FY2024-14 Identifying Federal Project And Program Priorities For Federal Fiscal Year 20251
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KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
RESOLUTION NO. FY2024-14
A RESOLUTION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH IDENTIFYING
FEDERAL PROJECT AND PROGRAM PRIORITIES FOR FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR 2025
WHEREAS, the Alaska Congressional Delegation has requested the views of the Kodiak Island
Borough on which Federal projects and programs 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 for FY 2025 are as follows:
1. FY 2025 Community Project/Congressionally Directed Spending Requests: The
Borough submits the following FY 2025 community project/Congressionally directed
spending requests, consistent with guidance issued by the House and Senate
Appropriations Committees.
• Kodiak Island Medical Center Renovation & Expansion Project: The
Borough is seeking funding for a project to build a three-story diagnostic and
treatment/patient care addition to our existing hospital to replace an existing
wing that is structurally deficient and whose support systems are failing. The
total estimated cost of the project is $54.4 million which will meet seismic
standards as well as future medical care needs in Kodiak. We are seeking
$54.4 million in FY 2025 funding for its engineering and design.
• St Herman's Harbor Infrastructure Replacement: St. Hermans Harbor has
been a vital harbor facility for Kodiak's large and diverse commercial fishing
fleet for 40 years. The facility provides safe moorage for over four hundred
vessels from all over Alaska and the West Coast. Unfortunately, its float system
is aged, decrepit and starting to fail. The City applied for MARAD Port
Infrastructure Development Program FY 2023 grant funding for Phase One of
the float system replacement project but was not awarded funding. We thank
the Alaska Delegation for its letter of support for the application to the Secretary
of Transportation and urge that a similar letter be sent when the City applies
for funding in the FY 2024 grant round.
2. Broadband Service To Rural Areas: Establishing or improving broadband service
to the Borough's rural communities has been a high Federal priority for us for many
years. Deployment of high-speed broadband to rural areas such as Kodiak continued
in FY 2024 through a mix of Federal programs provided through the American Rescue
Plan Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and regular annual Federal appropriations.
The primary sources of funding have been or will be through NTIA's Tribal Broadband
Program; USDA's Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan Program & Community
Connect Grant Program; and the new State Broadband Grants Program created by
Resolution FY2024-14
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the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We support continued rollout of these programs in
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FY 2025 and any broadband applications/projects submitted that would expand or
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improve service to our Island communities.
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3.
Use Of Borough Property For Housing: Kodiak faces a severe housing shortage.
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The shortage has reduced the availability of rental housing stock and driven up prices
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for lower and moderate -income residents. The Borough is interested in using property
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in its possession for construction of worker housing in partnership with a local seafood
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processing company. During the due diligence of this process, the Borough discovered
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deed restrictions on property use when it was originally conveyed by the Federal
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government. Those restrictions indicate the property must be used for public purposes.
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We believe that meeting local housing needs constitutes a public purpose but need
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concurrence from the Department of Interior before the housing project can move
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forward. We want to thank the Delegation for its December 2023 letter to the Secretary
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making that argument and await the Department's reply.
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4.
Groundfish Surveys: Our Federal resolutions over the years have consistently called for
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maintenance of effort of Federal groundfish trawl surveys in Alaska. This maintenance of
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effort is needed as part of the Federal science- and data -driven fishery management
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process to establish sustainable groundfish quotas. It has been supported by the Alaska
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Congressional Delegation for which we are appreciative. This baseline is for six surveys,
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one of which is dedicated to movement of fish out of historical survey areas. That
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funding/directive is pending in the FY 2024 appropriations bills. We respectfully request
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that six Alaska groundfish trawl surveys be continued and funded in the final FY 2024
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appropriations bill, and for the FY 2025 funding cycle as well.
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5.
Fisheries Disaster Relief: Congress has enacted fisheries disaster relief reform
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legislation -- the Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement Act -- that qualifies local
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government loss of raw fish tax revenues as eligible for reimbursement from future Federal
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fisheries disaster relief funding. This provision is not mandatory and would require the
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State of Alaska to include foregone fish taxes as part of its fisheries disaster relief
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expenditure plans submitted to NOAA. We request the Delegation support adequate
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appropriations for recent and future approved disaster declarations impacting Kodiak's
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fisheries.
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6.
North Pacific Observer Program: Observers are an important part of managing the
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halibut and groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska. Gulf of Alaska fishery participants
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pay into the North Pacific Observer Fund to cover the costs of "partial coverage" for Gulf
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fishing sectors but there has been a shortfall in funding to cover observer costs in recent
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years. While Congress did not include the increase in funding for the program that the
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Borough requested in the FY 2024 appropriations bills, it did include instructions to
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mitigate the cost impacts on the small vessel fixed gear fleet while the fishery undergoes
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the transition to electronic monitoring and reporting. We request that an additional $2
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million in funding be provided in FY 2025 above base funding along with carryover of
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language concerning the cost -burdens on the fleet.
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Resolution FY2024-14 Page 2 of 4
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7. U.S. Coast Guard Base -- Kodiak: Over the last couple of years, approximately $275
million has been provided to USCG Base -- Kodiak for infrastructure projects, including
housing and shoreside infrastructure, to be ready for homeporting the two new each
Offshore Patrol and Fast Response Cutters. This is very good news for the Base and
Kodiak, and we appreciate the Delegation's steadfast support for these projects and cutter
homeporting in Kodiak. The Borough is also very interested in Kodiak being a homeport
for a new Polar Security Cutter(s) — the Coast Guard's next generation icebreaker -- but
we recognize that water depth in Womens Bay cannot support such a deep draft vessel.
The Borough supports other locations for a possible icebreaker including an effort by the
City to seek Army Corps of Engineers construction of a breakwater and future deep draft
dock off Near Island. We urge the Delegation to support that project and be an advocate
for Kodiak as a future homeport for a PSC(s). Lastly, the Senate version of the FY 2024
National Defense Authorization Act included a provision that would have included the
Coast Guard in the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, thus making local
infrastructure projects like renovating our elementary school eligible for DCIP funding, but
unfortunately the provision was dropped from the final bill. We urge the Delegation to
revive the effort for FY 2025.
8. Payment -In -Lieu -of -Taxes (PILT): PILT is a very important revenue source to the
Borough, given that there are over 2.8 million acres removed by the Federal Government
from local taxation within our boundaries. This is land that would otherwise be available
to the private sector to develop, creating jobs for the residents of Kodiak and our rural
Kodiak Island communities. PILT funds supplement Borough resources to provide basic
social services, including medical facilities, emergency fire and rescue services, roads,
and schools to our island communities. The pending FY 2024 appropriations bills provide
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 2025 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. The Obama, Trump and Biden Administrations have all sought to terminate
appropriations for the Fund but thankfully Congress has rejected these requests, including
level funding for the Fund in the pending FY 2024 appropriations bills. 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 2025.
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. FAA
programs including EAS are due to be reauthorized in this Congress. In 2023, an
amendment to terminate EAS funding was offered on the House floor and fortunately was
defeated by a large bipartisan margin. Congressional critics of EAS cite the program as a
"wasteful corporate subsidy" to the profitable major airlines but overlook the program's
support for air routes that are served by smaller carriers or the fact without the EAS
subsidy, the major airlines would either terminate service, reduce it, or raise fares. FAA
Resolution FY2024-14
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programs including EAS have been extended for a short-term basis while Congress
deliberates a long-term reauthorization. We urge the Delegation to continue to oppose
efforts to cut EAS funding and support FAA reauthorization legislation that extends the
program.
11. U.S. Military Arctic Presence: The Borough appreciates the Delegation's sustained effort
at urging and directing the Department of Defense to further examine the Arctic's strategic
interest to the U.S. Russia and China continue to aggressively push their security interests
in the region as evidenced over the last two years by the joint convoys of their military
vessels that entered the U.S. EEZ in the Bering Sea. As has been included in our past
Resolutions, selection of Kodiak as a potential military base or staging area as the U.S.
expands its security presence in the Arctic is a long-term goal for the Borough. We
understand this is a multi-year effort, but the Borough urges that Kodiak stay under
consideration with the Delegation and Department of Defense for future Arctic security
investment.
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 EIGHTEENTH DAY OF JANUARY, 2024
KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
Scott Arndt, Borough Mayor
ATTEST:
Nova M. Javier, MMC, Borough Clerk
VOTES:
Ayes: Ames, Griffin, LeDoux, Smiley, Turner, & Whiteside
Absent: Sharratt
Resolution FY2024-14
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