The drop-off bay is seen at the Soldotna Landfill on June 27, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion file)

The drop-off bay is seen at the Soldotna Landfill on June 27, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion file)

Assembly approves more money for borough transfer facility contracts

The Kenai Peninsula Borough needs about $654,000 more than it thought it needed

The Kenai Peninsula Borough needs about $654,000 more than it thought it needed to run four transfer sites throughout the borough. That’s according to legislation passed by assembly members Tuesday that pulled those funds from the borough’s general fund.

Two contracts — one for Seward and another for Kenai, Nikiski and Sterling — are set to expire at the end of this year. Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste Director Lee Frey wrote in an Oct. 11 memo to assembly members that both contracts were recently put out to bid and the cost for services was higher than what was budgeted for in the current fiscal year.

Of the money approved through the legislation, about $237,000 will be used for operation and maintenance of the Seward Transfer Facility. The approximately $417,000 remaining will be used for operation and maintenance at transfer sites in Kenai, Nikiski and Sterling.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Solid waste was the third-largest recipient of money from the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s general fund for the current fiscal year — behind education and general government operations. The budget predicted solid waste would account for roughly 11% of general fund expenditures, or about $10.6 million.

A $9.3 million leachate project has been the focus of additional project funding over the last year.

Leachate comes from water that percolates through landfills and may contain toxic chemicals that modern landfills are designed to prevent from contaminating groundwater or surface water, according to Cornell University’s Waste Management Institute. The borough’s tank collects, treats and delivers water and wastewater.

The borough allocated $6 million of the money it received through the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 toward the project and also received $3.36 million from the Environmental Protection Agency for the project. The EPA money required an $840,000 local match from the borough.

Assembly members in May approved the use of $90,000 leftover from another project for lighting improvements at borough solid waste facilities. The assembly approved in September 2021 the use of $175,000 for brushing around solid waste facilities, as well as just over $326,000 for a project at the Homer Solid Waste Facility.

The borough has a separate fund for solid waste projects that the borough can draw from in addition to the general fund.

A fully copy of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Fiscal Year 2023 budget can be found on the borough’s finance page at kpb.us/finance-dept/.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School board finalizes budget with deep cuts to programming, classrooms

Multiple members of the board said they were frustrated by the state’s failure to fund education.

Former KPBSD Finance Director Liz Hayes speaks during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School district finance department earns national awards

The two awards are based on comprehensive reviews of the district’s budget and financial reporting.

Children leap forward to grab candy during a Fourth of July parade on South Willow Street in Kenai, Alaska, on July 4, 2025. (Photo courtesy Sarah Every)
Celebrating the 4th in the streets

Kenai comes out for annual Independence Day parade.

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Updated: Refuge ends search efforts for missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team conducts a training mission in Seward, Alaska in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team
Anchor Point fundraiser to benefit Alaska rescue and recovery group

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 2016.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic staff (left to right) Angie Holland, RN; Jane Rohr, Sonja Martin Young, CNM; Robin Holmes, MD; and Cherie Bole, CMA provide an array of reproductive and sexual health services. (Photo provided by KBFPC)
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula

The report pulls from data gathered from 2024 to early 2025.

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Most Read