HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-12-03 Council Packet - Work SessionPage 1
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KENAI
A. CALL TO ORDER
Kenai City Council - Work Session
December 03, 2025 — 5:00 PM
Kenai City Council Chambers
210 Fidalgo Avenue, Kenai, Alaska
www.kenai.city
** Telephonic / Virtual Information on Page 1**
Agenda
B. INTRODUCTION - Shellie Saner, City Clerk
1. City of Kenai Elections and Kenai Peninsula Borough Proposition No. 5
C. DISCUSSION ITEM
1. Previous City Election Schedule and Process
2. Changing the City Election Date
3. Proposed Options Moving Forward
4. Estimated Costs Associated with the Three Possible Options
D. COUNCIL COMMENTS
E. PUBLIC COMMENTS (Public comments limited to five (5) minutes per speaker)
F. ADJOURNMENT
The agenda and supporting documents are posted on the City's website at www.kenai.city. Copies of
resolutions and ordinances are available at the City Clerk's Office or outside the Council Chamber prior
to the meeting. For additional information, please contact the City Clerk's Office at 907-283-8231.
Registration is required to join the meeting remotely through Zoom. Please use the following link to
register:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vQYOVbVSQpGLmhllhicGig
Kenai City Council - Work Session Page 1 of 1
December 03, 2025
L
I000,
City of Kenai
MEMORANDUM
K E N 4
210 Fidalgo Ave, Kenai, AK 99611-7794 1907.283.75351 www.kenai.city
TO: Mayor Knackstedt and Council Members
FROM: Shellie Saner, City Clerk
DATE: November 18, 2025
SUBJECT: City of Kenai Elections
During the October 7, 2025, Municipal Election, Borough voters approved Kenai Peninsula
Borough Citizen Initiative Proposition No. 5, which moved Borough Elections from October to
November to coincide with State and Federal elections.
Approval of this Borough Proposition does not affect the City of Kenai election day. The City's
election date is established in City Charter and may only be amended by the voters of the City.
The results on Proposition No. 5 in the three City of Kenai precincts were as follow:
Precinct
Yes Votes
No Votes
Kenai No. 1 (07-015)
241
122
Kenai No. 2 (07-020)
125
65
Kenai No. 3 (07-025)
156
76
Total
522
263
Although Proposition No. 5 did not alter the City of Kenai's election schedule, it was supported by
66.5% of the voters who participated in the Borough election . .................................... (Exhibit A)
Previous City Election Schedule and Process. Before the passage of the initiative proposition,
City and Borough elections were held concurrently under a mutual aid agreement. Conducting
the election together provided significant benefits for both the City and its voters. Financially, the
joint election structure reduced costs through shared ballot programming, shared use of Borough
election equipment, and joint logic and accuracy testing. It allowed City ballot questions and
candidate information to be included in the Borough's published voter pamphlet. Additionally, the
City and Borough shared election worker wages and precinct facility rental costs equally. For
voters, the combined election schedule offered the convenience of participating in both the City
and Borough elections at the same location and time, enhancing accessibility and overall
experience.
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Changing the City of Kenai Election Date. The City of Kenai's election date is established in
Kenai Municipal Charter Section 10-1, which provides that the City's general election, will be held
annually on the first Tuesday in October. Any changes to this election date would require an
amendment to the City Charter. Charter amendments may be initiated by qualified voters through
an initiative petition or by the City Council through resolution or ordinance. Under Charter Section
12-1, amendments proposed by the Council must be submitted to voters at a regular or special
election held not less than two months after passage of the proposing legislation. An amendment
becomes effective upon approval by a majority of the eligible voters casting ballots on the
question.
Proposed Options Moving Forward: Below are three potential pathways for Council to consider
regarding the future scheduling of City of Kenai elections:
1. Make No Changes: Retain the current city election date on the first Tuesday in October.
Under this option, the mutual aid agreement with KPB would no longer apply, as Borough
elections will occur one month later and their election equipment would not be available
to support City elections.
2. Wait Until the Next Regular Election: Place a proposed Charter amendment to change the
City election date before voters at the 2026 Regular City Election on October 6, 2026. As
with the option above, the mutual aid agreement with KPB would not apply due to the
misalignment of election dates.
3. Call for a Special Election: Direct the City Clerk to prepare the necessary legislation to call
for and fund a Special Election for the purpose of submitting a Charter amendment to
voters to modify the City's established election date.
Estimated Costs Associated with the Three Possible Options. The following cost estimates
are derived from recent vendor quotes and actual expenses from prior City elections.
No Change & Waiting: The estimated cost outlined below represent the anticipated expenses
associated with either maintaining the current City election date or waiting until the next regular
election to present the Charter amendment question to the voters. Under both scenarios, the City
would no longer have access to the Kenai Peninsula Borough election equipment, as the
Borough's election would occur one month later, eliminating the availability of shared resources.
Equipment & Programming
$
14,148
Election Notices
$
2,600
Ballot Printing
$
5,000
Polling Site Rental
$
100
Election Judges
$
6,500
Absentee Voting Officials
$
3,400
Canvass
1,000
$ 32,748
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Special Election: The following estimate reflects the anticipated cost of conducing a Special
Election to present a proposed Charter amendment regarding the City's election date to voters.
This estimate assumes the Special Election would occur outside the Borough's regular election
cycle and that the City would have access to Borough election equipment, under the current
mutual aid agreement.
Ballot Programing
$
1,550
Election Equipment
$
-
Election Notices
$
2,600
Mailer/Flyer
$
5,400
Radio Communications
$
?
Ballot Printing
$
5,000
Polling Site Rental
$
100
Election Judges
$
6,500
Absentee Voting Officials
$
3,400
Canvass
1,000
$ 25,550
Notes: Mailer/Flyer: A mailer or flyer would be sent to all registered voters within the City to
notify them that a Special Election has been scheduled and to provide information
regarding the ballot proposition.
Radio Communications: If radio communications are used to inform the public about the
details of the proposition, those messages would be considered a campaign -related
expense and would result in costs not covered by the City's standard radio advertising
budget.
2024 Regular Election Cost: The information below is provided to illustrate the cost of
conducting an election in coordination with the Borough and to offer context for comparing future
election expenses.
Ballot Programing
$
600
Election Notices
$
1,000
Ballot Printing
$
2,100
Polling Site Rental (50%)
$
50
Election Judges (50%)
$
2,800
Absentee Voting Officials
$
1,700
Canvass
1,000
$ 9,250
KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH PROPOSITION SUMMARY Pages
PROPOSITION NO. 5
CITIZEN INITIATIVE: CHANGE THE CURRENT ELECTION DATE TO ALIGN WITH
THE STATE OF ALASKA ELECTION DATE
(To be voted on by all borough voters)
Background:
On May 19, 2025, Initiative Ordinance 2025-01 was filed in the Clerk's Office. The application was found
to be in proper form and was certified on May 16, 2025. Petition books were issued on May 19, 2025 and
filed on August 4, 2025. On August 14, 2025, the citizen initiative was certified sufficient.
Purpose:
The proposed citizen Initiative Ordinance 2025-01 seeks to amend the Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB)
Code of Ordinances, specifically Title 4 — Elections, to change the current election date to align with the
State of Alaska
Key Provision:
1. Change of Regular Election Date. The proposed citizen initiative ordinance changes the regular
borough election date from the first Tuesday of October to the first Tuesday following the first
Monday in November.
Fiscal Impact:
The full fiscal impacts are unknown. Changing the election date will impact the availability of polling
locations as well as the availability of election workers since the State of Alaska has stated separate
election workers are needed for each election, and will require purchasing election equipment such as
voting booths, signs, tables and chairs for each polling location.
BALLOT LANGUAGE
As approved by the Assembly August 19, 2025
Shall Initiative Ordinance 2025-01, calling for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Code of Ordinances,
Title 4 — Elections, be amended to change the current election date to align with the State of
Alaska election date, be enacted?
YES A "Yes" vote means you approve enacting the citizen initiative ordinance that changes the
regular election date from the first Tuesday of October to the first Tuesday following the
first Monday in November.
NO A "No" vote means you oppose enacting the citizen initiative ordinance that that changes
the regular election date from the first Tuesday of October to the first Tuesday following
the first Monday in November.
Exhibit A
Page: 1 of 2 10/15/20
Page 6
Election Summary Report
General Election
Kenai Peninsula Borough
October 07, 2025
Summary for: All Contests, 07015 Kenai No. 1, 07015 Kenai No 1, Election Day
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Voters Cast: 739 of 3,260 (22.67%)
ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 3 - NIKISKI (Vote for i)
Tota I
Times Cast 16 / 297 5.39%
Candidate Party Total
NIESEN, Lenora (Len) 12
Total Votes 12
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In 0
KPB PROPOSITION NO. i (Vote for 1)
Total
Times Cast 369 / 3,260 11.32%
Candidate Party Total
YES 166
NO 200
Total Votes 366
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In 0
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 3 (Vote for i)
Tota I
Times Cast I 369 / 3,260 11.32%
Candidate Party Total
YES 272
N O 92
Total Votes 364
Total
Unresolved Write -In 0
Exhibit A
Page: 2 of 2
10/1 5/20
Page 7
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 4 (Vote for 1)
Total
Times Cast 369 / 3,260 11.32%
Candidate Party Total
YES 140
NO 221
Total Votes 361
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In 0
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 5 (Vote for 1)
Tota I
Times Cast _ 369 / 3,260 11.32%
Candidate Party Total
YES 241
NO 122
Total Votes 363
Total
Unresolved Write -In _ 0
KENAI CITY MAYOR (Vote for 1)
Tota I
Times Cast _
370 / 3,260 11.35%
Candidate Party
Total
KNACKSTEDT, Henry H.
201
DOUTHIT, Alexander'Alex'
162
Total Votes
363
Tota
Unresolved Write -In
0
KENAI CITY COUNCIL TWO FOR 3-YEAR TERM (Vote for 2)
1 Total
Times Cast _
370 / 3,260 11.35%
Candidate
Total
ASKIN, Victoria
197
PETTEY, Glenese
149
GRIEME, Bridget
198
Total Votes
555
Total
Unresolved Write -In
11
Exhibit A
Page: 1 of 2 10/15/20
"JULS ec
Voters Cast: 388 of 1,778 (21.82%)
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 1 (Vote for i)
Tota I
Times Cast
195 / 1,778 10.97%
Candidate Party
Total
YES
108
NO
85
Total Votes
193
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In
0
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 3 (Vote for i)
Tota I
Times Cast
195 / 1,778 10.97%
Candidate Party
Total
YES
143
NO
51
Total Votes
194
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In
0
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 4 (Vote for i)
Tota I
Times Cast 195 / 1,778 10.97%
Candidate Party Total
YES 89
NO 101
Total Votes 190
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In 0
Exhibit A
Page: 2 of 2
10/15/20
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 5 (Vote for 1)
Total
Times Cast 195 / 1,778 10.97%
Candidate Party Total
YES 125
NO 65
Total Votes 190
Total
Unresolved Write -In 0
KENAI CITY MAYOR (Vote for 0
Tota I
Times Cast _
193 / 1,778 10.85%
Candidate Party
Total
KNACKSTEDT, Henry H.
105
DOUTHIT, Alexander'Alex'
84
Total Votes
192
M MT
Total
Unresolved Write -In
3
KENAI CITY COUNCIL TWO FOR 3-YEAR TERM (Vote for 2)
Tota I
Times Cast _
193 / 1,778 10.85%
Candidate
Party
Total
ASKIN, Victoria
110
PETTEY, Glenese
75
GRIEME, Bridget
101
Total Votes
296
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In
10
Exhibit A
Page: 1 of 3 10/15/2
Page 10
Election Summary Report
General Election
Kenai Peninsula Borough
October 07, 2025
Summary for: All Contests, 07025 Kenai No. 3, 07025 Kenai No 3, Election Day
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Voters Cast: 478 of 1,550 (30.84%)
ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 1- KALIFORNSKY (Vote for 1)
Tota I
Times Cast 93 / 726 12.81%
Candidate Party
Total
MULLICAN, Teresa
16
GRIEBEL, Scott
57
CORR, Joan
11
Total Votes
85
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In
1
BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1 - KALIFORNSKY (Vote for 1)
Tota I
Times Cast 93 / 726 12.81%
Candidate Party
Total
ANDERSON, Donna
29
ODEN, Shelby
20
TRUESDELL, Patti
34
Total Votes
84
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In
1
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 1 (Vote for 1)
Tota I
Times Cast
239 / 1,550 15.42%
Candidate Party
Total
YES
111
NO
124
Total Votes
235
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In
0
Exhibit A
Page: 2 of 3 10/1 5/2
Page 11
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 3 (Vote for i)
Total
Times Cast 239 / 1,550 15.42%
Candidate Party Total
YES 186
NO 49
Total Votes 235
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In 0
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 4 (Vote for 1)
Tota I
Times Cast _ i 239 / 1,550 15.42%
Candidate Party Total
YES 113
NO 119
Total Votes 232
Total
Unresolved Write -In 0
KPB PROPOSITION NO. 5 (Vote for 1)
Tota I
Times Cast _ I 239 / 1,550 15.42%
Candidate Party Total
YES 156
NO 76
Total Votes 232
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In 0
KENAI CITY MAYOR (Vote for i)
1 Total
Times Cast 239 / 1,550 15.42%
CandidateZ"=�= Total
KNACKSTEDT, Henry H. 152
DOUTHIT, Alexander'Alex' 80
Total Votes 234
Tota I
Unresolved Write -In 2
Exhibit A
Page: 3 of 3
10/1 5/2
Page 12
KENAI CITY COUNCIL TWO FOR 3-YEAR TERM (Vote for 2)
Total
Times Cast 239 / 1,550 15.42%
Candidate
Party Total
ASKIN, Victoria
138
PETTEY, Glenese
110
GRIEME, Bridget
103
Total Votes
355
Total
Unresolved Write -In 4
Exhibit A