Kenai city employees, but not municipal officers like city council members, can newly participate in public land sales after the council this month unanimously enacted an amended ordinance that loosens a prohibition on employees purchasing property from the city.
The ordinance enacted by the council at their May 21 meeting replaced a previous version that would have similarly loosened the prohibition on purchasing property, but also would have extended that ability to municipal officers. Per city code, municipal officers include the mayor, city manager, city council, planning and zoning commission, city attorney and city clerk.
The ordinance was postponed as members of the council said they were worried about the appearance of impropriety in lessening their own ethical rules, but several said they saw no issue with allowing other city employees to participate in public land sales.
Alex Douthit sponsored the ordinance, and said he wanted to give people who work in the city the option to develop its land. The ordinance as enacted says employees can only acquire land from the city in publicly advertised sales, and prohibits them from participating in the sale if they were in a position to obtain information unavailable to the general public about either the property or the sale process.
City employees who want to buy and develop land in the city they work in, Douthit said, should be able to show up to a public outcry auction and purchase land if they’re willing to pay more than the other bidders.
“I can see this being a good thing for most of the city employees,” member Deborah Sounart said. “People that love the city, people that want to live here, people that have invested most of their work life here.”
The substituted ordinance was ultimately enacted by unanimous consent.
A full recording of the meeting is available at the City of Kenai Public Meetings channel on YouTube.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
