HomeMy WebLinkAbout06092014 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska
June 9, 2014 City Council Minutes
Volume 39, Page 340
CALL TO ORDER
The June 9,2014 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m.
by Mayor Jean Bardarson.
OPENING CEREMONY
Assistant City Manager Ron Long led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
Jean Bardarson presiding and
Ristine Casagranda David Squires
Dale Butts Iris Darling
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Ron Long, Assistant City Manager
Johanna Kinney, City Clerk
Absent—Christy Terry, Marianna Keil
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Sherry Furlong encouraged the council to move on the transfer of land to the Friends of the
Jesse Lee Home. That land had been vacant a long time and she admitted she was a fan of history
and admired architecture. Furlong would like to see the building renovated and was happy there was
some consideration to keep it in the public domain.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (Darling/Casagranda) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
Squires placed Resolution 2014-052 on the consent agenda.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Resolution 2014-051, Authorizing The Discharge Of Fireworks By The Chamber Of
Commerce During The 2014 Fourth Of July Celebration.
Resolution 2014-052, Accepting The 2014 Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant (VFA) In The
Amount Of $9,455.00 And Authorizing The 10% Matching Funds Of $945.50 And
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes Volume 39, Page 341
June 9, 2014
Appropriating Funds.
Approval of the April 14,2014 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes.
Recommend Mayor Navarre appoint Cindy Ecklund to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning
Commission.
SPECIAL ORDERS,PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards
Recognition for retiring Library Museum Director Patty Linville.
Recognition for Spring Creek Correctional Center's 2014 Employee of the Year, Amy
Komarek.
Lemonade Day Proclamation.
Borough Assembly Report, Sue McClure stated since her last report to the council, the
assembly passed the budget. The School District Superintendent requested an extra$1.5 million and
Mayor Navarre and the assembly approved $500,000. The borough's overall mill rate stayed the
same, and the Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area mill rate was increased by .25 mills. The
assembly was considering an ordinance to implement a four percent borough wide abo wane
Y
ac y with a aexist(bed)tax. sothe efore would be exempt. The borou the
gh was considering going to a
city with an existing bed tax s
by mail election. The assembly was also considering removing the"pro" and"con" statements on
propositions in the voter pamphlet.
City Manager's Report,Assistant City Manager Ron Long stated the following purchase
order between $10,000 and $50,000 was approved by the City Manager since the last council
meeting: $43,455 — Clearblu Environmental to purchase 4 Microbubble Aerators and 2 Control
Panels. The sidewalk repair work was complete for this year. The hard decision was finding a
stopping place, since there was no practical way to get it all done in one season. The work for this
season was identified in cooperation with the affected community in order to prioritize the biggest
ADA issues. Administration planned to bring council an annual funding request of $30,000 -
$50,000 to plan each year for work on the remaining sections until they were completed. A
resolution transferring site control of the Jesse Lee Home was being crafted and should come before
council for approval in July. The Project Manager position would be advertised soon.
In Public Works,the Dairy Hill Drainage Project was nearly complete,with one culvert left
to install. At Lowell Point Wastewater Treatment Facility, aerators had been ordered and should
arrive in the next few weeks. They would be installed and the intended outcome was to see the
dissolved oxygen levels increase for decreased odors. The city had $3.4 million in funding to
remove the sludge from both lagoons and refurbish the SMIC lagoon.
In the Finance Department, staff was busy with the financial accounting system
implementation. Staff training would be held the last week of June and the expected"Go-Live"date
City of Seward, Alaska
June 9, 2014 City Council Minutes
Volume 39, Pa:e 342
was July 1, 2014. Some of the benefits of the new system included ability for department heads to
electronically process purchase orders and requisitions,approve timesheets
•ee expense items, and view budget-to-actual information in real time. drill down to individual
The Harbor received important parts that were believed to help resolve the hoist problems
with the 250 ton lift. The next step was to get the hydraulic valve installed with the help of a
technical expert. The approach to the new D float gangway was paved June 5, 2014. Three
engineering firms submitted proposals to design the new fish cleaning station. R&M Consultants
scored the highest during the evaluation process.
In the Police Department,the Animal Control Shelter was closed last week for deep cleaning,
painting,and sealing. Officer Morgan Woodard graduated from the Sitka Public Safety Academy on
June 6, 2014. The Police Department assisted Seaview's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
program with their First Annual Motorcycle Poker Run from Anchorage to Seward on June 7,2014.
The City Manager acknowledged Officer Alan Nickell and three citizens who performed CPR and
used the AED defibrillator on a person having a heart attack on the bike path. The subject was
Medevac'd to Anchorage.
In response to questions, Assistant City Manager Ron Long stated the $500,000
appropriated for sludge disposal came from the general fund reserves. Long added the bid packets
would include a sludge removal plan. The borough had a site available, but it would be up to the
contractor to dispose of the sludge. In response to Casagranda, if disposal were to occur at the
landfill, the contractor would need to get clearance from the borough because they controlled the
facility.
Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations
Kenai Peninsula Borough Bed Tax Initiative by Shanon Hamrick,Executive Director
for Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council.
PUBLIC HEARINGS —None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Ordinance 2014-003, Amending Title 14 Of The City's Code Of Ordinances To Provide For
Interconnection Of Small Renewable Energy Sources To The City's Electrical Distribution
System. (This ordinance had a public hearing on May 27, 2014. A motion to enact was made by
Darling and seconded by Casagranda. The ordinance was then postponed to the June 9, 2014
meeting.)
Long stated administration was asking to amend by substitution the appeal language proposed
in their packet. The amendment added an administrative level of appeal initially, which they
anticipated would take care of the majority of the appeals. The appellant then would have the right
to appeal to the Planning and Zoning Commission,and then the Board of Adjustment(City Council).
City Council Minutes
City of Seward, Alaska Volume 39, Pa:e 343
June 9, 2014 Amend Ordinance 2014-003 by
Motion (Casagranda/Darling) substitution, implementing new appeal
language to section 14.15.417.concerned
with the
Darling liked the changes proposed for the appeal language. a Squires hundred days fan appellant
length of the timeline on the appeal process. It would take o
pursued each appeal option.
Motion (Casagranda/Squires) Amend the primary amendment,changing
the written decision timeline of the City
Manager from 30 days to 20 days in
proposed section 14.15.417(a)(2),section 2
of Ordinance 2014-003.
Darling understood things came up, so she could understand a 30 day time limit.
Secondary Amendment Motion Failed Yes: Squires, Casagranda, Bardarson
No: Butts, Darling
Primary Amendment Motion Passed Unanimous
In response to Butts, most of the original language presented to the council was from other
utilities. They had not consulted other utility agencies with this new substitution appeal language,
but staff felt this appeal language was amenable for everybody.
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS -None
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Butts congratulated Linville on her retirement and Komarek for her award. He was excited
for Lemonade Day.
Squires asked administration if they would invite the State Fire Marshal to a work session in
the fall to discuss the state amendments to the 2012 International Building Codes and what the city's
authority would be in these processes. He congratulated Linville in her retirement. Squires
apologized for being gone at the last meeting;he was helping fight the Funny River Fire in Soldotna.
Darling congratulated Linville on her retirement. Regarding the grant application approved
tonight for the Fire Department, Darling encouraged staff to purchase locally.
Bardarson encouraged the public to volunteer for the boards and commissions with empty
seats and asked for help in encouraging others.
City of Seward, Alaska
June 9, 2014 City Council Minutes
Volume 39, Pa:e 344
Long congratulated Linville on her retirement and enjoyed working with her on the library
L.
project. He asked council to keep the Hunt family in their thoughts and prayers.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Edward Athey acknowledged two volunteers sitting on the dais that were up this morning at
2 a.m. on a boat fire call and thanked Butts and Squires for their assistance.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Butts noted he was able to get some rest after the boat fire call today.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:03 p.m.
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