importance of creating pedestrian pathways or trails
Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska
Resolution No. FY2022-20
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46 to link residential neighborhoods to the school. This project would provide such
47 pathways along Anton Drive and Lily Way to the school. We are requesting $1.5
48 million for the project.
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50 City of Port Lions Water & Sewer Distribution Project: The current water and
51 distribution system in Port Lions is over 25 years old. In addition to showing signs of
52 its age, the system was not properly installed in the first place. It has been in need
53 continual maintenance and repair since its beginning, necessitating frequent
54 emergency repairs that often exceed the City's sewer and water operating budget.
55 Replacement of the failing system would cost $2.5 million, the amount the Borough
56 requests in funding.
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58 City of Larsen Bay Water Distribution Line: The City's water distribution system is
59 aged and has many leaks, resulting in an estimated loss of 40,000 gallons of water a
60 day. The water plant operates 24/7 as result and in the summer has difficulty keeping
61 up with the community's water usage despite all of the identifiable leaks having been
62 repaired. Rather than continuing to wastewater and resources operating and repairing
63 the system, the best solution is the replacement of the water distribution line at a cost
64 of $1.7 million, the amount the Borough requests in funds for FY 2023.
65
66 Anton Larsen Bay Road Extension Project: The Kodiak Island Borough has
67 submitted this project as a Federal request to the Delegation the last few years and
68 resubmits it for FY 2023. An extension of the Anton Larsen Bay Road to ice free
69 waters will provide year around access to those communities located in the Kupreanof
70 Strait as well as those who use the island's west side for commercial and recreational
71 purposes. Extending the road to ice free waters makes traveling safer, providing
72 access to critical services located in the City of Kodiak, including hospitals and
73 businesses. Both the Ouzinkie Native Corporation through its subsidiary, the Spruce
74 Island Development Corporation, and the Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak have agreed to
75 partner on the project. Its total project cost is $10.45 million, of which we are
76 requesting $10 million.
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78 2. COVID-19 Relief Funding — State, Local & Tribal Government (SALT) Assistance:
79 The various COVID relief bills enacted in 2020 and 2021 have been very helpful to the
80 Borough in order to maintain operations during the pandemic through direct assistance
81 provided under the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act. We support the
82 additional funding flexibility in the use of these monies as well as extension of spending
83 deadlines as called for by NACO and other organizations representing local governments.
84 The direct relief provided to our schools helped with virtual learning and other COVID
85 protection measures for our students. We worked with the City to set up the Kodiak
86 Economic Development Corporation that used COVID relief funds to support our small
87 businesses and non -profits who had difficulty accessing Payroll Protection Program
88 funding. Should the pandemic's impact extend further into 2022, we urge the Delegation
89 to support either additional relief funding or the reprogramming of previous funds that have
Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Resolution No. FY2022-20
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90 gone unused that would support local government efforts to combat COVID's unfortunate
91 health and economic effects on our communities.
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93 3. Broadband Service To Rural Areas: Establishing or improving broadband service to the
94 Borough's rural island communities continues to be a high Federal priority for us. We
95 have been following with great interest GCI's fiber optic cable project to bring high speed
96 internet service to Kodiak and through much of the Aleutian Island chain. "Middle" and
97 "last" mile investments are of particular interest to our villages so they can access higher
98 speed broadband. We welcome the funding for NTIA's Tribal Broadband Program as well
99 as USDA's Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan Program & Community Connect
100 Grant Program, with the recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act doubling
101 funding for the NTIA Program in FY 2022 as well as creating the new State Broadband
102 Grants Program. We look forward to seeing how this funding is deployed through Alaska's
103 rural communities. Should the Borough in cooperation with a local internet service
104 provider pursue funding at a later date with USDA's or NTIA's programs, we would request
105 Delegation support for our application.
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107 4. Groundfish Surveys: The Kodiak Island Borough continues to be concerned about the
108 possibility of reduced groundfish trawl surveys in the Gulf of Alaska, a concern further
109 exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic on fisheries survey work over the last two
110 years. Groundfish are critical to Kodiak fisheries, accounting for 60 percent of all our
111 landings. Survey data on groundfish species abundance is used to set fishing quotas.
112 Inadequate data creates the possibility of reduced quotas as fisheries managers seek to
113 control fishing effort on a precautionary basis. We appreciate the Alaska Congressional
114 Delegation's support to maintain this coverage on recent years and for favorably
115 considering the Borough's prior year requests. The FY 2021 Omnibus Appropriations Bill
116 included a directive to NMFS to contract for no less than six Alaska bottom trawl groundfish
117 surveys, with one survey to capture fish movements out of historical survey areas to
118 account for climate change -related migration. The pending Senate FY 2022 Commerce -
119 Justice -Science Appropriations Bill carries forward the same requirements for this year.
120 The Borough requests that this directive and number of surveys be included in the final
121 FY 2022 Appropriations Bill and carried forward in the FY 2023 appropriations process.
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123 5. Fisheries Disaster Relief: The Borough thanks the Delegation for its support for fisheries
124 disaster relief through two rounds of funding in COVID relief legislation as well as for the
125 2018 Pacific Cod disaster. We remain concerned over the time and the many steps it
126 takes for relief to be distributed. The Senate has passed fisheries disaster relief reform
127 legislation -- S. 2923, the Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement Act -- that would bring
128 some greater transparency and deadlines to the steps in the disaster relief determination,
129 funding, expenditure plan development and relief distribution process. The bill also
130 includes provisions that qualify local government loss of raw fish tax revenues as eligible
131 for reimbursement from future Federal fisheries disaster relief funding. We urge its
132 enactment as well as support for any future Federal relief funding should Kodiak's
133 fishermen, processors and other businesses be negatively impacted by a fisheries
134 disaster.
Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Resolution No. FY2022-20
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136 6. North Pacific Observer Program: Observers are an important part of managing the
137 halibut and groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska. Kodiak benefits from a well-run and
138 adequately funded observer program through expanded economic opportunities for its
139 groundfish and halibut fleet and processing sector. Gulf of Alaska fishery participants pay
140 into the North Pacific Observer Fund to cover the costs of "partial coverage" for Gulf fishing
141 sectors but there has been a shortfall in funding to cover observer costs in recent years.
142 The Borough in past years has requested a $2 million supplement to the program along
143 with language pressing NMFS to make modifications to the program to reduce its burden
144 on smaller vessel operators in the fixed gear fleet. For FY 2021, Congress provided an
145 additional $1 million to supplement program funding. The pending Senate FY 2022
146 Commerce -Justice -Science Appropriations Bill includes another supplement of $1 million
147 above the FY 2021 level with direction that the funds "offset observer costs normally paid
148 for by harvesters in fisheries that are under -taking a transition to EM/ER" (sic electronic
149 monitoring and reporting). The Borough supports rolling forward this legislative language
150 as well as $2 million in supplemental funding for the program in the FY 2023 appropriations
151 bill.
152
153 7. U.S. Coast Guard Base -- Kodiak: Continued infrastructure development at the USCG
154 Base in Kodiak along with Coast Guard vessel homeporting expansion plans remain a
155 high priority for the Kodiak Island Borough. We were very pleased to learn that as part of
156 the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Congress provided the Coast Guard with an additional
157 $429 million for infrastructure improvements. Of that amount, $170 million is designated
158 for our base, with $40 million to go to Phase IV base housing and $130 million for Phase
159 1 recapitalization of the fuel services pier to accommodate the Coast Guard's new vessels.
160 These investments combined with other previously funded infrastructure, housing and
161 environmental remediation projects will result in substantial upgrades to the base's
162 capabilities and readiness. In addition to the Offshore Patrol Cutter and two Fast
163 Response Cutters, we are thankful for the Delegation's advocacy with the Coast Guard
164 for Kodiak to be a possible homeport for one of the six new Polar Security Cutters (PSCs).
165 In the interim, should the Coast Guard execute leases for foreign ice breakers while the
166 PSCs are under construction, we would encourage Kodiak be considered as a homeport,
167 even if temporary. Furthermore, we are supportive of S. 3272 — the Arctic Focus Act —
168 introduced by Senator Sullivan that includes language requiring the homeporting on one
169 PSC in Alaska by 2030. Overall, we appreciate the Delegation's support for the Base as
170 a homeport for the new vessel classes and urge continued advocacy as future Coast
171 Guard decisions are made.
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173 8. Payment -In -Lieu -of -Taxes (PILT): PILT is a very important revenue source to the
174 Borough, given that there are over 2.8 million acres removed by the Federal Government
175 from local taxation within our boundaries. This is land that would otherwise be available
176 to the private sector to develop, creating jobs for the residents of Kodiak and the rural
177 Kodiak Island communities. PILT funds supplement Borough resources to provide basic
178 social services, including medical facilities, emergency fire and rescue services, roads,
179 and schools to our island communities. We understand that the pending FY 2022 Senate
Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Resolution No. FY2022-20
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and House Interior Appropriations Bills include full funding for PILT. We thank the
Delegation for its long-standing support for PILT and urge continued support for full
funding in the FY 2023 appropriations process.
9. National Wildlife Refuge Fund ("Refuge Revenue Sharing"): While not as significant
as PILT, the National Wildlife Refuge Fund is a critical source of replacement revenue to
communities like ours that have the presence of a large Federal wildlife refuge within their
boundaries. Both the Trump and Obama Administrations sought to zero out its funding.
The Biden Administration in its FY 2022 budget request also sought to terminate
appropriations for the program. Fortunately, the pending FY 2022 Senate and House
Interior Appropriations Bills include level funding for the program. The Kodiak Island
Borough opposes the termination of appropriations for this important program. The
Borough thanks the Delegation for its on-going support, and seeks continued level funding
in FY 2023.
10. Essential Air Service (EAS): The Borough's communities are highly reliant on the EAS
program, its support to air carriers and its requirements for island community service. We
are appreciative of the additional relief funding Congress provided to EAS during the
pandemic to make up for reduced passenger air travel on the island. Without this relief
funding along with regular annual funding for the program, the Borough would lose or have
vastly reduced air service to our island communities. The pending FY 2022 Seante and
House Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Bills fully fund EAS. We support continued funding for EAS in FY 2023
along with any supplemental funding should it be needed due to further pandemic impacts
on EAS carriers.
11. U.S. Navy Arctic Presence: The Borough appreciates the Delegation's sustained effort
at urging and directing the Department of Defense (including the Navy) to further examine
the Arctic's strategic interest to the U.S. This includes follow up by the Navy after its
release last year of its report — A Blue Arctic. We understand that changes in U.S. strategic
posture and investment in the Arctic is a long-term issue and will require further analysis
and study before decisions can be made about a more sustained or permanent Navy
presence in the region. A positive step this past year was DoD's selection of a Senior
Advisor for Arctic Security Affairs as well as the establishment of the Ted Stevens Center
for Arctic Security Studies in Alaska. We also saw the issuance of the 2021 National
Intelligence Estimate, with its finding that military activities in the Arctic by other countries,
including non -Arctic nations such as China, are likely to increase. As has been included
in our past Resolutions, selection of Kodiak as a potential Navy base or staging area as
the U.S. expands its security presence in the Arctic is a long-term goal for the Borough.
There is adequate land at our Coast Guard Base as well as a deep -water port at Womens
Bay that could support the Navy's presence. The Borough seeks to continue to keep
Kodiak "front and center" with the Delegation and Department of Defense as Arctic plans
develop.
Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska
Resolution No. FY2022-20
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH that:
the Kodiak Island Borough administration is hereby instructed to advise Congress and the
appropriate agencies of the United States Federal Government of the Capital Improvement
Program and other Federal program priorities adopted by the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly.
ADOPTED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
THIS SEVENTEENTH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2022.
KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
�Vlpr� WJ6 llil�Lt/Y
Aimee Williams, Deputy Presiding Officer
VOTES:
Ayes: Delgado, Smiley, Smith, Turner, and Arndt
Noes:
Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska
ATTEST:
Lina Cruz, Borough Deputy Clerk
Resolution No. FY2022-20
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