The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, in line with other organizations or municipal governments in the wake of the drastic reduction to the Public Library Assistance Grant for fiscal year 2025, is urging the State of Alaska to fully fund libraries.

The Homer City Council passed a similar resolution, 24-103, at their regular meeting on Sept. 23.

Resolution 2024-043, passed during the last regular assembly meeting on Oct. 8, asks the state to maintain funding for the PLA grant program and the Statewide Library Electronic Doorway at the same level as fiscal year 2024. The resolution is sponsored by assembly President Brent Johnson, assembly Vice President Tyson Cox, assembly members Kelly Cooper and Cindy Ecklund, and Borough Mayor Peter Micciche.

The PLA grant for several decades has annually awarded between $6,000 and $7,000 to eligible library applicants. For many small libraries statewide, that funding means the difference between staying open or being forced to close their doors.

This year’s PLA grant was dramatically reduced to $1,829 for 82 libraries across Alaska.

Funding for SLED, which provides Alaskans with access to online resources that would otherwise be unaffordable for local libraries, was also reduced from $500,000 to $369,514.

The resolution cites some of the severely adverse effects that the reductions will have on libraries in the Kenai Peninsula Borough if full funding is not restored, including library closures, reduction in hours and decreased materials purchases. The loss of SLED funding, it says, will also eliminate many online resources for all public libraries statewide.

In a Sept. 30 memorandum to the assembly, Johnson wrote that reducing or eliminating funding for community libraries would be a disservice to the public’s interest.

Micciche thanked Johnson for bringing forth the resolution at the Oct. 8 meeting.

“I trust that the (DEED) commissioner is handling this, and I think the funding will be returned,” he said. “But I think we should clarify that this isn’t an amount of stress (to) put on 82 libraries across the state ever again. I think it’s a good way to solidify our stance that we’re not going away if it were to happen again.”

Resolution 2024-043 and audio from the KPB Legislative Committee hearing, during which the resolution was discussed, can be found online at kpb.legistar.com

The next regular borough assembly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. in the Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers in Soldotna.