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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. Zida/2,4c7rj Jo anna Kinni-IrMC C' y Clerk • an Bardarson Mayor (City Seal) • i SEAL 2 �� i --nn., ill∎ I ig `i �e s '•.F............... .I.,I.I n.."s rrr