The Kenai Police Department says it needs more money for fuel and has requested funds be transferred from leftover department salaries to pay for it.

As outlined in a resolution that the Kenai City Council will consider during its Wednesday meeting, the department requested $15,000, which is available through extra money the department did not use for salaries. Police officer vacancies during the current fiscal year, which began on July 1, 2021, and will end on June 30, 2022, resulted in surplus funds, which is what the resolution proposes to use for “operating supplies.”

“There has been an extreme rise in the price of fuel since the FY22 budget was prepared that was not anticipated at that time,” Kenai Police Chief Dave Ross wrote in a March 23 memo to council members. “ … It is currently anticipated that $15,000 in additional funding for fuel will provide adequate funding until the end of FY22.”

Nationally, gasoline prices have jumped from $3.38 per gallon in October 2021 to $4.32 per gallon in March 2022, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Diesel prices jumped from $3.61 per gallon to $5.11 per gallon during the same time period.

Wednesday’s city council meeting can be streamed live on the City of Kenai’s YouTube channel. People can participate in the meeting remotely through Zoom with meeting ID 893 7217 9389 and meeting passcode 425366.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.