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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 2026-07000, KENAI Sponsored by: CITY OF KENAI RESOLUTION NO. 2026-07 Askin, Sounart, Daniel, Kisena, Grieme, Pettey, Knackstedt A RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR SUBMISSION TO THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE CITY OF KENAI, AT THE SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD ON APRIL 14, 2026, THE QUESTION OF AMENDING KENAI MUNICIPAL CHARTER, SECTION 10-1 ANNUAL ELECTION - TIMES, TO PROVIDE THAT THE ANNUAL DATE OF THE CITY'S GENERAL ELECTION IS ALIGNED WITH THE CURRENT ANNUAL ELECTION DATE OF THE KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH. WHEREAS, at the October 7, 2025 Municipal Election, Borough Voters approved Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) Citizens Initiative Proposition No. 5; and, WHEREAS, KPB Proposition No. 5 moved the annual Borough election date from October to November to coincide with the State and Federal annual elections date in an effort to increase Borough voter turnout; and, WHEREAS, although Proposition No. 5 did not alter the City of Kenai's election schedule, it was supported by 66.5% of the City voters who participated in the Borough election; and, WHEREAS, prior to the passage of Proposition No. 5 Borough and City annual elections were held concurrently under a mutual aid agreement; and, WHEREAS, the City Council by Resolution No. 2026-06 has scheduled a Special Election on April 14, 2026, for the purpose of submitting to the eligible voters of the City the question of aligning the annual election date of the City with the annual election date of the of the Kenai Peninsula Borough; and, WHEREAS, Proposition No. 2026-A proposes to amend the City Charter Section 10-1 to have the annual date of City's general election held on the same date as the current Borough and State annual election to provide cost savings to the City in running its annual election and to increase City voter turnout. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA: Section 1. That the following proposition shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the City of Kenai at the April 14, 2026 Special Election in substantially the same form as set out hereafter: PROPOSITION NO. 2026 - A ANNUAL ELECTIONS - TIME. Amending the Annual Date of the City of Kenai's General Election to Match the Kenai Peninsula Borough Annual Election Date, which was Recently Aligned with the Date of the State of Alaska Annual Election. Shall Section 10-1, Annual Election - Times, of the Charter of the City of Kenai be amended to provide that the annual election date of the City of Kenai be amended to match the current annual election date of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, which was recently aligned with the annual election date of the State of Alaska. New Text Underlined; [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] Resolution No. 2026-07 Page 2 of 3 YES _ [A YES vote would amend the City Charter as described above.] NO _ [A NO vote would defeat the amendment described above.] Section 2. That following the April 14, 2026 Special Election, if the proposition substantially in the same form as set out above in Section 1 of this resolution is ratified by the voters, the following charter amendment would become effective: Section 10-1 Annual Election - Times, of the Charter of the City of Kenai There shall be no primary election, but only a general election, herein also called general election, for the election of a Mayor and other Councilmembers. Such election shall be held on the first Tuesday [IN OCTOBER] following the first Monday in November of each calendar year. Section 3. That the following proposition summary shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the City of Kenai in substantially the same form as set out hereafter: Proposition No. 2026 - A: Charter Amendment, Amending the Annual Date of the City of Kenai's General Election to Match the Kenai Peninsula Borough Annual Election Date, which was Recently Aligned with the Date of the State of Alaska Annual Election. Ballot Question: Shall Section 10-1, Annual Election - Times, of the Charter of the City of Kenai be amended to provide that the annual election date of the City of Kenai be amended to match the current annual election date of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, which was recently aligned with the annual election date of the State of Alaska. Proposed Charter Amendment: New Text Underlined; [DELETED TEXT, SMALL CAPS AND BRACKETED] Section 10-1 Annual Election - Times, of the Charter of the City of Kenai There shall be no primary election, but only a general election, herein also called general election, for the election of a Mayor and other Councilmembers. Such election shall be held on the first Tuesday [IN OCTOBER] following the first Monday in November of each calendar year. YES - A YES vote would amend the Charter as described above. NO - A NO vote would defeat the amendment described above. Summary of Amendment: This would amend Kenai Municipal Charter by moving the annual date of the City's general election from the first Tuesday in October to the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November of each calendar year. If approved, this Charter amendment would align the City of Kenai's annual election date with the Kenai Peninsula Borough's current annual election date. In 2025 the Kenai Peninsula Borough annual election date was changed to the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November, which aligned the Kenai Peninsula Borough annual election date with the State of Alaska annual election date. Section 4. That this Resolution takes effect immediately upon passage. PASSED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, THI DAY O ;?1026. Hofir�/}9: Knatedt, New Text Underlined; [DELETED TEXT BRAC Resolution No. 2026-07 Page 3 of 3 ATTEST: MichellkM. 5aneY, 4MC, City Clerk New Text Underlined; [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] City of Kenai 1 210 Fidalgo ,Ave, Kenai, ,AK 99611-7794 1907.283.75351 www kenai.city MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Knackstedt and Council Members FROM: Shellie Saner, City Clerk DATE: January 14, 2026 SUBJECT: Resolution No. 2026-07 - Providing for Submission to the Qualified Voters of the City of Kenai, at the Special Election to be Held on April 14, 2026, the Question of Amending Kenai Municipal Charter, Section 10-1 Annual Election - Times, to Provide that the Annual Date of the City's General Election is Aligned with the Current Annual Election Date of the Kenai Peninsula Borough's. City Council Resolution No. 2026-06 scheduled a Special Election for April 14, 2026, for the purpose of asking the Voters if they would like to amend the date of the City's annual election. Section Analysis: Section 1 - establishes the proposed proposition format, setting the proposition title in a format which lets the voters know the subject of the proposition. Section 2 - identifies the specific change which will take place within Kenai Municipal Charter if the proposition is approved by the voters. Section 3 - proposes the proposition summary, which is the brief explanation of the proposition and what would occur if the proposition were approved. It is important to note that this Proposition changes the date of the City's annual general election to the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November, which is the date the State's elections have historically been, and what the Borough just changed to. If the Borough or State were to change their election dates in the future (the Borough can't for at least two years following the citizen proposition) and the City desired to change its date again, another special election would be required to amend The City's Charter.