Resolution 16-028 Ask the Alaska Legislature to Consider Less Severe Cuts to Alaska Public Broadcasting for FY17

CITY OF HOMER

HOMER, ALASKA

Reynolds

RESOLUTION 16-028

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF HOMER, ALASKA, RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE ALASKA LEGISLATURE CONSIDER LESS SEVERE CUTS TO THE ALASKA PUBLIC BROADCASTING COMMISSION IN THE FY17 BUDGET.

WHEREAS, KBBI Public Radio (Kachemak Bay Broadcasting, Inc.) provides important news and information services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, serving lower Cook Inlet residents from Clam Gulch to Nanwalek, and Chinitna Bay to the west side of Kodiak Island; and

WHEREAS, KBBI provides essential public service in times of emergency and natural disasters. At 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 24, 2016, a 7.1 earthquake struck the west side of Cook Inlet, 47 miles across Cook Inlet from Anchor Point and 60 miles from Homer. Within 20 minutes KBBI staff were on the air with earthquake information and provided regular updates until 6:00 a.m. The effort continued into the afternoon, including information from the Central Kenai Peninsula area where the most severe physical damage took place; and

WHEREAS, KBBI has invested significant financial resources to purchase and install backup propane generators at the studio and transmitter locations to provide vital information to communities when disaster threatens. This can come in the form of earthquakes, tsunamis, volcano eruptions, wildfire, or floods. In the past 25 years the southern Kenai Peninsula has experienced each of these events multiple times; and

WHEREAS, KBBI's high level of response led the City of Homer to invite KBBI’s participation in the City’s All Hazard Mitigation Plan committee. KBBI also participated in the Coastal Community Resilience Training in October 2015, a disaster preparedness training offered by NOAA; and

WHEREAS, KBBI’s ability to broadcast to the central Kenai Peninsula via KDLL, Kenai has been important in emergency response situations; and

WHEREAS, Cuts to all segments of Alaska government budgets are anticipated for FY17; and

WHEREAS, The proposed reduction to the budget for public radio seems disproportionate and will adversely affect service across Alaska; especially to Bush and rural residents where public radio may be the primary source of regional and emergency information.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Homer, Alaska, respectfully requests the Alaska Legislature consider less severe cuts to the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission in the FY17 budget.

PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Homer City Council on this 14th day of March, 2016.              

CITY OF HOMER

                                                                                                         _______________________

                                                                                                         MARY E. WYTHE, MAYOR

ATTEST:

______________________________

JO JOHNSON, MMC, CITY CLERK

Fiscal Note: N/A