Kodiak Assembly takes up its vacancy rewrite Thursday, with the public hearing Sept. 17

The clock for filling a vacant Kodiak Island Borough Assembly seat would start the exact day the Assembly accepts a resignation, and residents could apply electronically, under an ordinance going before the Assembly on Thursday, Sept. 3.

The Assembly is asked only to advance the measure to a public hearing at its next regular meeting. No adoption vote is scheduled for Thursday. That hearing falls Sept. 17 on the Assembly's first-and-third-Thursday schedule, with testimony by phone at 907-486-3231 or 855-492-9202. Thursday's meeting begins 6:30 p.m. in the Assembly Chambers.

Borough Clerk Nova M. Javier drafted the ordinance and presented it at the Aug. 27 work session, where it took no formal action. Her memo says the goal is to make filling open seats "simpler, clearer, and more organized." Under the proposal, the clerk publishes notice of a vacancy and accepts applications for 14 days after the first publication date, with a deadline of 3 p.m. on the 14th day.

Applicants would use an official form and certify upfront that they are qualified borough voters, that they have lived in the borough for a year, and that they are willing to file a financial disclosure statement with the Alaska Public Offices Commission if appointed. The form requires a notarized statement. The ordinance also states that an appointed member serves until a successor is elected and takes office. No appointment is made if fewer than 90 days remain in the term.

The borough filled its last Assembly vacancy in July, after Dave Johnson resigned effective June 25. At the June 25 special meeting, Javier told the Assembly, "by code, we need to make the appointment 30 days after you declare the seat vacant." The 30-day limit survives in Ordinance FY2027-08. What changes is what starts the count.