The graduates at Kenai Peninsula College might have disagreed about the hardest part of their education as they prepared for their walk across the Kenai Central High School Stage on May 3. But they agreed, nearly unanimously, that the professors were one of the best parts.

“The faculty’s wonderful, the campus is wonderful,” said Jessie Ryan, 28, who graduated with her Associate of Arts degree.

John Stenglein, a 54-year-old who earned his Bachelor of Arts in Human Services, agreed.

“The teachers are really great,” Stenglein said. “(They’ve) got a lot of patience.”

Kenai’s city council talked finances at its Wednesday night meeting.

The council set property tax rates and adopted a budget for the coming year before voting down an ordinance that would have waived boat launch and parking fees for city residents.

The 2012 budget relies on a tax rate of 3.85 mils. That means that for every $100,000 of assessed property value owned in the city of Kenai, the owner will pay $385 in city property taxes. That rate will fund the budget for fiscal year 2012, which the council also passed unanimously.

Area state legislators talked about oil and gas development, coastal management and other state issues at a joint Kenai and Soldotna chamber of commerce lunch on Wednesday.

Sen. Tom Wagoner, R-Kenai, gave the community his take on oil and gas issues.

He said one bill he wrote — that didn’t make it through the process to be signed into law — would hopefully help increase production on the North Slope and send more oil through the Trans Alaska Pipeline.
“We need to put more oil in the line so it’s more efficient,” Wagoner said.

Next month, more than a dozen Kenai residents will travel to Missouri seeking a second All-America City designation.

The Kenai delegation rehearsed its 10-minute presentation at Wednesday's Chamber of Commerce lunch, complete with singing, bear suits and fishing vests. The group aims to repeat Kenai's success in the 1992 All-America City competition, when the presentation focused on building projects. Kenai was looking to develop its infrastructure at that time.