The Kenai City Council enacted legislation to accept and appropriate private donations to the Kenai Community Library during the body’s regular meeting last week.
The funding will be split between programming equipment and other library materials, according to the ordinance. It included $410 from multiple individual donors and a $1,000 grant for general support from the Derek Kaufman Fund through Hilcorp — with $1,250 for media equipment and $160 for library materials.
The council voted unanimously to enact the ordinance last week and no community members testified about the legislation, even though library funding proved to be a hot-button issue just around six months ago. Last December, the council voted to accept a $1,500 grant for the purpose of purchasing new health and wellness titles after almost two months of back and forth.
According to previous Clarion reporting, at that time some council members requested a full inventory of proposed purchases, which were titles on mental health, suicide prevention, self-care, healthy habits and Medicare and Medicaid. The vote prompted an outcry from some who claimed refusing the grant was a form of censorship, and as a result, a GoFundMe campaign for the library raised more than $15,000.
Council members voted to pass last week’s ordinance with limited discussion, and without requesting inventory of the materials.
Reach reporter Camille Botello at camille.botello@peninsulaclarion.com.
