The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly convened at the Seward Library Tuesday night, April 15, celebrating Seward High School’s championship teams and declaring April Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The event drew a large crowd, with standing room only.

A key discussion revolved around a proposed five-percent cap on real property tax assessments. Supporters claimed it would ease the financial burden on property owners facing rising assessments, while opponents questioned the lack of data supporting its effectiveness. Ultimately, the resolution was defeated.

Local resident Albi Tatum raised concerns about duplicated ambulance services provided by the Bear Creek Fire Department, questioning the necessity of additional funding when Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SVAC) already offers services, arriving within five minutes, and is free to taxpayers.

The meeting featured many passionate testimonies advocating for school funding, including fifth-grader Delaney Lunardi. Seward’s elementary school counselor, Christy Jordan, and first-grade teacher, Dr. Erin Pearce, spoke about their potential job losses due to funding cuts. Eric Davidson, from Hope, said his entire town would change with the proposed budget cuts due to the governor’s possible veto. At this point the borough’s proposal is a 2.5% increase in funding from last year, which is about 1.5 million dollars, but would not be to the cap. Mayor Micciche emphasized that the state has not met its obligations to fund education adequately, but the borough has always been one of the top supporters in the state.

Assembly members, including Seward Representative Cindy Ecklund, expressed their commitment to funding education to the cap. Mayor Micciche cautioned that Borough funding alone wouldn’t resolve the issue and urged residents to contact their legislators to challenge Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed veto.