Western Emergency Services logo. (Courtesy image)

Western Emergency Services logo. (Courtesy image)

Deadline extended for transfer of assets for Western Emergency Services

Borough’s legal department says more time is needed for proper transfer

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly took another step toward finalizing the creation of the new Western Emergency Service Area, which will cover fires and medical emergencies in both Anchor Point and Ninilchik.

Voters from both communities approved the new combined service area in the October election. It will be created by combining the resources of the currently independent Anchor Point Fire and Emergency Medical Service Area and Ninilchik Emergency Services. The Anchor Point department is already an established service area under the borough’s purview, sustained by a mill rate set on property taxes, while Ninilchik Emergency Services has been run independently by a nonprofit up until now.

At their Tuesday meeting, members of the assembly passed an ordinance through their consent agenda that approves the transfer of assets from Ninilchik Emergency Services to the borough, to allow them to be combined with the assets of the Anchor Point department. In an amendment made by assembly member Tyson Cox, the deadline to transfer those assets was extended from Jan. 31 to April 20.

In a memo to the assembly provided through Mayor Charlie Pierce, Deputy Borough Attorney Patty Burley explained that the borough needs more time to work through the list of assets from the Ninilchik department. The borough and Ninilchik Emergency Services have been working cooperatively to identify and transfer all assets since July, she wrote, but a lot of the work could not start until voter approval in October 2020.

The assets currently held by Ninilchik Emergency Services include the station building itself, a training cabin, firefighting vehicles, a utility trailer, a “SnowBulance,” medical equipment, tools, CPR dummies, computers and more, according to an inventory list included in the assembly meeting documents.

“The transfer of assets is not as simple as signing over a building,” Burley wrote in the memo. “Transferring assets involves a multitude of borough departments such as finance, IT, legal, risk, lands and human resources just to name a few. An extensive checklist of the items which have to be completed in order to effectuate the transfer was prepared and is diligently being pursued, but time is needed to ensure that all is done properly.”

While the borough has been completing items on the checklist of what needs to get done to complete the transfer, Burley wrote that the recent holidays and COVID-19 closures have made it more difficult to contact necessary agencies outside of the borough and Ninilchik Emergency Services.

“For these reasons more time is requested to properly complete the tasks necessary to ensure that the transfer is a successful one for both agencies,” Burley wrote. “Additionally, more time is needed to finalize an asset transfer agreement.”

According to the amendments Cox made to the ordinance on Tuesday, failure to transfer the Ninilchik Emergency Services assets to the borough by the April 20 deadline would “render the creation of the Western Emergency Service Area null and void.”

Reach Megan Pacer at mpacer@homernews.com.

More in News

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, a Soldotna Republican who co-chairs the House Education Committee, speaks in favor overriding a veto of Senate Bill 140 during floor debate of a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature on Monday. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
By 1 vote, lawmakers sustain Dunleavy veto of education bill

The bipartisan bill included $680 increase to per-student funding

The Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River near the Russian River Campground on March 15, 2020, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Russian River Campground closed for construction

The campground is expected to reopen on June 2

A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)
Fish and Game announces series of closures and restrictions for king salmon fisheries

Cook Inlet king salmon stocks are experiencing a prolonged period of poor productivity, the department said

Montessori materials sit on shelves in a classroom at Soldotna Montessori Charter School on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Education debate draws state attention to peninsula charter schools

Dunleavy would like to see a shift of authority over charter school approvals from local school districts to the state

The Nikiski Senior Center stands under sunlight in Nikiski, Alaska, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Support available for community caregivers

Nikiski Senior Center hosts relaunched Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program

Flags flank the entrance to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan education bill

Senate Bill 140 passed the House by a vote of 38-2 and the Senate by a vote of 18-1 last month

The Alaska State Capitol on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
House passes bill altering wording of sex crimes against children

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer

Ben Meyer and Brandon Drzazgowski present to the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Watershed Forum gives update on streambank restoration

The watershed forum and other organizations are working to repair habitat and mitigate erosion

The entrance to the Kenai Police Department, as seen in Kenai, Alaska, on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai resident arrested on charges of arson

Kenai Police and Kenai Fire Department responded to a structure fire near Mountain View Elementary

Most Read